HELENA — Mike Fasbender says, if elected to the Lewis and Clark County Commission, he would bring an entrepreneurial perspective that would be a valuable addition to the body.
“My main message if I get elected is going to be, ‘How can I help?’” he said. “I think that should be all the way from the top to the bottom – all of the county employees should be working for the taxpayers and doing the best we can to help them out. I’ll bring that private-sector experience to the table with the other two commissioners, and I think we can really roll up our sleeves and move the county forward.”
Fasbender is a real estate investor, owning a number of rental properties around the area. He also restores and sells vehicles. He previously ran for county commission in 2012, as a Republican.
Fasbender says he entered the county commission race this year after hearing from farmers and ranchers in the Helena Valley who were unhappy with the county’s plan to introduce new zoning regulations.
“It mostly affects the larger landowners – which is our farmers and ranchers – and they don’t want it,” Fasbender said. “Basically, it’s a taking from them.”
He says he supports some planning for future growth, but wants a more cooperative effort on land use. He suggested leaders use incentives to encourage the kind of growth they want to see, rather than putting restrictions on landowners.
Fasbender also wants to make sure the county continues addressing issues like mental health, substance abuse and road improvements. He said, after the COVID-19 emergency, leaders will need to make sure that groups like older people and the working poor get the support they need.
Fasbender is one of four candidates running for an open seat on the Lewis and Clark County Commission. Incumbent Commissioner Susan Good Geise is not running for another term.
You can watch MTN’s full interview with Fasbender above. Interviews with the other candidates are available here.
Primary ballots will be mailed to Lewis and Clark County voters May 8, and they must be returned by June 2. This will be the first time that all county commission candidates are running in a single, nonpartisan primary. The top two finishers will move on to the general election in November.
