Campaign season begins with local 'meet and greet'

Some say the first robin hopping across the law is a sure sign spring is at hand.

Others claim the sound of baseball meeting bat is the omen of warmer weather nearby.

Still others argue that the true harbinger of spring, at least every other year, is the appearance of candidate yard signs and pre-election speeches that tops them all.

There were no doubt some robins, at least, outside the confines of Plains’ Alliance Church Friday night for what organizers labeled a campaign year “Meet and Greet” as the 2022 campaign season continues to gather steam.

The Friday night gathering, which featured a pot luck food table for guests, attracted several local Republican candidates, including three running for their particular office for the first time.

Headlining the event was current Plains Mayor Dan Rowan, who is running for the District 1 Sanders County Commissioner spot.

Rowan, who was recently elected by a wide margin to a second term as Plains’ mayor, was urged by several community leaders after his re-election to seek the commissioner’s spot, said in campaign literature he was hoping to have a voice in keeping the county’s charm while at the same time ushering in new technologies.

“I’m running for Sanders County Commissioner because I would like to see our County maintain its local charm, while growing with times and technology,” the brochure states. “I’m also for building a stronger infrastructure by working on the immediate needs of our residents and businesses,” he concludes.

Rowan has been largely credited with getting several key infrastructure projects off the drawing board and into action during his time as mayor, including the long-needed solution to placement of sewage collection ponds which are perilously close to the banks of the Clark Fork River and in need of moving to a safer location to help prevent an environmental catastrophe.

He has also initiated several road construction and repair projects and helped update parts of the town’s water system.

Also appearing and speaking at the event was Mary Halling, a local Realtor and property management specialist who is seeking election to the Plains School Board.

“I am a single mom who has raised her children and have no mold I follow,” she said. “I am also a graduate of Plains High. I’m tired of hearing our children have to leave this town and area because there are no jobs and no future for them here”.

She said she would be a watchdog against students being taught socialist ideas and other left wing policies that are currently invading classrooms across the country.

“I hear from other people I have a mouth and am not afraid to use it,” she half-joked. “As taxpayers we need a better return on the investment it takes to educate children as they grow”.

She said she would be a conduit for the public and would work to represent the wishes of parents throughout the District to make sure their voices are heard.

Also on hand Friday night was self-described Constitutional Conservative and law enforcement officer Shawn Fielder, a 2022 candidate for County Sheriff.

Fielder’s campaign materials describe him as an “ardent supporter of the Second Amendment.

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms will not be infringed,” his brochure proclaims.

Fielder has amassed 27 years of law enforcement experience most of which has been acquired while working with sheriff departments. During that time he has been a SWAT Team Commander and a Sniper Team Leader.

His campaign material promises to “operate within the allotted budget and develop a team concept within the Sheriff’s Office while working with local and surrounding agencies to develop information sharing, cooperation and assistance”.

“The Sheriff swears a solemn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States Constitution and I will take that oath seriously,” he said. “The Sheriff is the employee of the people and exists to serve and protect them in all matters. To uphold and defend the Constitution is a Sheriff’s primary duty and sworn responsibility”.

The crowd of approximately 40 people spent most of the three-hour session mingling with the candidates and telling them of their concerns. Several other candidates attended the meeting, which is part of a Republican-led series of forums and meet-and-greets as the campaign season gets underway.

Thursday night (April 14) is the next scheduled gathering, this one a candidate forum at the Plains VFW.