thriving over surviving

 

Public Lands/Conservation

House District 92 holds some of the most pristine lakes, rivers and streams in our country. Our public lands are second to none when it comes to true beauty. HD92 is unique in its true interaction with flora and fauna but with that comes an important relationship with the Forest Service. The Forest Service job is to maintain and preserve OUR public lands, unfortunately this is not what is happening. Living in the Swan Valley is special, and we want to keep it that way! 

 

Many people bore witness to the events that have transpired at Holland Lake Lodge. A big corporation (POWDR) tried to skirt the system to build a large scale resort in our town of Condon. Instead of making the community aware in an adequate amount of time, the Forest Service approved a management plan with the corporation 5 months prior to announcing a shortened 21 day comment period (POWDR wanted 14 days). Before the management plan was approved, in December of 2020, the CEO of POWDR and the Forest Service were planning a major expansion without consulting the public.

 

The fight that has ensued shows the resilience of the people who call Condon home, as well as thousands of others and organizations. This is a true example of how unstoppable we can be working together and throwing party politics aside. There are only a handful of places like Condon and Holland Lake in this country and once it’s overdeveloped, there will be no turning back. As a member of the Swan Valley Community Council, I helped Montanans fight back by bringing in legal consultation for the community to get a better understanding of what was happening and gave them a platform to ask their own questions. My wife Julia worked with Hands Off Holland to decorate the 4th of July float along with passing out branded frisbees and bracelets to passionate parade goers. If elected I will fight for more transparency between our Federal Forest Service, state and the people, advocating for you and not out of state corporations.

 

Creating more access to public lands is another top priority of mine. Recreational activities from hiking to hunting and fishing are a major reason people choose to live in HD92. I will continue to protect these lands, while creating more opportunities for residents to explore our state through all forms of recreation and sport. 

 

Property Taxes

Property taxes have a huge impact on all Montanans. Whether it’s a young couple trying to scrape by paying rent/mortgage payment or our elderly community living off fixed social security, property tax increases make lives harder in HD92. We cannot displace any more Montanans in exchange for wealthy second home owners. On top of second home owners, our local government has created many mill levies that burden taxpayers. Many people in HD92 feel as though they are paying for services they do not use, some would say taxation without representation. Many of these mill levies are permanent and your great grandchildren will be paying them and more if we don't stop reckless spending at the local level. As Ronald Reagan said, "We don't have inflation because the people are living too well, we have inflation because the governments living too well". 

 

A lot of people are talking about shifting taxes, which is needed. We also have another surplus of almost $1 Billion. Let's give it back to Montana taxpayers. The rainy day funds are full, and there is no better place to send it than back to the taxpayers. 

 

The state of Montana is now debt free again after paying off all general obligation debt. That means if we elect fiscally responsible representatives, there should be no reason why we can't produce lower propety taxes for residents. I believe that on top of lowering property taxes as a whole, we should continue prioritizing Montana residents by using our surplus to send more dollars back to property tax payers. Vacation home owners who don't reside in the state should bore more responsibility on property taxes as well. There are over 220,000 empty homes owned by out of staters (1/3 of Montana Homes). States like Florida have a Homestead Exemption. This exemption lowers the taxable value of primary resident homes by $50,000 compared to second home owners. If this exemption makes non residents unhappy, there's another house on the market for a Montana family to buy. Why punish Montanans who work and live here, when second home owners from other states can afford to help the people that make this state run everyday. 

 

 

Infrastructure & Access 

I believe that access to our public lands is a necessity in building the next generation conservationists. HD92 offers our state and nation access to amazing lands, rivers and lakes from lower Rattlesnake to Condon. Unfortunately, our infrastructure that leads to public and private homeowner lands is in trouble, and does not get guaranteed repairs to longstanding issues such as road maintenance and bridges. While our state spends over a billion dollars repairing their own government infrastructure such as parking garages in Helena, our bridges and roads sit deteriorating, and closing (ex-Cold Creek, Glacier Creek, Sunset, Boy Scout and more). 

 

The blame doesn’t only rest on the state, as the Forest Service markets the use of our public lands, makes money from special use permits, and then does not reinvest in infrastructure being used to access them. The current federal grant system has not been favorable to HD92 and our infrastructure. With the ability to only apply for two non guaranteed grants a year, the current system is broken and takes years to get repairs done. Building over Bureaucracy! The Forest Service needs to allocate more money in the regions they promote for recreation.

 

I believe the approximate 12 million annual tourists should be contributing towards the cost of infrastructure. Both city and rural roads/bridges have seen a large uptick in use from our tourist visitors. Cities like Las Vegas for example, charge a resort fee when you stay at a hotel. Why should we not charge those visiting Missoula County and other tourist towns a flat fee for coming and exploring our public lands via county roads? I AM AGAINST SALES TAX. I am a marketer, and I do believe that most of our visitors, want to pay their part when it comes to maintaining our infrastructure that allows them to access public lands. I believe areas like Missoula should offer these visitors at aleast an option to do their part. Creating a system similar to when you checkout at a grocery store and the screen asks you if you want to donate to "X Charity" could collect funds from tourists who wants to give back and keep our infrastructure functioning. If paired with a marketing campaign at the airport, car rentals, hotels and other tourist leaning industries, I believe we could cut taxpayers a break and receive funding for specific infrastructure projects. Getting in a tourists head starting when they leave the airport, that they should give $10 for our infrastructure could generate tens of millions of dollars a year. 

 

Missoula County also receives PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) money annually from the federal government for non taxable federal land in the county. Rather than these funds being spent for repairs on rural infrastructure or school improvements, it is put into the general fund and used on administration for the county. PILT as a bill was intended to be used for rural roads/bridges and building schools, it should go to the area that generates it. Sadly this is not the case in Montana. I hope to direct PILT money to where it's supposed to be spent, our rural communities. I think we can also argue that we should receive more money from the Federal Forest Service to maintain county roads and bridges going to our public lands. 

 

 

Affordable Housing/Jobs

We are losing our next generation to opportunity and affordability in other states. Where older generations were able to pay off a house in 30 years, younger professionals are now going to have to save for 30 years to afford a downpayment. In Missoula County, which encompasses HD92, a record number of buyers are paying in cash, and residential building permits are drastically down. Not only do we have to create more progress on affordable housing, but we also have to make housing more affordable by incentivizing builders. Right now Missoula County is at its lowest number of building permits in recent history, down almost $40 Million from the previous year. On top of already expensive building permits and requirments, our commissioners have recently enacted "Impact Fees" which will only make building more expensive and drive down the ability to expand your own property. The stringent rules around development along with low inventory has driven HD92 residents into an affordable housing crisis, where many Montanans can no longer afford to live in Missoula County. I will support legislation that entices building and promotes affordable housing in areas that truly need it. Lastly, I believe that a fee for non resident properties should go directly towards property tax cuts and affordable housing. Affordable housing plays a large part in education and it is directly related to bringing in talented teachers to our rural areas. 

 

We need to recruit new companies to our district. Many young residents I speak with can only afford their bills, and nothing else. I want my generation to thrive, not just survive! Higher paying jobs and recruiting interesting new companies will make our economy stronger and keep our younger generations here to raise a family. As a young entrepreneur myself, I believe that I can bring the energy to recruit new companies that will employ Montanans in HD92. Younger generations deserve to live the American Dream, not a nightmare. 

 

Education 

Our proficiency levels across the state are bad, but for our rural schools from Bonner to Swan Valley, they are even worse. Rural schools do not get the support they need. Proficiency levels in rural elementary and high schools are well below those in the city of Missoula- how can we help put rural kids on an equal playing field? With Pyramid Lumber closing, what jobs will be available to the 70% of Seeley-Swan High School juniors who are not proficient in math or science and the more than 50% not proficient in english? We need to invest in the highest quality teachers as well as offering an alternative form of education. Vocational schooling for example. I've had the pleasure of speaking with many families from HD92 and parents have expressed their children's intrests such as working on cars, learning about heavy equipment and building. If a child cannot progress through traditional schooling why wouldn't we want to encourage their other strengths by supporting vocational opportunities in trade or another route? I believe the rural parts of HD92 needs its own vocational school to gift the kids and their parents more choice when it comes to their futures. This will not only give kids another opportunity, but create more skilled workers that our state desperately needs. 

 

On top of the education, schools such as Swan Valley School do not get the funding for hot lunches. Food is brain fuel and we must offer hot meals for all our students in HD92. PILT & Securing Rural Schools funding that is generated in Condon, Greenough, Potomac, Bonner and other rural areas should be contributed towards improving our schools. Unfortunately that is not the case. The current school equalization formula needs some work to truly make things equitable, from proficiencies to hot lunch.

 

 In regards to education as a whole in our district, we are facing massive budget cuts of over $8 million that will impact every school. We are faced with choosing between keeping the lights on in the classroom or keeping teachers on staff. Education is a fundamental right, and a top quality one will only better a child's opportunities in life. I will work with my fellow lawmakers to make sure kids in HD92 have the best education possible to set them up for success upon graduation. 

 

We also need to come to the reality that homeschool is on the rise, while public school education is down. We need to support homeschoolers and their families so that they have as many possibilities as those in public schools. Parents deserve the final say in their childs education, they're paying the property taxes that fund it. Schools also need to honor parental rights, they are there to teach, not push any type of agenda. 

 

Veterans

Being raised by a single mom, you spend a lot of time with your grandparents. My grandfather was a Marine and Korean War Veteran. He was my best friend and taught me many valuable lessons, I miss his stories. I was honored to receive his burial flag two years ago. Growing up with a veteran, you are taught to respect our military and all who serve. 1 out of every 10 Montanans is a veteran and we must support them to the greatest extent. Whether it be funding for the Department of Military Affairs or spreading awareness to prevent veteran suicides, I will always put veterans first. They fought for us- now we have to fight for them! 

 

2A

I am strong on 2nd Amendment rights. The right to own a gun goes back to the American Revolution, where without armed citizens, this country would never exist. Both Republicans and Democrats, especially in rural areas, support 2nd amendment rights and hunting in Montana. Unfortunately, my opponent wants more tracking and control of your guns. SB:359 prohibited the tracking of firearms sales by financial institutions, my opponent voted No, showing she wants your gun purchases tracked. 

 

Law Enforcement/Fentanyl

We need to support our law enforcement officers to the greatest lengths possible. Every day they wake up and put their lives on the line to make our state a safer place. Unfortunately, Missoula County which encompasses HD92 has a very high crime rate. Since 2019 fentanyl seizures in Montana are up 20,000%, and in 2023 alone law enforcement seized double the amount as the year prior. Fentanyl doesn't care about politics, it doesn't care if it's a family member, friend or colleague, it just kills. I will support all legislation that will stop the distribution of fentanyl into Montana and vote to impose the harshest sentences on convicted dealers. 

Elder Fraud/Care

Fraud is a major threat for Montana's elderly citizens. Having spoken to the state auditors office, many older folks in Montana are targeted by ponzi or pig butchering schemes. Scammers target elders who are alone and will successfully convince them to invest in something. This type of fraud has destroyed people's retirement funds and life savings. There are other common tactics used such as telling you that a loved one is in jail or in some sort of trouble, or by posing as a financial institution stating that you owe back taxes. Don't let our elderly community fall victim to fraud. I will support all legislation that protects peoples life savings from these terrible crimes. 

 

In addition to fraud, I have a passion for helping those who suffer from Dementia. Both of my grandparents passed away due to complications from Dementia, and seeing someone you love deteriorate from this group of diseases is painful to families and friends. It is not a crime to get old, and people shouldn't have to drain their bank accounts for memory and elder care.