Now I know how to take public feedback
Key Takeaways
As told by by Joette Woods, Liberty County, Mont. commissioner
Liberty County is very rural, we have about 2,200 residents on 1,300 miles of gravel roads, so a lot of times when people want to talk to a commissioner, it’s about their roads.
The most important road is the road of whoever is currently in the office complaining about theirs at the time.
People look at you as kind of the executive of your county, so they need somewhere to go to talk about what is bothering them. I would say two-thirds of the stuff that comes to our office honestly doesn’t pertain to the commission, they just want somebody to hear them out. We don’t always have the answer, but we can at least kind of direct them to someone who can help a little bit more.
Before running for the county commission, I served on the local level in a different way, volunteering for local blood drives, the local food bank, local church group. We have a small group that raises money and puts it back into the community. One of the commissioners was looking to retire and a few people suggested I’d be a good fit. But as someone who had worked informally in community work like that, I knew the approach someone like me would want an elected official to take.
If you can provide some kind of answer for them, you can build a relationship, and that shows that you’re human, you’re on their side and just want to help. You become a trusted source of information for them and by building on that relationship, you can help them understand the decisions the commissioners make.
Related News
![Gore and wife Elizabeth walk to the stage after he was elected NACo 2nd VP in 2022. Photo by Denny Henry](https://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/styles/385x285/public/2024-08/7-24-22-DJH_5907A.jpg?h=7c13a9fb&itok=HlNtNLP9)
NACo President Gore seeks out leadership challenges
James Gore found his way into elected office earlier than he’d planned, but when wildfires struck his county early in his tenure, he found a chance to do his most “meaningful, purpose-driven work.”
![James Gore](https://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/styles/385x285/public/2024-08/DSC00044.jpg?h=2f556f17&itok=VpoJclTK)
Podcast: James Gore on getting stuff done
NACo President James Gore joins the County News Podcast to talk about what brought him to county government, the challenges Sonoma County, Calif. has faced while he has been a member of the Board of Supervisors and and how he views county government.
![2024 NACo officers](https://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/styles/385x285/public/2024-08/2024officers.jpg?h=6dac5bad&itok=faWHcwbf)
Sonoma County’s James Gore takes the lead at NACo
Surrounded by his family, Sonoma County, Calif. Supervisor James Gore was sworn in July 15 as NACo’s new president at the association’s Annual Business Meeting at the Tampa Convention Center in Hillsborough County, Fla.
County News
Now I know how to get to know my neighbors
Cass County, Minn. Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk made efforts to relate to and understand his indigenous constituents.