I am Debra Sheppard and I am running for the West End County Commissioner.

I live just outside of Superior with my husband Craig and I have been a lifelong resident of Montana. I am a person that will listen and fight for all the residences of West End and Mineral County. I would be proud and honored to be your next West End County Commissioner.

If you had to choose between prioritizing tourism or rebuilding a working-resource economy like timber or milling, which would you emphasize and why?

Both tourism and a working-resource economy benefit the County. The beneficial use of natural resources has been the main focus in Mineral County. Milling and timber harvesting has had much of the heritage for the county residents and continues to do so for its economic growth. Recent years have shown an increase in recreational use which has drawn tourism for attractions such as snowmobiling, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, hunting, camping and many other activities. The beauty of Mineral County’s recreational activities and lumber, brings economic growth for the residents.

Do you support expanding timber harvest to reduce wildfire risk and create jobs? If so, how would you push for it?

The focus on removing small trees, brush, accumulated ground cover, standing and dead and diseased trees that carry fire from the ground into the canopy is a priority for fire prevention. This removal process would generate jobs, and the maintenance would be an ongoing occupation as well as keeping the residents of Mineral County safer for fire prevention. In expanding more timber harvesting for lumber production does have positive effects for the economy of the County, yet too much commercial thinning can create an increase of surface wind speeds and cause the drying of the forest floor, potentially increasing fire severity. This could however produce ecological damage that impacts the natural wildlife habitats and could disrupt the ecosystems.

How do we make sure recreation dollars actually stay in the local community instead of just passing through?

This could be accomplished by ensuring that the county recreation income stays within the community of Mineral County, which would involve the leveraging of local, state and federal partnerships that would prioritize reinvestment and utilizing community driven planning. The campground fees and special permits would be reinvested directly back into the local recreation programs. This revenue would directly be spent at the site where they were collected, which would in turn fund facility improvements, maintenance, and visitor services.

Would you support workforce training partnerships with community colleges or trade programs? What should those focus on?

Supporting workforce training partnerships within Mineral Counties community colleges and trade programs are vital for enhancing Mineral County. This involves leveraging partnerships with institutions like Missoula College or Flathead Valley Community College providing localized, short-term training abilities. This is achieved by providing co-designed curriculum which would match the skills in high demand sectors. This would include implementing internships, apprenticeships, and on the job training opportunities involving local business owners that permit students to work while learning, facilitating direct job experiences. When colleges, employers as well as communities work together to create these placed-based opportunities, they develop workforce education and training programs and career pathways that put students on a path to obtain successful jobs meeting the needs of local employers as well as improving economic prosperity to rural communities.

If the county faced a major budget shortfall, what would be your priorities to cut — or protect?

Prioritized Based Budgeting is moving away from incremental budgeting to funding programs meeting the community needs, goals and providing measurable results. Also, prioritizing any downfalls of the County budget requires focusing on community centered results over last year’s expenditures. This is achieved by conducting long-term budget assessments, identifying essential services in public safety, basic infrastructure and creating emergency funding to cover any unexpected revenue gaps. Having a solid budget builds a foundation towards wealth for the community.

What is something the current county commission is doing wrong?

Change is not always easy for people to accept but there are things that need to be changed for the economic growth of Mineral County.