Nathan Dugan, 36, planned to step out of the public eye after his second unsuccessful bid for Whitefish City Council in 2025.  

"I wasn't really planning to run for anything, any time soon," said Dugan, who moved to Whitefish from northeast Ohio in 2015 after earning a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia University.  

But when he skimmed this year's candidate list for Flathead County Commissioner District 1, he felt solid about his chances of winning the Democratic primary — especially since Whitefish developer Casey Malmquist filed to run as an independent. 

"I wouldn't have run if Casey Malmquist had decided to run as a Democrat," Dugan said. "He probably would have beat me in the primary." 

Dugan handily defeated his eventual Democratic opponent, Colton Little, in the June primary with 66% of the vote. And Malmquist dropped from the race after he failed to file the necessary paperwork. 

That left Dugan as the sole challenger to incumbent Republican County Commissioner Brad Abell, 67, in the Nov. 3 election.  

The Democrat said the county's all-Republican board of commissioners could benefit from a little diversity.  

"They're thinking about things the same way," Dugan said. "Nobody's asking those questions or maybe pointing things out, and I would hope to be able to do that." 

FLATHEAD COUNTY commissioners have historically granted lower wage increases for county employees than proposed by department heads, although additional mid-year wage increases were offered in 2024 and 2025. 

This year, the board passed a 2.15% cost of living adjustment, which fell short of the 2.69% adjustment recommended by the Montana Association of Counties. 

Dugan says paying county employees a competitive wage is not only feasible, but necessary. Departments like the County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office are struggling to retain staff, he said. Given the Flathead Valley's recent tax base growth and history of frugality when it comes to expenses, Dugan speculated there's money being left on the table that could be invested in county staff.  

He added that the commissioner's fiscally conservative mindset has done more harm than good when it comes to deferred maintenance. The county is paying more for projects now than it would have five to 10 years ago because of inflated construction costs, Dugan said.  

"You're not really saving money," he said. 

THE WHITEFISH resident is a long-time advocate for affordable housing. He cofounded Shelter WF, a pro-housing advocacy nonprofit, in 2022. Three years later, he cofounded Livable Flathead, a nonprofit that researches housing affordability and population growth in the valley.  

Dugan said the county needs a 20-year plan that anticipates costs associated with increased density (such as road maintenance, emergency services, and sewer and water connections) and directs development toward cities to preserve rural areas.  

"Otherwise, it's just going to continue to spread," Dugan said, "and eat up all of that rural land pretty quickly." 

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. 

"I don't think it's the best idea," Dugan said.  

Taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to help "wealthy people" preserve their large plots of land, he said. Dugan instead suggested employing a transfer of development rights program.  

Developers would pay to preserve an open space as a conservation easement and, in return, receive rights from the county to increase density development within the city. 

"That's a lot of collaboration that would need to happen," Dugan said, "but I think those are the types of things that we need to be looking into." 

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 additional tons of treated sewage waste, known as biosolids, each year from Kalispell by the end of 2027. 

Both Kalispell and Columbia Falls have been directed by the county to reduce the water in their biosolids to protect the landfill. Too much fluid can lead to costly repairs from chemical heat reactions and could even force the landfill to close, meaning all waste would be transported to Missoula at a higher cost.  

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.  

Dugan said the county should evaluate the situation and see if it makes fiscal sense to assist with dewatering system upgrades. Meanwhile, commissioners should actively lobby for infrastructure funding from the state and consider federal grants. 

"The county should do what it can to facilitate those funds finding their way to our cities that need it," he said.   

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.