My name is Bill Berg and I'm wrapping up my first term as a Park County Commissioner. I came to this after some 35 years in the private sector that included 22 running a web business. CoolWorks.com came from a notion I had in 1995.
I found my way to Yellowstone for a summer job in 1972 and have been anchored in the area since. I met Colette in the park and we bought a place outside of Gardiner in the mid-80’s. Our family always includes at least one search dog. Chapter, an 8 year old border collie/lab mix, holds that spot these days. Colette and Chapter have been deployed from Washington state to Utah. Colette retired from a career as a Ranger and spends her time on searches or training with Chapter, on the local ambulance and fire crew, and serving as a deputy coroner for Park County and Yellowstone Park. Her experiences provide a unique perspective I would not otherwise have.
I'm a boomer. My folks were coming of age during the depression and they both served in World War II. Helen served in the Waves in DC, helping to manage inventory for the Navy. Harold was shipboard in Pearl Harbor that infamous day in 1941. They raised us in a Minnesota town the size of Gardiner where we were part of a band of cousins and classmates who shared similar stories. Volunteering and serving the community was just what everyone did.
I like to be of use. I believe it's important to serve your community, that we should do what we can to leave the woodpile higher than we found it. Serving in volunteer and leadership roles over the years with the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Gardiner Community Council, on the Gardiner Gateway Project, and on the Park County Planning Board pointed me towards running for the Park County Commission 4 years ago. It's a big change from the private sector. I learn something new every day, I'm growing my network, and we're building momentum and a Park County team that I wish to be part of for another 4 years. There's more work to do.
It’s a challenging time for everyone right now. Some things I've been working on:
- COVID Response/Relief/Recovery: I'm the Commission rep on Park County’s COVID response team and serve on the Park County Board of Health. It doesn't get any more real. We’ve done well with the virus in Park County, so far. We’re well aware that we have a ways to go and that we have to be mindful of our physical, economic, and mental health. The Park County Health and Emergency Services Departments and health care community have been outstanding. Our efforts, together, are key to finding our way through this.
- Fiscal Responsibility: We successfully balanced the county budget every year while providing services to county residents and visitors. Coming from the private sector, it became clear to me that Park County’s revenue model is not sustainable. In our tourism sector, the connection between financial obligations and revenue falls well short. Local taxpayers are left with the bill. I played a leadership role in looking for solutions with partners around the state and at the legislature. We started a conversation that needs to continue.
- Roads and Access: With two of Yellowstone’s five entrances, almost 1,000 miles of county roads and 80 bridges, Park County roads are essential to our livelihoods and lives. My partnership experience with the Gardiner Gateway Project has proven helpful in leveraging your tax dollars with federal transportation funds to make improvements to roads on Mill Creek and the Boulder, and on the Carbella, Tom Miner and Rock Creek bridges. We’re also working to stretch your dollars with grant funding to prep for projects on Shields River Road, the Jardine Road, the Bannock Trail, and Old Yellowstone Trail South through Yankee Jim Canyon.
There is no shortage of work to be done here and we are blessed with an abundance of hands and hearts to help. Dozens give their time and talent on county boards. Many more step up to serve on volunteer fire and ambulance services and show up from the faith community and civic organizations to serve their neighbors. We are more than 16,000 strong and it's inspiring and humbling to see how folks pitch in.
I'm grateful and proud to have served as a Park County Commissioner since January of 2017. I'd like to build on that experience and work for you for another term. I'd appreciate your vote.
Gratefully,
Bill Berg
PO Box 275
Gardiner MT 59030
406.223.2565