On a recent evening in the remote reaches of the North Fork Road on the northwest side of Glacier National Park, a couple of candidates for the state Legislature were debating in Sondreson Hall. It’s an old log building heated by an oil drum wood stove where the lights run off a gas generator and the outhouse is ten steps into the woods.
Kevin Halsey introduced the candidates, Jerry O'Neil and Zac Perry.
Halsey is a founding member of the North Fork Forum, the debate’s sponsor. The Forum meets monthly in this cluster of cabins spread through the woods to have civil discussions about American civics and governance.
"Everyone knows each other up here" Halsey says. "We know generally where you are politically."
He says the group formed last year as a way for people to find common ground in today’s polarized political climate.
Rachel Puera says figuring out a way to get along isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s necessary for survival up here, where cell phones can’t get service and it’s common to get snowed in.
"There are people who use what is that called? It's like the radio phone," Puera says. "They check in every morning through radio phone so their neighbors know that they're OK and that's how they communicate. We had a lot of wildfire risk this summer, and [it] really brings people together, I mean, when you have that kind of risk of losing something.
"But I think because everyone recognizes that they may need to call upon their neighbors some time, Puera says, "you find that common ground and that's what you it's what you live for."
There’s still disagreement in this tight knit community. Democrats and Republicans have split the vote in recent years pretty evenly, with a slight lean to the right. Some people who are regulars at the North Fork Forum meetings volunteer for Flathead County Democrats. Others are Trump supporters.
But Ray Brown says the most divisive issues are usually ultra-local, like whether or not to pave the North Fork Road.
"We've been fighting over the road for since I've been here," Brown says.
He laughs about it now, recounting ideas for how to solve the conflict and keep everyone happy.
"We figured the best thing to do is pave the road southbound," he jokes, "people get out faster."
Kevin Halsey says he hopes the North Fork Forum can someday provide a safe space to hash out disputes like this.
"There were some hard feelings on that," Halsey says, "which was another reason why things like events like the community forum, the North Fork Forum, it makes sense to us because we have to learn to talk about difficult issues and create venues where we can talk about difficult issues."
He says one of the Forum’s first meetings last year tackled Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution - that’s the one that outlines executive powers. Halsey says the Forum brought in a history teacher to give some background, then broke into smaller groups to talk about how much power the executive should hold.
"Someone who is very, very far right was having a conversation with someone who was very, very far left," Halsey says, "and I thought they were going to hug each other, because they were in such agreement on the executive, in what the role of the executive should be. It's probably the first time they've had a conversation on politics where they were absolutely in alignment but they were."
This Tuesday, North Forkers will likely split their state legislative votes between Republican O’Neil and Democrat Perry. Next month, they’ll help each other winterize their cabins, and on New Years Eve they’ll set off fireworks and name someone Miss Polebridge. And Kevin Halsey will find a speaker to talk about the Montana Constitution for the next North Fork Forum meeting.
"In terms of points of agreement," Halsey says, "you know, there’s a lot."
