Don and Debra Elliott are very happy living in Belle Fourche. Don who is running uncontested for the ward 3 city council position on April 9 has a vision for sustaining and improving the quality of life in Belle Fourche. He brings some noteworthy achievements to the table and has demonstrated the ability to get things done.
Don who was born and raised in Miles City, Montana feels quite at home in a small town. He likes the people here and likes to explain how his background will help him serve the taxpayers of Belle Fourche. He is firmly committed to the idea that lawmakers need to be fiscally responsible and that they need to answer to the taxpayers.
Don and Debra, who have been married for 28 years, wanted a place to call home.
They moved to Belle Fourche nine years ago. Home prices were affordable and it’s been a good fit.
“My professional trajectory started in the Navy where I became an Avionics technician. After six years and an honorable discharge, I went back to school and became an electrician.” Don worked in the electrical field and in road construction before going back to college for more education. After three and a half years of hard work, he completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. College was very demanding. He noted, “You could have very easily gotten overwhelmed by the workload.”
After several years working for a hospital in Colorado, Don ventured into the oil fields and worked his way up through the ranks. Eventually, he became a supervisor on a fracking crew. Here he learned a lot about leadership. He learned to be efficient with time, resources, and how to streamline processes as needed. He encouraged his employees to be task oriented, and team players.
Don identified some potential tough issues facing Belle Fourche. Among these are running out of room for the current dump, the need for a wastewater treatment plant and upgrading current infrastructure.
In the future, Belle Fourche will need to secure water rights for future growth if they haven’t done that already. He explained and added, “They need a plan in place to take care of wastewater and solid waste generated by the community”.
Don is clearly not a person who has let grass grow under his feet. In addition to his job at American Colloid and city council aspirations, he still finds time to enjoy cooking, golf, and photography. Camping and being outdoors are also favorite activities.
Mainly, Don is looking forward to serving the people in Belle Fourche.
