Candidates Vie for Votes

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted two candidate forums, April 9 and 11, covering eight races with 31 candidates in attendance. All candidates on the May 8 Special District Mail-in ballot and June 5 primary were invited. Ballots for the May 8 election were mailed April 18.

For the next two weeks, the Pathfinder will continue to feature races from the Candidate Forum. This week the Pathfinder features the candidates for House District 92 that will appear on the ballot during the June 5 primary. Previous coverage of the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District, Seeley Lake Sewer District, Missoula County Sheriff and Justice of the Peace are available at http://www.seeleylake.com.

MCAT also recorded both candidate forums. They are available by following the links:

• April 9 Forum including U.S. Senate, Missoula County Commissioners, Missoula County Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and Seeley Lake Rural Fire District: http://69.144.69.99/Cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/8653?channel=1

• April 11 Forum including U.S. House, House District 92 and Seeley Lake Sewer District Races: http://69.144.69.99/Cablecast/public-site/index.html#/show/8654?channel=1

House District 92 (Partisan, 2-year term): Incumbent Mike Hopkins is running against "DJ" Derek Smith and Larry Dunham in the Republican Primary June 5. Lee Bridges is running against Duane "Cecil" Schlabach in the Democratic Primary June 5. The winner of each race will run against each other in the Nov. 6 General Election. **As of April 28 (see letters to the editor) Larry Dunham (R) has endorsed "DJ" Derek Smith (R) as the Republican Candidate and joined Smith's campaign.**

Smith (R) said that although he looks young, through owning his own small business for the past four years as a real estate agent in Missoula he has the experience and confidence to be the next HD 92 representative. He feels there is a lot of money going out the door because so much money is spent on education and graduates can't afford to live here. He works with people looking for homes for less that $200,000 and he tells them Missoula County isn't the place. That needs to be changed with higher paying jobs and by looking at the regulations behind development to see what can be done "so kids can stay here."

Bridges (D) said "Building Bridges to Common Ground" means listening. Listening to the uncomfortable conversations that make some uneasy. It is also listening for the common thread that is used to create conversations. Building bridges is sharing ideas, alternatives and insights with each other. That is how bridges are built for partnerships and diversity with all parties included.

The Democratic Party is the minority. Bridges said she is used to being in the minority. Her father was an officer in the Air Force for 23 years and she lived all over the world, the minority in many of the places. She has worked as a woodworker, sheet metal worker, welder, machinist and mechanic. Often she was the only woman in the shop. Being the minority, one must adapt in all situations. "You have to build bridges to common ground and that is what I have done."

Hopkins (R) said he has the honor of representing House District 92. He serves on the Appropriations (State Budget) Committee and on the Long-Range Planning (Infrastructure) Committee. He identified both of these areas as passions of his during his 2016 campaign and areas he wanted to work with and now he does. "That is in the state legislature where Republicans and Democrats still DO actually work together to solve problems, not on every issue but on important issues like infrastructure."

He has fought for infrastructure funding, a 2016 campaign promise. Working with the governor, Republicans and Democrats, they secured the largest investment in state infrastructure in the past 10 years in Montana with the largest portion going to rural communities in both the western and eastern areas of the state. He said this is important because the past couple of legislative sessions eastern Montana was "left out in the cold" during a time when a lot of their tax dollars were contributing to projects in the area. He worked on veteran's health care this last session. For him it's not about privatizing the VA, it is about improving the VA and supporting veterans' choice and supporting community/veteran community paramedicine for veterans in the state of Montana as a bridge between the two.

Schlabach (D) grew up in an Amish community. He was only able to attend school until the eighth grade. His parents had the foresight to send him to public school, which made him a strong supporter of the public school systems.

He left home at age 18 and ended up here working for the Rich Ranch near Seeley Lake. He has worked for them in the backcountry and in the Bob Marshall Wilderness for many years and still does in the summer. He is a strong supporter of public lands and has seen them touch people's lives. He has seen veterans who are on medications trying to heal and the backcountry does wonderful things for a lot of people.

Schlabach went to the University of Montana and returned to Seeley Lake and has taught middle school at Seeley Lake Elementary for the past seven years. He has been fortunate to come back to a community he loves and cares for. His key points are responsible economic growth, public lands and strengthening education.

Larry Dunham (R) said he ran two years ago. He has represented himself and the community in the Seeley Lake and Swan Valley Community Councils and economic development here and there. The Missoula Best Place project came about. He was the only one that went down to talk to and work with the people in Missoula. They would not send anyone up here but he kept bugging them. He said he wants to listen and hear. There is a difference between listening and hearing. If he listens but doesn't hear what is being communicating it is not worth either people's time. "I will listen and I will hear." He loves it in Seeley Lake and appreciated everyone's vote in 2016 and would appreciate it again.

What is your view on expanding or maintaining Medicaid that protects 90,000 Montanans?

Bridges (D) is in full support of Medicaid expansion. She knows that they have cut back on Medicaid expansion, vision and dental. Those are really important programs and she thinks it is closer to 100,000 people in Montana. That is well worth taking care of everyone.

Hopkins (R) does not support Medicaid expansion. He said in 2016 that he wouldn't vote for it and he didn't. He feels that it is not discussed enough politically. Medicaid expansion costs the state $150 million every two years. In 2020, the state's share will go from five percent to 10 percent at which point that would be $200 million.

Schlabach (D) said yes he would support it. A University of Montana economist wrote that Medicaid as it has been expanded has paid for itself. There was a help link that was part of legislator Ed Buttrey's (R) policy when he wrote part of the bill. The help link allows the Department of Labor to reach out to people on Medicaid. There is a six percent increase in employment within that group of people. This ties into mental health care.

Dunham (R) said he would not support it unless there is a way to pay for it. To expand Medicaid, they need to know where the money is coming from. It is going to come from the federal government. The state will not be able to get the money with the current sources of income. If the state can't expand its sources of income, which are minerals including coal, then he doesn't see a way to pay for it.

Smith (R) said he would not support continuing the program. By 2020, the program is not going to be funded as much by the federal government. This means more money out of taxpayers' pockets. There is a decrease in services and in some areas an increase in taxes.

If you are elected, what would you do to recognize the importance of small, rural communities to make sure we aren't left in the dust to patronize the five communities in Montana that are experiencing a huge boom in economic growth?

Hopkins (R) first he sees a movement from rural communities into urban centers because there are jobs. Kids go there because that is the best chance they have to live in Montana. That is because a lot of the industries in rural communities are getting "kicked in the shins" both economically and by environmental groups in the state of Montana. The second thing is infrastructure is important. Rural areas need the infrastructure to allow people to live a similar lifestyle that they would in the urban centers.

Schlabach (D) responsible economic growth comes by ensuring the vitality of these small, rural communities. During the Rice Ridge Fire the community businesses took a hit but the resiliency has been astounding. What needs to be done is to incentivize growth within small businesses. Small businesses make up House District 92. He believes creating an environment for them to be as successful as possible is key, like the governor's loan program after the Rice Ridge Fire.

Dunham (R) said he has dealt with this problem with Missoula County. Missoula County is the problem. There is too much redundancy, too many regulations and rules, etc. Rural area are 64 percent of the population of the state of Montana. House District 92 is a rural frontier that needs better ways to help encourage growth and have more economic growth while maintaining good clean air and quality.

Smith (R) said he and his wife purchased a small business and apartment complex in Hamilton. He feels the local, small towns are where America is at its best. They are putting their money where their mouth is. He agrees with Dunham and feels areas like Seeley Lake are hurt by urban standards because there is capital in urban areas. They have the money to go through regulations and "you guys don't." Regulations need to be minimized to enhance local economic development.

Bridges (D) thinks urban development starts with youth and education. She feels when there is a well-educated workforce that is created locally, that attracts jobs to the state. Silicon Valley in California offered free university tuition, offering a great workforce. That is where Silicon Valley developed because that was where the businesses came. Attracting businesses, like California, will bring in revenue and will bring in jobs.

How would you help the timber industry?

Schlabach (D) Seeley Lake is built on the timber industry. It is the heartbeat that keeps the schools going and is what keeps the kids here. He supports maintaining responsible harvesting of timber around specific wildland urban interface areas and having responsible harvest elsewhere. In the 70s and 80s there were clear cuts. Now what can we do as a community to maintain the vitality of who we are?

Dunham (R) the US Forest Service is the agency that needs to be helped. Too much money is spent fighting with lawyers, etc. in order to produce the same amount of jobs in the forest and do what has to be done. There has to be ways to make sales happen that have been studied for a long time. Following the Jocko Lakes Fire, Plum Creek hauled the timber out right away. The Forest Service waited until it was firewood.

Smith (R) agrees with Cecil that the timber industry is the heartbeat of this valley. The Forest Service in the Swan Valley was responding to letters from out east and in Chicago and "that just doesn't make sense." While this needs to be addressed at the federal level, state lands also need to be used to get the timber industry back and going again.

Bridges (D) supports a public and private partnership that she has seen created in the Seeley Lake area. She spoke with Gordy Sanders at Pyramid. The timber industry is prized in this town. She thinks they are working very well in cooperation with removing appropriate logging bids since they don't own the land. They work well trying to rebuild healthy forests. That is going to draw the tourist industry in as well.

Hopkins (R) said the answer is responsible harvesting and more of it. There is a federal problem with the Equal Access to Justice Act and a problem with the state of Montana with a lot of environmental groups that have problems with basic ability to harvest. "The land is a garden. If you take care of it, it will take care of you. When it comes to timber in Montana, we can either harvest it or breath it."

How would you approach vetting legislation so that it hangs together as understandable without getting involved in endless legal arguments?

Dunham (R) said in many ways that is an impossible task. It would have to be approached on an individual basis rather than putting everything together. To take care of the situation, each problem would need to be brought up. No two communities have the same problem.

Smith (R) sees the problem. As a realtor he went to Helena multiple times fighting for land use issues. He thinks there needs to be a balance of legislators who have served multiple terms and those that are new. There needs to be people that understand what is being proposed because new people take it to a different place because they don't have the understanding and the background.

Bridges (D) said it is complicated. She would seek out all the public and private sectors involved in the legislation that is overlaid over another piece. If she was on a committee working through that, she would research more so there was not a conflict in vetting.

Hopkins (R) said he reads every word of every piece of legislation. Often times the difference between a "shall" and a "may" is everything in legislation. He feels it is on the candidates themselves to prepare for the legislature when they are running so they can understand and know the differences between them. There is a very big department called the legislative fiscal and legislative services division available to legislators. They legally review everything and can help prepare legislation. He said the difference is legislators that want to take advantage of that and do a good job and those that want to wear a suit, tie and a badge and hold a title.

Schlabach (D) the perfect example of vetting is bringing a diverse group of people for a common purpose. The best example he has seen in the community is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. While it has been called Tester's bill, it was actually a bill created by community leaders in this community. He merely did what all legislators should do, he carried a bill that was created by the citizens. In that way, when you have someone who vets a process that comes from the grassroots level of the people and you are an active listener, someone can make a lot of leeway.

Closing Statements

Smith (R) said it is critical for voters to choose a representative that represents all people, not just the people that voted for them. He knocked on doors all day listening to the constituents on the ground. He saw a lot of diverse issues in Seeley Lake. He promises that your voice will always be heard. "If I haven't already knocked on your door, I will be. Feel free to call me whenever, for whatever [406-207-2559]. I plan on being there and representing you."

Finally he feels working together is important. He is in a leadership role in the Missoula Organization of Realtors, he has a diverse group of people including competitors that he works with to pass legislation for homeowners. He has been able to do that because he listens and he reacts. "I look forward to listening to you."

Bridges (D) is less interested in the party than the issues. All politics are local. If she is elected to serve House District 92 she represents everyone, not just her party. She has had opportunities to meet with all of her constituents and gone door to door, and she has discovered everyone has more in common than differences. She is interested in helping everyone. She is not used to sound bite times, like the 30 minutes allotted to answer questions. She likes to dig deep. She would like to talk to anyone in the community and hear their views.

Hopkins (R) when he ran in 2016 he said he would work with anyone on a good issue to pass a good issue simply because it was a good issue. He would also work with anybody to defeat a bad issue simply because it was a bad issue. When he says something on the campaign trail he means it. Both parties know that he is willing to work together to find solutions. He believes he has a record of that and is campaigning on that record because he feels it reflects the politics of HD 92. He thinks it is important to have someone in the next legislative session that has a handle on what they are doing. It is going to be really hard, whether it is Medicaid, the budget, health care, education or infrastructure. He thinks he proved in the last legislative session that he is willing to work with anybody to get good things done for the people of the district and Montana. He has been honored for everyone's support in the past and asks for everyone's vote in the June 5 primary.

Schlabach (D) said his platform is strengthening education, maintaining public lands and responsible economic growth. He said it is important to look beyond party lines and as a community we look at House District 92 and look at the 80 percent that we all agree on, that is the key. Helen Rich was his mentor. During the later years of her life, Schlabach told her how much she had helped him in life and asked how he could repay her. She said, "Don't you ever look back and repay me for me anything. What you need to do is pay it forward." That is why I'm in the House District 92 race. I'd appreciate your vote.

Dunham (R) said he appreciated the votes he received in 2016 from everyone in Seeley Lake and other members of House District 92. He would really appreciate those same people to ask him questions and revote for him again. He said economic development comes in one way. There has to be the resources to develop the money so the state will have it there to spend. The next step is how the money will be spent. It is primary to increase the way the money comes into the state without raising taxes. If taxes must be raised, they need to include a sunset clause, "so that thing will die without us having to vote for it again."