Questions commissioner race

Immediately after paying my fee to run for Flathead County Commissioner for District 1, upon Jim Dupont’s death, my cell phone rang the next evening. On it was a young lady representing herself as a Republican Central Committee representative from the city of Whitefish.

After a bunch of her questions, the meat of the call was revealed after 74 minutes of cell phone time. If I would band with this group and endorse Ron Paul, she would assure me of enough votes to be on the three-name list for interim commissioner.

I very indignantly told her my personal ethics were at play and you cannot buy my vote, even for something I ascribe toward. As someone who spent a big portion of his life spending other people’s monies, both as a purchasing manager and a four-term city councilor, that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back.

This whole process has been tainted. Someone of the three on the interim list must have taken the deal. Question is whom. I have my suspicions, as more and more information has been coming out. Then you add the endorsement letters in the Daily Inter Lake, et al., and I now wonder just who owes whom as this race plays out.

I am a very independent conservative Republican who is, for the most part, a free-thinker. I take Dick Skees and Russ Crowder’s non-endorsement as a badge of honor and wonder what has occurred to these two men’s thinking process , who both have known me for years, as I have labored to protect the basic taxpayers in and around Columbia Falls.

I have never been called “clutter,” but so be it. When you look at their endorsements, just what kind of agendas are being bought by this tainted process by these groups and other endorsers of their candidates.

I owe allegiance to one group and one group only — the taxpayers whom I promise to represent, the richest of the rich in Whitefish and even the monetarily poorest, but not poor in spirit and ethics and beliefs, here in Columbia Falls and the Canyon.

I have done no signs as I am practical. In lieu of signs, I have become a paid Wounded Warrior Project endorser and will be getting with the North Valley Food Bank the week of May 14 to see if they want a donation equaling what I would have spent for yard signs, or have my wife and I go on a food-buying run for their needs.

I challenge the other candidates to do so also. More good will come from this than more stupid signs, as signs do not make the man or candidate.

Mike Shepard is a Columbia Falls city councilor and candidate for District 1 Flathead County Commissioner.