Mineral County Republicans introduce 2010 candidates
by John Q. Murray and Richard Werst
Mineral County Republicans unveiled three of their 2010 candidates before an appreciative crowd of about 60 citizens Saturday in Alberton.
Ernie Ornelas, Marcia Boris, and Roman Zylawy introduced themselves to voters as the GOP candidates for sheriff, county attorney, and county commissioner.
Caption: Mineral County Attorney candidate Marcia Boris responds to a question, while Commissioner candidate Roman Zylawy and Sheriff candidate Ernie Ornelas listen Saturday.
After their introductory remarks, citizens engaged the candidates in a wide-ranging discussion that included drunk drivers, subdivision review, the Plum Creek land sale, and the possibility of Petty Creek joining Mineral County.
Ernie said before moving to Mineral County 11 years ago he worked in law enforcement in Southern California and then served in the Navy, starting as an enlisted person and leaving as a Navy commander, gaining experience in managing budgets and personnel, and with multi-jurisdiction disaster operations. He has been involved with the Mineral Community Hospital, the West End Fire Department, EMTs, and the American Legion.
He strongly endorsed Marcia and Roman, noting that both have extensive law enforcement experience. Roman is a Montana Highway Patrolman, and Marcia has not only prosecuted cases for the Missoula County Attorney's office, but also served with the Missoula County Sheriff's Reserve.
Ernie said with limited resources, he would promote community-oriented policing, and seek grant money available for that program. Ernie said he hoped to strengthen communication and relationships between the Sheriff's Office and other county departments, as well as with the Montana Highway Patrol. He said he could not change the past, but promised that if elected, he would work for the citizens. "You are my employer, so that's who I answer to. Not to the commissioners, not to the county attorney, but to the residents, the citizens of Mineral County."
Marcia said she moved back to the Missoula area in 1997 and recently purchased a home in Alberton. She worked for law firms in Wyoming and Missoula, including Milo Dragovitch's law firm, before discovering a passion for criminal law. In her third year of law school she served as an intern for the Missoula County Attorney's Office, prosecuting misdemeanors under the student practice rule. After graduation, she joined the office of the Lincoln County Attorney, commuting to Libby each week and returning to Alberton on the weekend.
In the small office, all three attorneys have the opportunity to be involved in just about every aspect of the law, she said--felonies, misdemeanors, competency hearings, and advising the county commissioners and law enforcement officers. She is also a member of Lincoln County DUI task forces and its child protection team. She said she frequently gets calls at night and on the weekend from officers in the field seeking legal advice about a situation that they are facing.
"I want to do my part to help make this county a safer and a better place to live. I want to serve the citizens of this county by fairly and justly prosecuting crimes committed in the jurisdiction and providing sound reasoned advice to the county commissioners. Most importantly and above all, I am committed to the pursuit of justice," she said. "I believe in approaching the power to prosecute with humility and respect for the courts, for victims of crimes, for law enforcement, for opposing counsel, and even those who have been charged with crimes. I will constantly strive to treat everyone I encounter with dignity, respect, and fairness while remaining constantly attentive to the pursuit of justice."
She said she would exercise good judgment in the use of discretion as a prosecutor. Being charged with a crime may have lasting negative effects on a person, and she said she would not file charges unless she was satisfied that there was sufficient evidence for conviction. Once the charges were filed, she said she would use all ethical means to follow through to a successful conviction. "I will bring to this office my strong work ethic and my unwavering commitment to serve the citizens of this county to the best of my ability," she said.
Roman Zylawy introduced his many family members present at the event, and noted that he grew up just west of Alberton at Cyr. He has always been a public servant, and recently became interested in serving as commissioner to see what he could do to help jobs come back to the county.
Right now, while the national economy is sputtering, Montana's traditional industries---oil refineries, hydroelectric, gas wells, the Stillwater mine, ranching, and farming---are keeping this state in the black, he said. He said he hoped that another traditional Montana industry, logging, could return to Mineral County. "There's nothing wrong with harvesting some trees around here," he said. It is important to preserve the existing small mills among the wood products industry infrastructure. "We have got to do all we can to keep the working man in Mineral County," he said.
Most jobs being offered in the area are temporary, "Band-Aid" positions, such as the Milltown Dam remediation or forest road decommissioning. After just two years of the Milltown Dam's Superfund welfare money, those jobs are now gone, he said.
He said that as county commissioner he would be prepared, just as Alberton was when the Obama stimulus money came along. Alberton was able to get its streets repaved, and the county could have done the same with the Town Pump interchange. We could have laid down some pavement and let those trucks enter the interstate from Diamond Road, he suggested. "Those are things they have to think about ahead of time."
Mineral County faces challenges to federal payments in lieu of taxes, as well as the Secure Rural Schools funds, and Alberton Schools will lose $36,000 each year because of the Plum Creek land sale. Roman said he just spoke with Superintendent Jim Baldwin and said no one has offered any suggestions about how they are going to replace those $36,000.
Phil Donally noted that he is on a planning committee working with the Nature Conservancy, and that the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks appears to be first in line for the former Plum Creek lands in the Fish Creek drainage. The state and the Forest Service have also requested the land. In addition to preserving access, the committee is working to guarantee that the county and Alberton school district receive tax revenues equal to what Plum Creek was paying on those lands, he said.
[Editor's Note: Phil Donally provided updated information on Nov. 4, indicating that Mineral County would not lose any taxes under provisions of House Bill 674, passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature. For more, see http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/art...4112813624 .]
During the question period, Marcia said she would take an aggressive stance against DUI offenders. If the evidence is available for conviction, even without a breathalyzer test, she said she would prosecute. "I have a personal policy that all prosecutions are dependent on quality of the evidence that I have before me," she said. "I will go to trial if I have the evidence that I can prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt. I am not interested in plea bargaining those down. We have just lost so many members of the law enforcement community." She said she also works on grants to obtain specialized training and to upgrade equipment.
Asked about pedophiles and sex offenders, she noted that those cases are typically handled by federal prosecutors because the federal sentencing guidelines are stronger and the cases require specific expertise. "Federal agencies a lot of times also have better resources available to handle those types of issues," she pointed out.
Asked about subdivisions, Roman said he would listen closely to the volunteer Planning Board. "You can't ignore it when Fish and Game tells us there is a prime calving area right here, and you can't ignore the Planning Board when they put their blood, sweat, and tears to study the area... I'm not going to turn a deaf ear and do whatever I want to do anyway," he said.
Roman said that if Mineral County is not going to have a passenger railroad or a sawmill to help drive the local economy, it is going to need to have some subdivisions to support tax revenue. But he suggested that commissioners would need to strike a balance that preserves the quality of life.
"Everything in balance, so to speak. The reason we all like living in this county is we like a little bit of elbow room, freedom, private property rights...One thing we're up against in this county is the environmental movement thinks our county should be almost all wilderness. That's one of my pet peeves," he said. As commissioner, he said he'd like to "get the ear" of Sen. Jon Tester, Rep. Denny Rehberg, and the Forest Service administrators whose rule-making for the Lolo National Forest affects the residents of Mineral County.
Multiple use is the answer, he suggested. He pointed to use of the Clark Fork River as a successful example. From just above the Alberton Gorge at St. John's to the mouth of Fish Creek, motorized uses are prohibited. The same approach should be used for snowmobiling from Hoodoo Pass and over to Heart Lake, instead of shutting down all of the snowmobiling. There was no user conflict with snowmobiles, he said, pointing out that many skiers often caught a ride on the snowmobile to get to good skiing areas.
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Roman was asked whether he would support Petty Creek residents if they wished to join the county. He said he would need to do more research, weighing the property taxes gained against the costs of road maintenance. "I'd love to have it personally, but as commissioner I would need to know if that would be a wise choice," he said.
Sylvia Bookout introduced Rep. Gordon Hendrick and suggested that he could research how citizens could secede from Missoula County and join Mineral County. Gordon said that he first started looking into the issue when Missoula County announced restrictions on wood burning stoves, causing a big squabble from Frenchtown west. "Everybody wanted to come to Mineral County," he said. He said he would be glad to check into it.
"The enthusiasm of the crowd was obvious and it was very encouraging to the candidates," said Bob Mahon, chairman of the Mineral County Republican Party, who helped organize the event. "The frankness and straight answers provided by the candidates were very much appreciated by all the attendees. They said it was refreshing to hear politicians state, right up front, what they intended to do when they are elected, and how they believed the office that they were running for should be run for the betterment of Mineral County."
No Republican candidate has yet declared for House District 14, the position held by Rep. Gordon Hendrick. Gordon said he will not seek a fourth term in 2010.
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Mineral County Republicans unveiled three of their 2010 candidates before an appreciative crowd of about 60 citizens Saturday in Alberton.
Ernie Ornelas, Marcia Boris, and Roman Zylawy introduced themselves to voters as the GOP candidates for sheriff, county attorney, and county commissioner.
Caption: Mineral County Attorney candidate Marcia Boris responds to a question, while Commissioner candidate Roman Zylawy and Sheriff candidate Ernie Ornelas listen Saturday.
After their introductory remarks, citizens engaged the candidates in a wide-ranging discussion that included drunk drivers, subdivision review, the Plum Creek land sale, and the possibility of Petty Creek joining Mineral County.
Ernie said before moving to Mineral County 11 years ago he worked in law enforcement in Southern California and then served in the Navy, starting as an enlisted person and leaving as a Navy commander, gaining experience in managing budgets and personnel, and with multi-jurisdiction disaster operations. He has been involved with the Mineral Community Hospital, the West End Fire Department, EMTs, and the American Legion.
He strongly endorsed Marcia and Roman, noting that both have extensive law enforcement experience. Roman is a Montana Highway Patrolman, and Marcia has not only prosecuted cases for the Missoula County Attorney's office, but also served with the Missoula County Sheriff's Reserve.
Ernie said with limited resources, he would promote community-oriented policing, and seek grant money available for that program. Ernie said he hoped to strengthen communication and relationships between the Sheriff's Office and other county departments, as well as with the Montana Highway Patrol. He said he could not change the past, but promised that if elected, he would work for the citizens. "You are my employer, so that's who I answer to. Not to the commissioners, not to the county attorney, but to the residents, the citizens of Mineral County."
Marcia said she moved back to the Missoula area in 1997 and recently purchased a home in Alberton. She worked for law firms in Wyoming and Missoula, including Milo Dragovitch's law firm, before discovering a passion for criminal law. In her third year of law school she served as an intern for the Missoula County Attorney's Office, prosecuting misdemeanors under the student practice rule. After graduation, she joined the office of the Lincoln County Attorney, commuting to Libby each week and returning to Alberton on the weekend.
In the small office, all three attorneys have the opportunity to be involved in just about every aspect of the law, she said--felonies, misdemeanors, competency hearings, and advising the county commissioners and law enforcement officers. She is also a member of Lincoln County DUI task forces and its child protection team. She said she frequently gets calls at night and on the weekend from officers in the field seeking legal advice about a situation that they are facing.
"I want to do my part to help make this county a safer and a better place to live. I want to serve the citizens of this county by fairly and justly prosecuting crimes committed in the jurisdiction and providing sound reasoned advice to the county commissioners. Most importantly and above all, I am committed to the pursuit of justice," she said. "I believe in approaching the power to prosecute with humility and respect for the courts, for victims of crimes, for law enforcement, for opposing counsel, and even those who have been charged with crimes. I will constantly strive to treat everyone I encounter with dignity, respect, and fairness while remaining constantly attentive to the pursuit of justice."
She said she would exercise good judgment in the use of discretion as a prosecutor. Being charged with a crime may have lasting negative effects on a person, and she said she would not file charges unless she was satisfied that there was sufficient evidence for conviction. Once the charges were filed, she said she would use all ethical means to follow through to a successful conviction. "I will bring to this office my strong work ethic and my unwavering commitment to serve the citizens of this county to the best of my ability," she said.
Roman Zylawy introduced his many family members present at the event, and noted that he grew up just west of Alberton at Cyr. He has always been a public servant, and recently became interested in serving as commissioner to see what he could do to help jobs come back to the county.
Right now, while the national economy is sputtering, Montana's traditional industries---oil refineries, hydroelectric, gas wells, the Stillwater mine, ranching, and farming---are keeping this state in the black, he said. He said he hoped that another traditional Montana industry, logging, could return to Mineral County. "There's nothing wrong with harvesting some trees around here," he said. It is important to preserve the existing small mills among the wood products industry infrastructure. "We have got to do all we can to keep the working man in Mineral County," he said.
Most jobs being offered in the area are temporary, "Band-Aid" positions, such as the Milltown Dam remediation or forest road decommissioning. After just two years of the Milltown Dam's Superfund welfare money, those jobs are now gone, he said.
He said that as county commissioner he would be prepared, just as Alberton was when the Obama stimulus money came along. Alberton was able to get its streets repaved, and the county could have done the same with the Town Pump interchange. We could have laid down some pavement and let those trucks enter the interstate from Diamond Road, he suggested. "Those are things they have to think about ahead of time."
Mineral County faces challenges to federal payments in lieu of taxes, as well as the Secure Rural Schools funds, and Alberton Schools will lose $36,000 each year because of the Plum Creek land sale. Roman said he just spoke with Superintendent Jim Baldwin and said no one has offered any suggestions about how they are going to replace those $36,000.
Phil Donally noted that he is on a planning committee working with the Nature Conservancy, and that the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks appears to be first in line for the former Plum Creek lands in the Fish Creek drainage. The state and the Forest Service have also requested the land. In addition to preserving access, the committee is working to guarantee that the county and Alberton school district receive tax revenues equal to what Plum Creek was paying on those lands, he said.
[Editor's Note: Phil Donally provided updated information on Nov. 4, indicating that Mineral County would not lose any taxes under provisions of House Bill 674, passed by the 2009 Montana Legislature. For more, see http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/art...4112813624 .]
During the question period, Marcia said she would take an aggressive stance against DUI offenders. If the evidence is available for conviction, even without a breathalyzer test, she said she would prosecute. "I have a personal policy that all prosecutions are dependent on quality of the evidence that I have before me," she said. "I will go to trial if I have the evidence that I can prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt. I am not interested in plea bargaining those down. We have just lost so many members of the law enforcement community." She said she also works on grants to obtain specialized training and to upgrade equipment.
Asked about pedophiles and sex offenders, she noted that those cases are typically handled by federal prosecutors because the federal sentencing guidelines are stronger and the cases require specific expertise. "Federal agencies a lot of times also have better resources available to handle those types of issues," she pointed out.
Asked about subdivisions, Roman said he would listen closely to the volunteer Planning Board. "You can't ignore it when Fish and Game tells us there is a prime calving area right here, and you can't ignore the Planning Board when they put their blood, sweat, and tears to study the area... I'm not going to turn a deaf ear and do whatever I want to do anyway," he said.
Roman said that if Mineral County is not going to have a passenger railroad or a sawmill to help drive the local economy, it is going to need to have some subdivisions to support tax revenue. But he suggested that commissioners would need to strike a balance that preserves the quality of life.
"Everything in balance, so to speak. The reason we all like living in this county is we like a little bit of elbow room, freedom, private property rights...One thing we're up against in this county is the environmental movement thinks our county should be almost all wilderness. That's one of my pet peeves," he said. As commissioner, he said he'd like to "get the ear" of Sen. Jon Tester, Rep. Denny Rehberg, and the Forest Service administrators whose rule-making for the Lolo National Forest affects the residents of Mineral County.
Multiple use is the answer, he suggested. He pointed to use of the Clark Fork River as a successful example. From just above the Alberton Gorge at St. John's to the mouth of Fish Creek, motorized uses are prohibited. The same approach should be used for snowmobiling from Hoodoo Pass and over to Heart Lake, instead of shutting down all of the snowmobiling. There was no user conflict with snowmobiles, he said, pointing out that many skiers often caught a ride on the snowmobile to get to good skiing areas.
.
Roman was asked whether he would support Petty Creek residents if they wished to join the county. He said he would need to do more research, weighing the property taxes gained against the costs of road maintenance. "I'd love to have it personally, but as commissioner I would need to know if that would be a wise choice," he said.
Sylvia Bookout introduced Rep. Gordon Hendrick and suggested that he could research how citizens could secede from Missoula County and join Mineral County. Gordon said that he first started looking into the issue when Missoula County announced restrictions on wood burning stoves, causing a big squabble from Frenchtown west. "Everybody wanted to come to Mineral County," he said. He said he would be glad to check into it.
"The enthusiasm of the crowd was obvious and it was very encouraging to the candidates," said Bob Mahon, chairman of the Mineral County Republican Party, who helped organize the event. "The frankness and straight answers provided by the candidates were very much appreciated by all the attendees. They said it was refreshing to hear politicians state, right up front, what they intended to do when they are elected, and how they believed the office that they were running for should be run for the betterment of Mineral County."
No Republican candidate has yet declared for House District 14, the position held by Rep. Gordon Hendrick. Gordon said he will not seek a fourth term in 2010.
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