Valley County Commissioner Chair Gordon Cruickshank will step down on September 30 and the Republican Party will appoint a replacement to fill the Commissioner District 2 spot until December 2020. An election where the voters will decide who represents Valley County District 2 Commissioner will be in November 2020.

Now is the time for us to consider who will run on the Democratic ticket against this appointed Commissioner. We want a candidate that belives the county commision should be a non biased oversearer of the development of the Stinite Mine site and not a one sided pro mine company advocate. We have an opportunity to develop smart growth plans on a county basis and not just be a rubber stamp to unbridled commercial development.

Dave Bingaman, District 1 County Commissioner (D) states ?the main portion of a Commissioner’s job is overseeing the workings of the county offices, services, employees and related groups?.Most importantly  is the interaction with constituents?  Dave see ?the ideal candidate for Commissioner has to be first and foremost good at multi tasking.?

It is time for Democrats to stand up and  be counted.  It is time to consider putting your hat in the ring and run for County Commissioner. You need to be a resident of District 2 to run although the whole county votes for all the Commissioners. District 2 is the west side of Highway 55 going south to Fairbrother Lane. The proposed salary for the position is a fair wage of $62,000.

If you are interested please contact Bill Thomas, 208-339-4583  or Dave Bingaman, Valley Co. Commission for more information and support.

Real change comes when good people run for office. Now is the time you can make a difference. 

Dave Bingaman Statement on County Commissioner Opening

Bill asked me to write a little description of the Commissioner job for any that might be interested in running for the District 2 seat. It isn’t brief and doesn’t cover everything but provides a good overview. The Commissioners are responsible for a wide variety of duties.  Most importantly is the interaction with constituents.  This is one of the most demanding components of the job. Answering calls and emails takes up a good amount of time every day.  The main portion of a Commissioner’s job is overseeing the workings of the county offices, services, employees and related groups. As a part time employee that can be challenging and requires a lot of reading and research time prior to weekly meetings and making decisions on a WIDE variety of topics from P&Z issues to drafting ordinances. The Commissioners are also the point of contact for issues and agreements involving state and federal agencies which often requires sifting through complex documents. In addition, they function as the spokesmen for the county on most of the media inquiries.   Commissioners are also responsible for setting the budget each year not only for the county but also as the Valley County EMS Board for our 3 local fire and EMS departments. In addition, commissioners look for and help submit grants for projects throughout the county.  The Commissioners also must participate in a number of committees on local, regional and statewide levels which requires more meetings and often involves travel to adjacent counties.

I think the ideal candidate for Commissioner has to be first and foremost good at multi tasking.  I also have learned that you have to be pretty thick skinned when dealing with unsatisfied or disgruntled constituents many of whom are friends or acquaintances.  In addition, the ability to look for solutions from a variety of perspectives is critical.  One of the challenges for me has been patience with the process and the ability to take advice on what is possible and not possible from a legal standpoint.  You have to be comfortable being in the public eye and scrutinized with a magnifying glass.  Flexibility may be the key to success, you never know what you are going to be dealing with or making a decision on from day to day.  Finally, you need to be good at learning fast! There are so many moving parts that you have to be able to absorb as much as possible as fast as possible. If it sounds interesting or maybe intimidating, it is both.  Just know that there are resources and training available to help you get your feet under you  as you jump into the job.

If you are interested in finding out more, feel free to email or call me.  You know where to find me.

Dave Bingaman

District 3 Valley County Commissioner