Bigfork prepares for local elections on May 6

Three open seats on the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee will be filled next week, rounding out the seven member board that

The election will be held at the Bigfork Fire Hall from 7 a.m. To 8 p.m. on May 6. In addition to the BLUAC election, trustees will also be elected for the Bigfork Fire District and Flathead Valley Community College. Four local residents have qualified for the BLUAC election, three for a three-year term and one for a two-year term to fill the seat vacated by Mary Jo Naive.

John Bourquin is seeking his second three-year term. Bourquin served in the United States Marine Corps and retired from ExxonMobil after 30 years in their marketing department. John and his wife, Charrisse, have two grown children and moved to Bigfork in 2002 from Missoula. John has been an active member of the Bigfork Steering Committee and chaired its government sub-committee exploring the pros and cons of incorporation for the Bigfork Community. He has been the chairman of BLUAC for two years. Bourquin's philosophy for land use planning is to "maintain Bigfork's uniqueness, charm and quality of the environment. I favor smart growth with efficient infrastructure growth and the balance of personal property rights with the rights of the majority of the surrounding property owners." Bourquin follows the practice of using common sense and the Bigfork Neighborhood plan as a guide to decision making.

Gary Ridderhoff is seeking a three-year term on BLUAC. Gary and his wife, Cheryl, have two grown children and have been vacationing in the area since 1994. The Ridderhoffs purchased their property in 2000, and Gary is a Trustee for the Swan River Community Hall. Ridderhoff retired after working 33 years in the field of law enforcement where he gained experience in long range planning while in upper management the last six years of his career. He said he feels that constant contact and dealings with the public has given him the ability to listen to all sides of an issue and make informed and unbiased decisions. Gary has been a member of the Bigfork Steering Committee since 2005, assisted in the tally of the Bigfork Survey and served on the committee to revise the Local and Social Services section of the Bigfork Neighborhood Growth Plan. Ridderhoff has served this past year as Member At Large for BLUAC. He is well aware of all the changes taking place in the Bigfork area as a result of growth. " The Bigfork Land Use Area has the potential for a tremendous future. Many of the residents and property owners feel that growth is going to continue, however, they are looking for planned growth that promotes the friendly village atmosphere and small town feel for which Bigfork is known," offered Ridderhoff.

Al Johnson, who filed for a three-year term, said "I filed to stand for election before the slate became full. I urge voters to cast their ballot for Gary Ridderhoff. He has been involved with the process since early on. He'll make a fine addition to BLUAC."

Charles (Chuck) B. Gough is seeking the two-year term opened by the resignation of Mary Jo Naive. Gough is a retired certified public accountant and spent 24 years as a partner with the Arthur Anderson International firm. After retirement from Arthur Anderson, he engaged in entrepreneurial enterprises in home building, property operations and financial/real estate consulting. Chuck and his wife, Kay, moved to the Flathead Valley in late 2004. He serves as Vice President of the Harbor Village Homeowners Association, has been active in the Bigfork Steering Committee since 2005 as well as serving on the committee to revise the Housing section of the Bigfork Neighborhood Growth Plan. Gough serves as Treasurer for the Friends of Bigfork Fire Department and is Treasurer of the Finance Committee for the Glacier Institute.

By ALEX STRICKLAND

Bigfork Eagle

One position is up on the five-member board of directors of the Bigfork Rural Fire District and incumbent candidate and board chairman Jim Sticka is being challenged by Ted Weaver.

The board of trustees oversees the department's finances and helps map the future of the mostly volunteer squad.

Jim Sticka has served out his full three-year term on the board of trustees and the self-employed cabinet maker has been chairman of the board since last year. Sticka said that during his time on the board there has been a push to "streamline and professionalize" the department even more so than has been done in the past.

"We've been very careful to follow all regulations and make sure all expenditures are taken care of very carefully," he said.

Sticka said that suggestions from past audits were implemented into the department's purchasing processes and that the most recent audit came back without any suggestions.

"Mostly those audits are about preventing fraud," he said.

Sticka said the board is actively searching for property to build a new fire hall and that they hope to have one selected by the end of this year.

"We see a combo department in the future for Bigfork," he said of the possibility of the fire and ambulance departments combining. "We will work very closely with the ambulance and we hope in the future to be one department."

Ted Weaver, an active Rotarian in Bigfork retired from the telephone industry, served as a volunteer fireman for four years before health issues forced him to quit.

"Because I left Bigfork fire not of my own free will, I wanted to continue to contribute whatever I could," he said of his decision to run.

Weaver has other reasons to support the department too. He said that in 2004 his wife was in a serious car accident and that he credits the fire and ambulance departments, along with the ALERT helicopter team, with saving her life.

"I feel like I owe them a lot," he said.

Weaver served on the board of directors and as president of the board for the Boys and Girls Club in Desert Hot Springs, Cali. and said he felt that experience, coupled with his time as a firefighter here, makes him a strong candidate.

Weaver said upgraded facilities and a transition to a full-time, paid staff are things he'd like to see for the department. Combining fire and ambulance is on his list too.

"I'd like to see if we could get a consensus to work toward an amicable union between the groups," he said. "There's great synergy between firefighters and paramedics."