Letter from the editor

Not your average Joe

Politicians are easy targets and useful punching bags. After all, who doesn't love to grumble about authority figures?

We like to sit around and blame them when things go wrong. We even make up jokes at their expense:

? Why do politicians envy ventriloquists? Because they can lie without moving their lips.

? What do you call a politician who swears to tell the truth? A liar.

? A little girl asked her father: "Daddy, do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time?'"

He replied, "No, there are a whole bunch of fairy tales that begin with 'If elected, I promise … .'"

Those of us in the media especially like to pounce on politicians for any and every little thing, and they are trapped. Elected officials have to answer to the press. They are required by law to share information, which is good.

Unfortunately, we rarely give credit where credit is due.

For the past few months, the Bigfork Steering Committee has been holding public forums on the second Thursday of each month. Members of a variety of local groups gather to share about what each organization is doing and to offer suggestions or ideas.

At each of these meetings, Flathead County Commissioner Joe Brenneman has faithfully attended. He's listened to concerns, complaints and comments from Bigfork residents. When he didn't know the answer to a question, he came back the next month with information.

County commissioners are busy, and Brenneman's attendance at Bigfork Steering Committee meetings probably isn't what a politician would consider an efficient voter drive, but he shows up every time.

He's stood up and delivered good news as he did last week when he announced that a grant had come through for the county to hire an engineer to perform a study about Bigfork's stormwater system. Brenneman has spearheaded an effort to improve the system so that untreated water doesn't pour into the bay.

He's also stood up and delivered news he knew his audience wouldn't want to hear. At the July 12 meeting, he informed the audience that the county commissioners would probably not support an effort for overlay zoning in Bigfork, which was something that the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee had been hoping for.

Brenneman could have skipped the meeting and sent out an e-mail, but he showed up and explained that the county simply doesn't have the resources to inspect and enforce more zoning regulations. Bozeman has areas of overlay zoning, and the administrative requirements are outrageous.

More politicians on both sides of the aisle could learn from Brenneman, and citizens might be well-served to elect more farmers who also serve as volunteer firefighters.

Bigfork often goes unnoticed in county concerns, and Brenneman deserves a lot of respect for his willingness to show up and play a role in Bigfork's future.