Ted Barkley
Response to GVS Questionnaire
Why do you want to run for the study commission?
Montana is unique in affording the opportunity for citizens to review the function, effectiveness, and structure of local governments every 10 years. I would like to be part of the team that is charged with this responsibility to educate, listen, evaluate, make recommendations that support effective and engaged county government looking ahead.
What skills and experience do you have that you think will help you in your role as a study commissioner?
I am a retired city manager with 37 years of local government management experience in Kansas, Colorado, Washington, and Montana. I retired as city manager for the City of Belgrade at the end of 2021 and have served as a local government consultant and volunteer since. My commitment to good local government extends well beyond what happens at the local level. I served as a board member of the Montana League of Cities and Towns (a legislative advocacy organization for cities and towns), and chair of the board of the Montana Municipal Interlocal Agency (a risk management organization for cities and towns). I currently serve on the board of directors for the Northern Rocky Mountain Economic Development District and Yellowstone Fiber. My professional responsibilities included the continuous evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering services and managing the processes of local government, as well as the management of the people and resources involved. A large part of my experience has been facilitating and supporting elected official in the policy process. In addition to my local government management duties, I have served numerous city and county boards and commissions, covering a broad range of policy areas, including housing, emergency services, airports, and others, in a variety of government organizational structures.
Have you ever served in local government either as an elected official or volunteered on an advisory board? If so, when and in what capacity?
I have never run for office. Between 1987 and the present, I have served as a city manager (Montrose, CO, Ellensburg, WA, Belgrade, MT) a housing commissioner (Kittitas County, WA), an emergency communications agency board chair (Kittitas County, WA) and others. Most recently, I was appointed to the Gallatin County Airport Authority board.
What would you hope to achieve if elected to serve as a study commissioner?
It would be presumptuous to identify specific issues prior to the review process. Some of the areas I would focus on include representation (are three commissioners adequate for a population our size?), transparency in political and administrative processes, effectiveness, accountability, efficiency, and access to the processes of governance.