County Commissioner John Ray shares thoughts, memories of six-year term
By John McGill
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 12:38 PM MST
"I wanted to get involved in government from a local viewpoint," said outgoing Glacier County Commissioner John Ray in an interview last week. "I wanted to see what the taxpayers were paying for." Ray's six-year term expired last month. Democrat Tony Sitzmann was elected by voters to hold the commissioner's seat for the next six years.
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| Glacier County Commissioners Michael DesRosier and Ron Rides At The Door present outgoing Commissioner John Ray with a plaque for his six years of service to Glacier County. Photo by Jeanie Fetters
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During his term, Ray said, "I found out the county runs on a very tight budget, and balancing county funds is a full-time job all by itself. I feel good that we managed every year with a balanced budget and with a reserve, and that we spent the funds as needed. And I feel good about all the commissioners I worked with - and that's Bill Icenoggle, Ray Salois, Michael DesRosier and Ron Rides At The Door - because they all have the county in mind without any personal agendas."
Ray is proud of Glacier County's accomplishments, beginning with the satellite county treasurer's and clerk and recorder's office being established in Browning. Building the nursing home in Cut Bank is another thing done, as well as obtaining the funding necessary to build a new county jail.
Wind farms are another bright spot. "The one that was built is one of the biggest in the state, and there's more to come," Ray said.
Emergency services in Babb gained an ambulance on Ray's watch, and the Camp 9 Bridge was repaired, a necessary first step in repairing the St. Mary diversion project.
Finally, Ray noted improvements in the county road system, beginning with a doubling of gravel production and the formal adoption of a priority system in plowing roads, where main arteries are cleared first, then people dealt with after the first job is done.
While he entered office "with an open mind, without a personal agenda to work with the other commissioners," Ray nonetheless had some illusions dispelled upon taking the job. "I was blinded somewhat by county government because you're in the public spotlight 24-7, and that's a big change both personally and for my family because everybody wants the county to provide services, which they deserve, but to what extent? The money only goes so far," he shared.
"Every decision we make in the office for the county has a counter outcome," Ray continued. "If you do something for one person, you better do it for everybody, so it's a tough deal, deciding what services to provide. In the end we wound up saying 'Let's go by the book.'"
In beginning his job, Ray first discovered being a commissioner involves knowing and operating according to state laws. "Going in, you don't know everything about county government and you're under state regulations to perform as though you do, and that's tough when people rotate in and out of jobs...people who know it all. So it's tough to know all the regulations and try to work through situations."
In the future, Ray said he'd like to see the county continue to operate on a balanced budget, complete some CTEP projects, keep developing wind farms and continue to deliver services for the county.
Among things Ray liked best about being a commissioner was that, "At the county level, there are many people doing volunteer work - they're the unsung heroes. There are so many people that sit on boards - in the city and county; those volunteers work for the good of the county and the people in the county so I want to give them some praise because they're a vital part of county government. Sometimes they take a lot of flack for being in a non-paying, volunteer position."
Ray continued, "The other thing is that we have really good department heads, and working with really good department heads makes the county run easier and better. So I can't say enough about them because without good people, it just makes the job so much tougher."
Now that's it's over, Ray has more time on his hands. "Well, I've got a little more free time and for things with the family." Asked about a possible position on the Glacier County Regional Port Authority, whose chairman, Tony Sitzmann, is now a county commissioner, Ray said, "Maybe. It's hard to drop everything with the county because now I have the knowledge in my head, so I might just do that."
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