The voters have spoken
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Editor,
After the recent Flathead Joint Board of Control election, it is time for the incumbents that lost to man/woman up, as the case may be, and remove themselves from the board. Based on preliminary counts, David Lake won by a margin of 46 percent, Ray Swenson by 26 percent and Janette Rosman by 8 percent. The Jocko candidate, the only one to file, won by acclamation.
The board has voted for a resolution to cancel the election and retain the current membership. The county maintains that the election is valid. The board asserts that the county did not properly notify the board of recent voting requirements. The County Attorney, who attended the May 2 special meeting, stated that the Executive Manager was informed by telephone and email by the end of February, adequate time to inform landowners. In addition, the voter requirements as determined by Lake County, for the most part, appear to be included in the FJBC bylaws.
One board member voted against the resolution and a second, who would have voted against, was unable to attend. The remainder voted to cancel the election. Although there apparently were mistakes made in the election process, each irrigator has a responsibility to keep themselves informed. We knew that an election was being held and how many votes we should have. If we had not received an election ballot or it had mistakes, it was our responsibility to see that it was corrected.
In 2015, according to the web site, the FJBC spent more than $200,000 in attorney fees. Regardless of the board’s resolution, the incumbents who lost should do the right thing by removing themselves from consideration and the elected individuals appointed to their respective positions. To do so has the potential of avoiding additional legal fees.
Curt Rosman
Charlo
