As Flathead County’s overcrowded jail remains a dilemma for the county, Eileen Lowery draws on her background in the mental-health industry when she suggests ways to curb the rate of incarceration.

“I believe more proactive and preventative services, supports and solutions need to be in place,” Lowery said.

The 57-year-old retired mental-health director faces incumbent Republican Pam Holmquist for the District 2 Flathead County commissioner seat in the Nov. 8 general election. District 2 covers the central and southeastern areas of the county.

Lowery has spent a considerable amount of time sitting through commissioner meetings in recent months to get a handle on county issues, and pointed to the overcrowded jail as a paramount concern. She has a long list of potential solutions, including expansion of rehabilitation services for drug and alcohol addiction and domestic violence, and increased use of home arrests and ankle bracelets.

The county could improve its monitoring of community-service programs for offenders by hiring a compliance officer, Lowery said. Increasing affordable and supportive housing for individuals living with mental illness is another solution she said could help curb the incarceration rate.

Lowery was involved in mental-health recovery for 14 years in Northern California before retiring and moving to the Flathead Valley five years ago to be closer to family members who live here. She co-founded Manzanita Health Services in Ukiah, California, in 2008 and operated the center until relocating to Kalispell.

She supports the planned expansion of the adult detention center in the former County Attorney’s Office space, a move that will create 36 more jail beds until a new jail can be built. Lowery also agrees with the county’s current plan to keep saving for a jail and ask voters to approve a bond issue down the road.

Lowery also would push for legislators to increase the number of state prison beds at the Shelby jail facility to reduce Flathead County’s jail population.

The proposed water bottling plant in the Egan Slough area near Creston is another hot-button issue Lowery has been following. She supports a citizen-initiated effort to expand the Egan Slough Zoning District to include property where the bottling plant would be located.

“Property owners have property rights, but it comes with responsibility,” she said. “If there’s an adverse effect on neighbors, I believe we should listen to the voice of the people.”

Traffic concerns and a potential adverse effect on the environment are other factors that need to be vetted before permits are approved for a bottling plant, she added.

Preserving water quality is one of the key points in Lowery’s campaign platform.

To that end she staunchly believes the 540-foot-long bridge connecting Flathead Lake’s North Shore to Dockstader Island should never have been built. Last week a district judge voided the bridge permit and ordered the structure to be removed.

Lowery doesn’t support the commissioners’ decision earlier this year to send a letter to the federal government opposing refugee resettlement in Flathead County.

“If properly vetted they (refugees) should definitely be allowed to come into our county,” she said. “I don’t think it is the county commissioners’ role or responsibility to make that decision. I was shocked.”

Lowery said she sees no red flags with the county budget and stated the county has “stellar and dedicated employees.”

Local government is a passion for Lowery.

“I am concerned about strengthening communities and making good decisions that affect all of us,” she said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.