Hill County ag producers face off in county commissioner race: Mark Peterson, Democrat

Incumbent Hill County Commissioner Mark Peterson, a Democrat, is defending his seat against independent candidate Dale Hansonl in the November general election.

Peterson was born in Havre in 1951 and graduated from Havre High School in 1970, he said. After high school he attended Northern Montana College, now Montana State University-Northern, studying agriculture, heating and air conditioning, and welding, although he did not graduate.

He said he has been very active in the community, serving on many different boards and working many different jobs, and that has given him a well-rounded background.

Peterson served for 20 years in the Council of Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching. He added that he is also a lifetime member of Rural Ag Development. He served as a past board member of the Hill County Electric Cooperative, the Hill County Seed Growers, the board of Pheasants Forever and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Peterson said he has also worked as the water plant operator and was an early innovator in no-till farming in 1992. He is also a certified chemical applicator, he said. He added that when he was an emergency medical technician, a first responder instructor and a CPR instructor he was part of a group that taught more than 175 first responders in Hill County. He also worked as a firefighter and as a volunteer firefighter for a period of time.

Peterson has also been involved in the Northern Agricultural Research Center of Montana State University.

He added that he also served for two years as the president of the Montana Pulse Growers Association. In 2010 Peterson also received the outstanding agriculture award from the Ag Chamber of Commerce.

In 2012 Peterson was elected county commissioner.

He said he has been in agriculture his entire life and is a strong supporter of local high school and college sports. He also has two sons, both who live in this area, and has five grandchildren. Peterson said he also was married to his wife, Nancy, for 30 years.

She died in 2007 while serving as the director of the Montana Department of Agriculture.

"I've been active. I've given back to my community. I care," Peterson said.

He said he has always been able to look at things with an open mind and he enjoys listening to people, regardless if they agree with him.

"I like to hear their opinions, because you always learn something when you're listening," he said.

He said the county needs to find a way to grow and to bring back businesses.

He added that the rural roads have also taken a beating over the years, but there is no money in the budget to repair them. Every dollar that comes through taxes, he said, is allocated to somebody's budget.

He said the commission is looking at primary roads in the county and is rating them for work due to their priority.

The commission is also looking at a federal grant that can provide $250 million to the state and provide a possible opportunity to get enough money to repair some of these roads, he said, adding that, hopefully, the grant can be put in place and be utilized for these projects.

This grant is one of the focuses for the future, Peterson said, because the roads need to be in better shape and the county needs to work more closely and better with the city.

He added that there are just so many areas that need work, such as State Secondary Highway 232 that the commission is bringing to the first construction phase. Work is planned on the first section north of Havre.

Peterson said Highway 232 has had a high rate of rollover accidents in the last 20 years and is a hazardous road. It is important, he said, but every county has a Highway 232 with the same issues and other counties are waiting their turn to get their roads fixed, as well.

Peterson said he is trying to bring the Federal Lands Access Program into this project so the work can progress at a faster rate.

Peterson said every day as a commissioner is different. No day has been the same for the past six years, he said. As a commissioner, he takes phone calls from the public and goes over pertinent business with the other commissioners, Peterson said, then people walk through the doors and ask questions. He added that these questions are very enjoyable to him because it gives him a chance to visit with people and educate them on what is going on and why.

He said there are limitations to what a commissioner can and cannot do. People think that if they were the commissioner, they could make huge changes, he said, but rules and regulations must be followed and some things just cannot be changed. He added that this was one of the most difficult things to accept as a commissioner.

Peterson said that, as a commissioner, it has been important to learn to vote against himself.

"You might have a personal opinion and you may lean one way but when it comes time to vote, after hearing the facts, you might learn your way is not the best way," Peterson said. "Open-minded is a term used by a lot of commissioners."