Joe Horn, Candidate For County Commissioner

This week, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Joe Horn, one of the three candidates running for Valley County Commissioner, to discuss his experience and views on key issues facing the county. His main concern is taxes and if elected he said he wants to do what he can do to lower them.

Joe Horn began his law enforcement career working as a deputy sheriff in Lee County, Iowa. While employed there, Horn bought and sold land and subdivided it. After leaving the Lee County Sheriff's Department in 1985, Horn started a process business serving legal documents. During that time, he also did private investigation jobs in Iowa and Ill.

In 1990, Horn returned to law enforcement, taking a position with the sheriff's office in Hancock County, Ill. Horn spent over a year as an undercover officer, followed by another year as an uniformed officer.

From 1992-1999, Horn operated a nationwide horse hauling business he started in Martin City, Mont. In 2001, he relocated to Hinsdale and was hired on with the Glasgow Police Department in 2002, where he achieved an intermediate certificate from the law enforcement post academy. Horn remained there until his recent retirement on Sept. 3, after serving nearly 27 years, in law enforcement.

During our conversation, I was able to obtain some of his thoughts regarding hot topics affecting Valley County residents.

On free-roaming bison:

"Here's my position: There is no place for them here in Montana. If these people on the east coast and west coast want free-roaming bison, lets start in Central Park, or on the front lawn in Washington, D.C. [...] Those people who want the free-roaming bison have no idea what the farmers and ranchers out here go through just to make a living. They have better things to do with their time than to fix fences from bison going through them. The people that want the free-roaming bison, lets try it in Central Park first, or the Adirondacks first. If it works there then we will try it, but those people don't have a clue about what we go through with the weather, and the price of grain going up and down, and livestock going up and down. They don't have a clue, yet they want to put free-roaming buffalo at our back door. I'm completely against it."

Skylark Road:

"I've had several of the residents out on Skylark talk to me. The way I understand it, it's a mess right now. When it rains, it's slick. One of them had talked about the possibility of using some millings from the airport. I think that would be a great idea. Try to get it packed and seal it. If we already have the millings it isn't going to cost us anything but to haul it down there and do it."

City pool:

"Well, I would probably have to say at this time I'm a little bit against it for the simple fact that our taxes just went sky-high. Some of these people that are on fixed incomes, I think we can spend our taxes better than spending it on our swimming pool. I mean our roads are a mess. These gravel roads are a mess. So, what are we gonna do with these excess taxes? Are we gonna give [the money] back to the land owners? That's something I'll look into if I'm elected commissioner, because we have got to do something about these taxes."

Elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8. For more information about voting and polling places, contact the Valley County Clerk and Recorder at the county courthouse or by calling 406-228-6220.