Hear from the 2024 candidates for Gallatin County Commissioner

The candidates running for Gallatin County Commissioner are David Dickey (R) & Scott MacFarlane (D). Read on to hear their responses to the Exponent’s 2024 candidate questionnaire.

Candidates were given three weeks to respond to the questionnaire and were given word counts for each response. Not all of the candidates responded despite multiple emails and phone calls by Exponent staff, and by no means is this an exhaustive account of all of the policy positions and ideas supported by each candidate in a particular race. It is the Exponent’s hope, however, that this concise guide to candidates’ ideas in their own words can serve as a useful resource for voters to decide who they want to vote for. All photos were provided by the candidates’ respective campaigns. 

David Dickey (R)

Would you be able to provide a brief biography of yourself? 

Dickey: Small business owner since 2005, father of five, Master’s degree from Florida State in M.I.S. My priorities are public safety, responsible growth and good stewardship of taxpayer resources.

What are your top three priorities if elected, and how do you plan to address them?

Dickey: My top priorities (briefly mentioned above), are public safety, responsible growth and fiscal responsibility and accountability.

• The current Gallatin County Commission has withheld necessary funding from Audrey Cromwell, the County Attorney, as part of what appears like petty gamesmanship. I’ve met with Attorney Cromwell, and her office is grossly understaffed compared to similar sized counties around Montana. We need to properly fund her office as well as the GSCO. It is 100% true that Mexican cartels have a presence in Gallatin County and we need to ramp up our law enforcement to ensure that our streets, neighborhoods and college campus are safe.
• I’d like to see Gallatin County start imposing impact fees on developers to help offset the costs associated with the growth in population. I’d also like to see the impact on public schools be incorporated into the planning process of new developments. Right now there is little to nothing being done to account for the rapid growth of our county in terms of the effect on our public schools.
• As a small business owner, and someone who has signed the fronts of paychecks for 2 decades, I feel that I have a better understanding on fiscal stewardship and accountability than the current commissioners and I believe I would provide a much needed perspective.

Why should MSU students, faculty and staff vote for you?

Dickey: It wasn’t initially my idea to run for office, rather I was asked to run by one of our state representatives. I’m not a politician, but rather just a guy who sees the problems that exist in our county and is willing to step up and apply some much-needed common sense. Go ‘Cats!

Scott MacFarlane (D)

Would you be able to provide a brief biography of yourself? 

MacFarlane: I grew up in Colstrip, Montana and attended MSU on an athletic scholarship for Track and Field. I was a Liftie at Bridger for 5 years, flew commercial helicopters for six years and have been a Gallatin County Commissioner for the last six years. My wife and I have three kids: one at MSU, one at UM and one in Gallatin high.

What are your top three priorities if elected, and how do you plan to address them?

MacFarlane: I believe our top service priorities fundamentally rely on our ability to collect sufficient revenue. The Montana legislature has recently been extremely antagonistic toward the ability of local governments to fund local priorities. The services we provide as your County are very diverse and many are not immediately obvious to the average county citizen, but I have learned that everyone has personal examples of services and policies they desire and feel strongly about. It is easy to find consensus around the need for attainable housing, mental health services, and increased public safety.

Why should MSU students, faculty and staff vote for you? 

MacFarlane: I attended MSU as a student, worked for MSU for 6 years, and have had two kids attend MSU recently. Over the last 6 years as your County Commissioner, I have developed an increasingly close relationship with the University. This development has helped us invest in Gallatin College and coordinate much more closely on the University’s ambitions for expanding their facilities and services to students. I recognize the University as our community’s heart and soul, and will always be considerate of the needs of this amazingly successful institution.