Flathead County Commissioner Brad Abell, 67, is fired up at the possibility of a second six-year term in office.  

A Republican who lives near Columbia Falls, Abell was elected to represent District 1 in November 2020. He spent his first term maintaining a fiscally sound budget, promoting work safety policies that he said saved the county $200,000 on insurance, and forging strong relationships with federal and state elected officials.  

"We've had a lot of accomplishments in the commissioners' office in my first term," said Abell, who is facing Democratic challenger Nathan Dugan of Whitefish in the Nov. 3 election. 

Abell's reelection campaign is largely focused on supporting local law enforcement. The commissioner threw his weight behind a $105 million bond to build a new county jail, which won voter approval in November 2025. The existing detention center has weathered crowding, flooding and electrical issues for years. 

If reelected, he looks forward to overseeing work on the new jail and reconstruction of the nearly 120-year-old covered grandstands at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell. 

THE COUNTY has steadily increased its spending on capital improvement projects in the last few years.  

In addition to the new jail and grandstand renovation, the county has put money into road and bridge maintenance, solid waste management, public health, libraries, planning, elections and emergency services.  

"Sometimes we get accused that we're not keeping up with the infrastructure," Abell said. "But infrastructure follows growth." 

Commissioners have long touted the county's lean budget and solid credit rating. Simultaneously, department heads have pushed for higher wage adjustments for county employees, citing challenges with recruitment and retention.  

The board passed a 2.15% cost of living adjustment this year, which fell short of the 2.69% adjustment recommended by the Montana Association of Counties. Abell said it's a balance between conserving tax rates and satisfying county staff.  

Tax revenues have become unstable under the recent slew of changes at the state level, he said, making it difficult for the county to predict how much it can budget for employee wages. County commissioners gave mid-year raises in 2024 and 2025, after property tax bills arrived in October.  

"We just didn't have the knowledge to give enough of it all at once," Abell said.  

He pointed out that commissioners approved a new pay schedule for the Sheriff's Office this year that increased starting hourly wages for deputies from $32.61 to $34.02. 

FLATHEAD COUNTY saw a surge in population growth following the pandemic, burdening its communities with increased demand for housing and infrastructure.  

Abell said he's satisfied with how the county has handled development pressures. Subdivision applications are approved with conditions imposed by the county Planning and Zoning Department. Those conditions regulate how a given property is developed, he said.  

"We get beat up sometimes, that we just rubber stamp every development," he said. "And we don't. I don't feel we do." 

When it comes to developing affordable housing, Abell said it is best left to private actors and the free market. He opposes subsidizing housing with taxpayer dollars.  

"I wish there were more ways for entry-level people to get in and have homeownership," Abell said, indicating he would prefer to see condos go up instead of apartment buildings.  

"Both my opponent and I would like to see more affordable housing. I think our paths to it are a lot different," he added. 

He and Dugan also recognize the importance of preserving rural open spaces in the Flathead Valley. There's valuable farmland in the lower valley he'd want to see preserved, Abell said.  

Local grassroots organization Save the Flathead Coalition has pitched a $10 million open space bond to preserve the county's rural areas. The measure would use taxpayer money to fund land preservation projects and increase property taxes by 74 cents per $100,000 in home value, according to the coalition. It hopes to put the initiative before voters in 2028. 

Abell said he's neutral on the bond and is waiting to hear more about it from the public.  

"So far we just haven't gotten a lot of people coming out and demanding it," he said.  

PRESERVING OPEN space isn't the only challenge that comes with population growth.   

Following the closure of the Glacier Gold Composting facility in Olney this fall, the county landfill is expected to receive up to 5,000 tons of additional treated sewage waste, known as biosolids, per year from Kalispell by the end of 2027. 

The county put the onus on Kalispell and Columbia Falls to protect the landfill by reducing the water in their biosolids. Excess fluid is a common factor in heat-related chemical reactions that have shut down landfills and drummed up hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, according to county officials.  

But officials in Columbia Falls argue the city doesn't have the budget for a new dewatering system. Kalispell is updating its wastewater treatment systems to reduce water in its biosolids, but engineers are hesitant to guarantee it will meet future standards imposed by the county at the landfill.   

Abell said the county shouldn't aid municipalities with taxpayer money. 

"Those are city projects," he said. "The guy that lives in Marion shouldn't be paying taxes to [help]." 

He suggested mixing woodchips in with the biosolids to soak up excess water and charge a fee to the cities.  

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.