In his three C-5 Financial Reports through June 20, Paul Fielder reports receiving slightly more than $5,000 for his County Commissioner campaign and spending slightly more than $5,000.

But a few details deserve consideration.

Sixteen of his 46 campaign contributors do not reside in Montana. That is 35%. For a county commissioner position that seems to be a disproportionate percent outside the county you would represent.

More revealing is the fact that he reports $3,428.11 in expenditures outside this county. And every item in that total could have been purchased within our county from our local businesses. 63.4% of his campaign expenditures were spent outside of our county!

It’s disrespectful for a commissioner candidate to turn his back on local businesses in the county he wants to represent. This should serve as a warning to all Chambers of Commerce in the county and all businesses and services in our county that this candidate seems glad take his business or the county’s elsewhere. As previously stated, each item he purchased elsewhere was readily available in our county at more than one establishment.

We need to elect a commissioner who puts Sanders County first when all factors are considered. That candidate is Carol Brooker, not her opponent who seems not to support our local business owners.

Ernest Scherzer,

Trout Creek