For Commissioners, our way or the highway

Rep. Steven Kelly, Kalispell-District 9, with the support of all Flathead County Commissioners, sponsored House Bill 782 to remove a respected Flathead Conservation District Supervisor, Mr. Michael Kopitzke, an appointed County Planning Board member. The Commissioners desired change in MCA 76-1-211 from “must” to “may” for a Conservation District representative to sit on the Planning Board would have been a Montana-wide impact to deal with a local thorn in their side and could have resulted in every Montana Conservation District losing the right to have their representative on their local Planning Boards.  Montana law requires a Conservation District representative on the Planning Board to represent those interests precisely.  

Kopitzke has been a reasoned voice on our Planning Board and critical of the Planning Staff and Commissioners, always vocal about maintaining agricultural lands, preserving wildlife habitats, natural resources, and our way of life in Montana; Kopitzes’ natural resource concerns are relevant to decisions made by the Planning Board and Commissioners. He presents sound, unbiased views, but the Planning Board considers his and the Conservation District’s voice and representation to be a hindrance. His statutory duty that conservation districts have is to conserve natural resources. The proposed change brought forward at the State Legislature was a selfish act to silence a County Planning Board member who studies the cases solely, asks poignant questions, and raises valid concerns. It’s one thing to see the Planning Board ignore his motions, but acting brazenly to remove the Conservation Board position Statewide and silence the Conservation District completely is tantamount to a civil rebellion.  

It appears, the Commissioners are more concerned about personal relationships than protecting our natural world from the sprawling changes they approve, which will result in a reduced agricultural footprint, wetland incursions, and destruction of wildlife habitat and natural beauty. 

The punitive Bill failed to move forward and was tabled—shame on Representative Kelly and the Commissioners. Using County resources and funds to remove the Conservation District position from statewide Planning Boards because your Conservation District representative gives voice to our precious natural resources that don’t support your views is an embarrassment to Flathead County. 

Jim Mathieu, Somers