Government-Politics
From the Shields Valley to the Wyoming line, Frank O’Connor has spent his summer on the road. The candidate for Park County Commissioner has been traveling across the county since May, holding public forums and meeting voters where they live.
O’Connor has held community meetings in Wilsall, Clyde Park, Livingston, Emigrant, Gardiner and Cooke City. At each stop he has met with residents, answered questions, listened to their concerns and discussed solutions they would like to see. “I really want to understand what folks are worried about, and what they want Park County to be,” O’Connor said.
That belief drives the travel schedule. O’Connor says being a county commissioner requires more than showing up for meetings. It requires being present in the community, listening to residents and doing the work. “People deserve a commissioner who is willing to get out and talk with them, hear their concerns and work toward practical solutions,” he said. “I’m committed to doing that work.”
Housing tops the list of concerns, says O’Connor. “Housing prices are a major issue, and that’s something we have to tackle together as a community,” O’Connor said. Roads come up nearly everywhere he goes. “Roads are also a very important issue in Park County. Our roads budget is seriously underfunded, and we need to find ways to fix this, maybe by using some of the annual interest from the railroad fund, and maybe by using some of the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes funds,” he said. “I would like to explore other options too, like what other similar communities have done to solve these problems. I am committed to working hard for Park County to solve these problems and make Park County better while keeping what makes Park County great.”
O’Connor brings local roots to the race. Raised in Livingston, he is a husband and father and an active member of the community. He and his family have owned and operated O’Connor Autobody and Napa Auto Parts in Livingston. That experience gave him firsthand practice managing budgets, solving problems and making difficult decisions. Owning an auto body business also taught him how to work with people under significant stress. “Running a business means solving problems every day and working with people from all walks of life,” O’Connor said. “You have to listen, understand the situation and find a way forward. Those are skills I believe are important for a county commissioner.”
He has also served on the Park County Planning Board and the combined City-County Planning Board. That service informs the solutions he discusses at his forums, from housing to infrastructure. “Park County is a great place, and we have to work hard to maintain that, even in the face of big national and global forces,” O’Connor said. “I will work to preserve Park County, and make it a great place for people to have families.”
As the campaign continues, O’Connor plans to keep doing what he has done since May. He will keep driving the county’s roads, sitting down with its residents and listening. The election will be held on Tuesday November 3rd.