By Fischer Genau DIGITAL MEDIA LEAD
Gallatin County will soon have the chance to implement a new structure of government, and last Tuesday, voters elected the seven civilians who will help determine what that structure may look like.
Gallatin County residents chose Jeff Krauss, Steve White, Jackie Haines, Donald Seifert, Klaas Tuininga, EJ Porth and Janae Hagen to make up the Gallatin County local government study commission, a group charged with reviewing existing government structures and creating a plan to improve the county’s “power, form, and plan of government.”
“I’m really honored and humbled to have been selected from such a long list of qualified people,” EJ Porth told EBS in an email. “It is a weird feeling to be competing for a volunteer role and the imposter syndrome is real, but I’m grateful that the voters think I have something to offer to the commission. I’m confident I can contribute and serve in a meaningful way, and I’m really glad to see such a well-balanced and representative group of people elected.”
Porth, associate director of Gallatin Valley Land Trust, was selected from a pool of 22 candidates vying for the volunteer positions. The commission members have a variety of backgrounds, with some bringing experience in local government while others come from the private sector. Jeff Krauss, who received the most votes with 23,298, is the former Mayor of Bozeman, while Steve White and Donald Seifert are both former Gallatin County commissioners.
“I’m thankful that some of my fellow study commissioners have served in elected positions within county government before and have even served on previous study commissions,” Porth wrote. “I have so much to learn from their experiences. I’m also grateful that we have some fresh faces that can bring new perspectives and engage different parts of the community that we may have missed the last time the county did the study.”
Jennifer Boyer, one of three Gallatin County commissioners, is also enthusiastic about the composition of the group.
“I’m excited that we have so much diversity on our commission,” Boyer told EBS. “We have people with an economic background, people with nonprofit backgrounds, people who have served in local government and people who have had independent businesses. I think that diversity is a reflection of our community and can really speak to how our local government should look and function.”
Jackie Haines is the director of economic and strategic development at Big Sky Resort Area District (Resort Tax), Janae Hagen is a senior program manager at Petco and Klaas Tuininga is a former insurance agent, though he has been politically active for decades as a political campaign manager and former local government study commission member in 1994.
The last time Gallatin County reviewed its government structures was in 1994, and this study will provide the opportunity to modernize government in Gallatin County after 30 years of rapid population growth and development.
“My goals for my service as a member of this commission will be to provide the opportunity to citizens from across the county to express their ideas, concerns and questions regarding our form of government, and any changes that could be considered by voters next year,” Steve White told EBS in an email. “I intend to serve with no agenda, or specific plans for the outcome. I look forward to hearing from citizens what their thoughts and ideas are.”
The commission members will attend a training at MSU’s local government center in December to learn more about the process they are about to undertake. Then they will plan meetings for next year which begin in January, all of which will be “public and transparent,” according to White.
“I am so excited to start having conversations and dig into learning all I can,” Janae Hagen told EBS in an email. “I’m especially looking forward to the community engagement piece and creating opportunities for all Gallatin County residents to contribute their voice to the study.”
The commission will mostly function independently of local government, according to Boyer, but its members will have the opportunity to add one county commissioner or other local government official to serve with them in a kind of adjunct position.
The full list of vote totals can be viewed online through the Gallatin County Elections Department website. The vote count for the seven elected commissioners are as follows:
Jeff Krauss – 23,298
Steve White – 18,304
Jackie Haines – 17,422
Donald Seifert – 14,691
Klaas Tuininga – 14,382
EJ Porth – 13,926
Janae Hagen – 13,846
