Gianforte Names Area Residents To Service On Committees, Task Force

COVID-19 Task Force

Governor-elect Greg Gianforte has named members of a task force that will help inform the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic when he assumes office in January. Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board member Kaci Wallette and Poplar School District superintendent Dan Schmidt are on the list, representing the area. Also representing eastern Montana will be Sidney Mayor Rick Norby. Other members include educators, representatives of hospitals and long-term care facilities, a priest, business owners and a former pharmaceutical executive.

Gianforte said the task force will help him shape a plan to address the health and economic well-being of Montanans. Montana has seen a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. Adjutant General Matthew Quinn, who leads current Gov. Steve Bullock’s coronavirus task force, will also be on Gianforte’s team. Department of Commerce/ Department of Labor and Industry Gianforte selected 10 individuals to serve on the joint-transition advisory team for the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor and Industry.

“For too long, Montanans have lost out on good-paying jobs and better opportunities here in Montana. It’s time to empower Montana workers and create an environment where small businesses thrive so that hardworking Montanans can prosper,” Gianforte said in a press release.

All members of the transition advisory teams serve in a voluntary capacity and are not compensated for their time. Earlier this month, Gianforte launched ServeMontana. com, a website in which individuals may submit their credentials for consideration to serve Montana, including leading state agencies.

Area selections to the team included: Derek Swank, executive vice president of Swank Enterprises; and Dexter Thiel, president of Thiel Brothers Roofing in Sidney.

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Department of Environmental Quality Gianforte also announced his joint-advisory team for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Department of Environmental Quality.

The advisory team will identify and review candidates to serve as the next directors of the DNRC and DEQ and will forward their recommendations to Governor- elect Gianforte.

“We can responsibly develop our abundant resources and simultaneously protect our environment, but for too long, state government has stood in the way with DNRC and DEQ serving as project prevention departments. With the right leadership at these agencies, we can eliminate needless delays, streamline permitting processes, protect our environment and create more good-paying Montana jobs,” Gianforte said.

Culbertson native Scott Aspenlieder, owner of Performance Engineering, is one of the selections.

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Steve Harada, a faculty member at Fort Peck Community College, is one of the individuals who Governor-elect Greg Gianforte has selected for his transition advisory team for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Harada is a former president of Walleyes Unlimited of Montana.

The team will review candidates for the FWP’s next director and forward their recommendations to Gianforte.

“Montana’s landowners, hunters, and anglers share a tradition of working together to protect our lands and conserve wildlife. We need a leader at the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks who is committed to strengthening this tradition. I’m grateful to these team members for their service, and look forward to receiving their recommendations,” Gianforte said.

Other Eastern Montana representatives on the transition advisory team include Richland County Commissioner Shane Gorder and former Phillips County Commissioner Lesley Robinson.