Five vie for fire district seats

Residents will have five candidates to choose from for the two open seats on the Bigfork Rural Fire District Board.

The two three-year positions are currently held by Leland Leivo and Zachery Anderson, who are both running for re-election. The other candidates are Shelly Hocking, Karina Lanier and Austin Lowe.

Anderson, who was previously on the board but didn't get his paperwork filed with the elections office in time to run for re-election for his position last year, was appointed to John Mark Creamer's position when he moved out of the fire district.

Ballots were mailed out last week instead of offering a polling place for the election May 4. Ballots must be returned to the Flathead County Courthouse by no later than 8 p.m. May 4 to count, not just postmarked.

ZACHERY ANDERSON

Anderson was born and raised in Bigfork, graduating from Bigfork High School in 1991. After attending Montana State University, he returned to the Valley, where he practices as a masonry contractor, with jobs throughout the Western United States.

He is married with two children, a boy and a girl.

Anderson has never been a firefighter, but joined the board originally after receiving encouragement to run by a friend.

"It's my way of giving back to the community and community service," Anderson said.

To Anderson, the highest priority for the board is maintaining public safety, as well as looking into the future to be prepared for growth and its effects on safety.

He's enjoyed being able to work with the all-volunteer fire crew.

"It's been pretty neat getting to deal with all of the volunteers," Anderson said.

Anderson said his experience in the past four years on the board makes him stand out among most of the other candidates.

"It takes abut four years to understand how a board works," he said, noting that he's now getting the hang of the process and hopes to continue.

SHELLY HOCKING

As the fire department photographer for the past year, Hocking gets to look at what goes on in a different way than most people, as an outsider looking in.

Hocking moved to Bigfork from Billings nearly two years ago, entranced by the beauty of the Valley. She's a licensed addiction consultant and a licensed clinical social worker at Flathead Valley Chemical Dependency Clinic. She's a single mother with a 16-year-old son.

She's been involved at the fire department since October 2008.

"I think I have a pretty unique position to see what other people don't see," she said. "I decided to run to see if I could be of some service to the community."

She gets to see what help is needed at the scene and how people perform, which she thinks gives her an edge over other candidates.

"I see the limitations that we have and I would like to be a catalyst for change," Hocking said.

She describes herself as having a "level head" and being a "team builder."

Key issues going forward will be helping the department grow with the needs of Bigfork, she said, which may mean moving toward more paid staff members. She'd also like to see some more quality training and more people becoming Firefighter 1 certified, as well as stricter requirements for leadership in the department.

Another issue she's seen is the loss of a number of experienced firefighters.

"We need a way to retain and seek new recruits," she said.

KARINA LANIER

Lanier also has a background in Bigfork, moving here her senior year of high school and then graduating from BHS. She lived throughout the Valley after graduating from the University of Montana. She moved back to Bigfork permanently a few years ago with her husband, Jason, and opened Bigfork Anglers. They have one child.

She's contemplated becoming a volunteer firefighter, but says with her business and other obligations she doesn't have the time. But serving on the board is a way she could still support the department, she said.

"Being in Bigfork for so long, I figured this is my way to give back," Lanier said. "The volunteers with all their sacrifices and hard work are an asset."

Lanier said she's served as a volunteer in other capacities in the community before, but hasn't served on a board. Her biggest qualification, she said, is knowing the community.

"My qualifications would be how much I have invested in the town and how much I care about Bigfork," Lanier said.

She describes herself as "fiscally responsible but progressively minded when it comes to community issues."

In terms of issues that will need to be addressed in the department, Lanier said she was not aware of any but that she would be prepared to handle issues as they arise.

"I would look out for a lot of the community volunteers as well as the Village of Bigfork," Lanier said.

LELAND LEIVO

Of the candidates, Leivo has the longest history with the department. He was a volunteer firefighter for 25 years, retiring out of the department in 2002.

Leivo moved to Bigfork in 1979, owned a restaurant and then became manager of the Bigfork Water & Sewer District, serving until 2003.

He sees his experience working for a board and in management as a plus for the fire department. Now he works as a manager at the Montana Athletic Club and also at Eagle Bend Golf Club. He has been married for nearly 50 years and has four daughters who all attended BHS.

Leivo came onto the board four years ago and has most recently been serving as chairman. His focus has been on finances and fiscal responsibility, he said.

"When I got onto the board, I was finding they needed leadership in business," Leivo said.

When he started, Leivo said the department tended to not pay attention to the budget. Now he says he tries to hold them to it. That will continue to be an issue going forward, he said.

"I feel we're not there yet as far as having a well-oiled, smooth organization. I think we're close," Leivo said. "I feel like there's still something left to be done."

He said he'd also like to see more cohesion on the board going forward. Another issue will be the relationship of the fire department and the QRU and balancing that in years to come, he said.

As the years pass, Leivo said he's considered pulling back from his commitments, saying he likes life to be simple, but he still feels he has something to contribute.

"The day I feel I can't contribute any more I'm not there," Leivo said.

AUSTIN LOWE

Lowe graduated from BHS in 2006 and shortly after joined the fire department.

He was recently promoted to lieutenant, which required at least two years of service with the department, as well as response to 20 percent of calls and 50 hours of training in a year. Outside of his volunteer work with the department, he works as a contractor with his father at St. Joseph's Builders.

Lowe decided to run because as a lieutenant and a working member of the force, he would have the perspective and the close working relationship with the members to make wise decisions. He's also served with the QRU for several years.

"I have a really good understanding of how the Bigfork Fire Department works — what we need and what we don't need," he said.

Some of the key issues for the department he identified are financial — continuing to purchase gear and pay off the ladder truck. He also wants to look at the potential merger of the fire and QRU departments, and, as member of the internal board for the QRU as well, feels he would be in the ideal position to help take a closer look at that.

"As an internal member, I feel I have more insight into what's going on," Lowe said.