Council member announces departure

She has put in four years of serving the Town of Plains, but now she's heading south.

Councilwoman Connie Foust announced at last week's council meeting that it would be her last. She's moving to Mesquite, Nevada, where she used to live and where she still has friends. She's enjoyed her time in Plains and her time on council. She said she's a fighter and liked the challenge of working on council. However, she said her balance is not what it used to be and getting firewood into the house is getting more difficult each winter, but she's mostly moving for health reasons.

Foust was raised in Helena and had spent a lot of time in Missoula when visiting her son. "My husband died and he and I had liked it so much we were considering spending our summers here," she said. She moved to Plains in June 2018. She wasn't here long before joining the police commission as a volunteer. She was president of the Plains Lions Club for a year and she co-founded the Free Americans, a patriotic nonprofit organization, with Plains resident Mary Halling. As a Free American, she twice coordinated Plains Day. It was Foust who introduced the reciting of the Declaration of Independence on Independence Day at Fred Young Park. "I love that it is a tradition that the veterans have taken over. It is so special and the people love it," said Foust.

And in January 2020, she was sworn in to the council's Ward 1. "Coming to the area I felt it important to be a person that could do my part to protect and represent the taxpayers," said the 77-year-old Foust. "This is their town and many are elderly and have limited resources and income. Every dollar spent needs to be for their benefit," she said. Her second four-term on council had just started. Council will appoint a replacement to fulfill her term.

While on council, she served on the budget and public works committees and on the planning board. She briefly considered going for mayor, but she said she felt Joel Banham was a better fit for the community. "I believe in serving the community and have in other places that I have lived. It is natural for me to get involved," she said.

"It's not about pride, it is about service. I think we had some tough decisions to make. For instance, the water treatment plant. It needed to be done after the flood and finding funding. I give credit for that to our former Mayor Dan Rowan," said Foust, who added that leaving was a tough decision and she'll miss the people and friends she's made.

"It has been a sad decision. I love this community," said Foust, who thanked the Plains residents. "I am proud to be able to represent you. I did my best to serve the community responsibly."