VOTER GUIDE: Questions for Flathead County Officials
Why This Matters
For five years, I have attempted to obtain enforcement of Flathead County’s Community Decay ordinance through proper channels. I filed complaints, submitted public records requests, requested meetings with county officials, and documented every step of the process.
The result: Silence. Non-response. Departments passing responsibility back and forth while nothing gets resolved.
This isn’t just about one property or one complaint. This is about whether Flathead County’s elected officials will:
Respond to citizens who follow proper procedures
Supervise the departments they’re legally required to oversee
Follow Montana’s public records laws
Take responsibility when county processes fail
After five years of documented failures, voters deserve answers before they mark their ballots.
The Pattern of Non-Response
Montana law is clear about the duties of county officials. Yet when those duties are not performed, and when citizens document the failures and request accountability, the response has been silence.
County Commissioners Pam Holmquist, Randy Brodehl, and Brad Abell have not responded to multiple written requests for meetings or explanations spanning over two years.
County Attorney Travis Ahner has not responded to requests for status updates on a complaint his office reportedly received from the Planning & Zoning Department.
County Sheriff Brian Heino has not responded to a formal written complaint requesting investigation of potential official misconduct.
Planning & Zoning officials have allowed the same complaint to languish for five years while responsibility shifts between departments.
When elected officials stop responding to constituents, they stop being public servants. They become obstacles.
Montana Law Requires Supervision
Montana Code Annotated 7-4-2110 states that County Commissioners “shall supervise the official conduct of all county officers…”
This is not optional. This is not a suggestion. This is mandatory duty under Montana law.
After five years of documented non-response while county departments passed responsibility back and forth with no resolution, voters should ask:
If Commissioners Holmquist, Brodehl, and Abell won’t supervise their own departments, what are we paying them for?
When county offices remain unsupervised for five years, it’s not a bureaucratic delay—it’s a failure of leadership that voters should remember.
Questions Every Candidate Should Answer
Before you vote in the next election, consider asking these questions of anyone seeking county office:
For County Commissioners:
On Supervision:
Montana law (MCA 7-4-2110) requires you to supervise county offices. How do you ensure county departments follow their own ordinances and resolve citizen complaints in a timely manner?
When a citizen complaint remains unresolved for five years while departments pass responsibility back and forth, what specific steps would you take to break the logjam?
How many community decay, zoning, and lakeshore violation complaints are currently pending in Flathead County? What is the average resolution time? What is acceptable?
Do you believe County Commissioners have a duty to respond to written requests from constituents asking for meetings about county processes? Why or why not?
On Public Records:
Montana’s public records law (MCA 2-6-1006) requires responses to records requests within a reasonable time. What is “reasonable” in your view, and how do you ensure compliance?
If a constituent submits multiple public records requests that go unanswered, what recourse should they have?
On Accountability:
When county processes fail—complaints go unresolved, records requests are ignored, departments don’t communicate—who is responsible? How would you fix it?
Do you believe elected officials should acknowledge when processes break down, or is silence an acceptable response?
For County Attorney:
On Enforcement:
What is the County Attorney’s role in enforcing county ordinances like the Community Decay ordinance? Who decides what enforcement action to take—the Planning & Zoning Department or your office?
If the Planning & Zoning Department refers a complaint to your office, what is your process for handling it? What is a reasonable timeline?
If a property owner does not comply with county ordinances, what legal tools are available, and when do you use them?
On Transparency:
Do citizens have a right to know the status of complaints they filed? Should the County Attorney’s office respond to status inquiries from complainants?
How do you balance attorney-client privilege with the public’s right to know whether their county government is functioning?
For Planning & Zoning Officials:
On Enforcement Process:
According to Flathead County Ordinance No. 6, who is responsible for defining abatement procedures—the Planning & Zoning Department or the County Attorney?
If a property owner does not voluntarily comply with an abatement order, what is the next step? How long should that step take?
What prevents complaints from languishing for years? What internal accountability exists?
On Communication:
Should complainants receive status updates? How often? Through what process?
If a complainant raises concerns about how ordinances are being interpreted or applied, what is the proper response?
For County Sheriff:
On Investigation of Officials:
If a citizen submits a written complaint alleging that county officials may have violated Montana statutes (such as MCA 7-4-2110 or MCA 45-7-401), what is the Sheriff’s duty? Should that complaint be investigated?
If you believe investigating county officials creates a conflict of interest, what is the proper procedure for referring such complaints to an independent investigator?
The Statistics Voters Should Know:
According to the Flathead County Planning & Zoning Violation Reporter (public database on the county website), as of January 12, 2026:
Community Decay Violations:
Total complaints since December 2022: 46
Resolved: 2 (4%)
Sent to County Attorney: 12 (26%)
Still pending in interim status: 32 (70%)
Lakeshore Violations:
Total complaints since December 2022: 12
Resolved: 0 (0%)
Sent to County Attorney: 1 (8%)
Still pending: 11 (92%)
Zoning Violations:
Total complaints since December 2022: 70
Resolved: 5 (7%)
Sent to County Attorney: 11 (16%)
Still pending: 54 (77%)
Total of all three categories:
Total complaints: 128
Resolved: 7 (5%)
Sent to County Attorney: 24 (19%)
Still pending: 97 (76%)
Only 5% of reported violations have been resolved.
When elected officials talk about enforcing lakeshore protections, zoning rules, or community standards, ask them about these numbers.
Why “Minor” Violations Destroy Good Government
Government accountability doesn’t begin with major corruption scandals or constitutional crises—it begins with how officials handle the small things. When county officials ignore what they consider “minor” ordinances like community decay violations, they’re making a choice about the nature of government itself. They’re deciding that some laws matter and some don’t, that some citizens deserve responses and some don’t, that supervision and enforcement are discretionary rather than mandatory. This discretionary approach to governance creates a two-tier system: rules for those the government chooses to enforce against, and a free pass for those it chooses to ignore. Once that pattern becomes normalized, it doesn’t matter what’s written in your ordinances or statutes—what matters is whether officials feel like enforcing them.
The mathematics of neglect reveal the scope of the problem. When 95% of violation complaints remain unresolved, when departments pass responsibility back and forth for years, when public records requests go unanswered and citizen meetings are refused, the message to every resident becomes clear: the system doesn’t work unless you have connections, political influence, or the resources to hire lawyers and force compliance. This isn’t just inefficiency—it’s the breakdown of equal protection under the law. The property owner who ignores a community decay ordinance learns that non-compliance is cost-free. The neighboring business owners who followed the rules learn that playing by the rules makes you a sucker. And every other potential complainant learns that the county won’t help you, so don’t bother trying. That’s how ordinances become meaningless and civic engagement dies.
Most importantly, when elected officials like County Commissioners fail to supervise these breakdowns—when they ignore written requests, refuse to respond to documented failures, and allow departments to flounder without direction—they’re abdicating the core function of representative government. Montana law doesn’t make supervision optional; MCA 7-4-2110 requires it. But law without enforcement is just a suggestion. When Commissioners stay silent while county processes fail, they’re teaching every department head and every mid-level bureaucrat that accountability flows upward only if officials choose to impose it. That lesson spreads. If Planning & Zoning can ignore complaints for five years with no consequences, why should the County Attorney respond to records requests? If the Sheriff can decline to investigate potential misconduct by other officials with no repercussions, why should any department answer to citizens? The collapse of accountability in one “minor” area becomes permission for collapse everywhere else. And once that rot sets in, even well-intentioned officials can’t fix it—because the expectation of accountability no longer exists.
What Voters Can Do
Before Election Day:
- Attend Public Meetings
County Commissioners hold regular public meetings. Attend and ask these questions during public comment periods. Make officials answer on the record.
Meeting information: Flathead County website - Contact Candidates Directly
Email or call candidates and ask them these questions. Share their responses (or non-responses) with other voters. - Share This Information
If you believe these questions matter, share this page with friends, family, and neighbors. Post it on social media. Forward it via email.
Informed voters make better decisions. - Attend Candidate Forums
When candidate forums are held, bring printed copies of these questions. Ask them publicly. See who answers directly and who deflects. - Write Letters to the Editor
Local newspapers publish letters from citizens. Reference this website and ask why officials won’t answer basic questions about their job performance.
On Election Day:
Ask yourself:
Did these officials respond to citizens who followed proper procedures? (Five years of documented silence suggests not)
Did they supervise county departments as required by law? (Planning & Zoning and County Attorney offices passed responsibility back and forth for years while Commissioners stayed silent)
Did they comply with Montana’s public records laws? (Multiple requests went unanswered)
Did they take responsibility when processes failed? (Not once in five years did any official acknowledge the breakdown)
If the answer to these questions is “no,” why would you give them another term?
This Is About Accountability
The County Commissioners’ silence in response to documented complaints raises a fundamental question:
Are Pam Holmquist, Randy Brodehl, and Brad Abell working for Flathead County taxpayers, or are they avoiding accountability?
Commissioners Holmquist, Brodehl, and Abell have been silent for five years while county departments pass responsibility back and forth. This is what lack of leadership looks like.
How many other Flathead County residents are being ignored while the Commissioners do not exercise their supervisory responsibilities?
Silence is a choice. Non-response is a strategy.
Voters deserve officials who answer questions, not officials who hide from them.
The Evidence
Everything stated on this page is documented in detail on the following pages:
→ The Story – Complete chronological timeline with dates, correspondence, and supporting documents
→ Stonewall Scoreboard – Specific instances where officials did not respond to documented requests
→ Home Page – Overview and current status
Five Years. Zero Accountability.
Montana law requires County Commissioners to supervise county offices.
Montana law requires officials to respond to public records requests.
Montana law requires officials to perform their mandatory duties.
For five years, these requirements have been ignored.
The timeline is documented. The non-responses are documented. The failures are documented.
The remedy is the ballot box.
Accountability starts with information. This website provides the documentation. Your vote provides the consequence.
Questions about this information?
Email: 406watchdog@gmail.com
Legal Disclaimer: This page presents questions voters should ask and my personal analysis of documented events. References to Montana statutes represent my lay understanding of official duties, not legal conclusions. I am not an attorney. Nothing on this page asserts that any individual has committed a crime. All statements are based on documents and correspondence available on “The Story” page. Readers are encouraged to review the full documentation and reach their own conclusions.