Face off

Cindy Iversen and Tony Cox, County Commissioner candidates for the west end of the county, met for the second time Monday night to discuss the issues facing the county should they be elected to the six-year term.

The candidates were each given 26 questions in advance, to give them time to prepare their answers. They were then asked each question in a rotating fashion, until they each answered them all. Once that portion of the forum was done, it was open to questions from the audience, which consisted of about 15 to 20 members of the community.

A good portion of the forum focused on the failing economy and the condition of roads at the west end of the district.

Moderator Tom Eggensberger asked both candidates what area needs the most attention. Both Iversen and Cox said the roads do.

“Roads need the most attention in the county,” Iversen said.

Cox agreed and said that while roads in the entire county need attention, they are especially bad at the west end because of moisture.

Later on in the forum, Eggensberger asked the two candidates what they would do about the roads.

“We need sufficient oversight and good communication to help get the roads in order,” Iversen said.

Cox said that roads are always a big problem, but it is important that people come forward with their issues.

“I want people to call to help fix problems and not just complain about them,” he said.

Another big issue on everyone’s mind was the economy and the county’s budget. Eggensberger asked the candidates what was one thing they would change about the office, what would it be. Cox said that if he could change one thing in office he said he would make sure that they streamlined the budget as much as possible, especially with the economy in the current state that it is in. Iversen said she wanted to promote a green energy program with the county that would include wind, solar and geothermal energy.

In a similiar vein, the candidates were also asked how they would reduce spending.

“I know there are two departments that we don’t want to cut,” Cox said. “We don’t need to cut funding to roads and law enforcement. The other departments would have to share the funding cuts equally.”

Iversen said that the first thing she would do would be to shop for insurance. “I don’t know about other people, but when things start to get bad, that’s the first thing I do to cut costs,” she said. Iversen also said that she’d make sure that they made cuts to non-necessity items first before they began to lay people off.

The candidates were also asked about the Secure Rural Schools funding, which just last week had passed in the Senate, but then had been denied in the House, leaving rural counties across the state in a bind.

“Counties are really hurting, and not just our county,” Iversen said. “We really relied on it.”

Cox said that what the county really needed to do was to come up with a permanent funding solution. “We can’t keep relying on this money year after year,” he said. Along the same lines, he said that higher education needed to be supported. “People need to look higher than the timber industry.”

Iversen and Cox were also asked to rank the three most important issues that would face the next commissioner.

“The economy is number one,” Iversen said. “We also need to nurture small businesses, and we need to make sure we have a good medical industry for everyone, so people don’t have to travel 50 miles or more to get treatment.”

Cox also said that his number one issue was the economy. “Second I’d say the budget and third a lot of the county services we offer,” he said. “Roads especially, because they are the thing that everyone uses every day.”

The two were also asked to describe their view of Sanders County six years from now, when their first term would be up.

Iversen said that she would want to see a progressive county that was going green, as well as a bank or credit union on the west end. “People who live on the west end shouldn’t have to drive 50 miles to do a simple banking transaction,” she said.

Cox said he wanted to see a county that doesn’t constantly have major concerns with the budget, as well as improved roads throughout the county.

Aside from the actual issues, the candidates were asked to explain what sets them apart and why they’d make a good county commissioner.

Cox said that what sets him apart is that he is a lifelong resident, and he knows a lot of people in the area. He also said that, by working with the Montana Highway Patrol he has been able to think fast and make decisions on his own.

Iversen said that what sets her apart is the fact that she has run her own business since she was 21. “I’m a problem solver, negotiator and a mediator,” she said. “I’m single, so I don’t have to worry about getting home and making dinner,” she said with a laugh. “I can dedicate myself to the position 24/7.”

In closing the candidates wrapped up describing, once again why they would be good for the job.

“I work well with people,” Cox said. “I communicate well with people and can make quick decisions. I want to help the majority of the people in the county.”

Iversen said that she wanted to do the best she could for the county. “I want to make sure I work today so we can take care of tomorrow,” she said. “We need someone who can make sacrifices and I’m used to rolling with the punches. Everything I have ever touched I have made better.”