House District 92

The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted a candidate forum, May 9, at the Seeley Lake Community Hall. Candidates from the Public Service Commission (PSC) District 4, House District (HD) 92 and Missoula County Commissioners races answered various questions from moderator Klaus von Sutterheim and the audience.

This week the Pathfinder features the candidates for HD 92. Look for the County Commissioners debate in the next issue. The PSC debate is on the Pathfinder's website, http://www.seeleylake.com

Four candidates for HD 92 were at the forum: Democrat Addrien Marx and Republicans Larry Dunham, Mike Hopkins and Randy Vannoy.

House District 92 lies fully within Missoula County, covering most of the eastern side of the county. The communities of Condon, Seeley Lake, Potomac, Bonner, East Missoula and Clinton are represented.

Candidate Info

Marx calls HD 92 "home." In the 35 years she has been a part of the district she has raised her family and run businesses. She has been involved in education, with experience as both a teacher and school board member. She has been involved with the historical society and the chamber of commerce among many other things.

Marx acknowledged that HD 92 is diverse. She said that she saw that diversity at her service station. She valued the loggers the same as the tourists. She needed the snowmobilers in the winter though she is a cross-country skier.

"We are a people of diversity, and that's certainly what this district is," said Marx.

Marx doesn't think that the job only happens in the 90 days of the legislative session. She plans to remain active and serve on committees between sessions. Being retired, she has the time to do the job. She works for the people because she loves [the Seeley Lake area].

Dunham has previously run for HD 92 in 2014. He has worked on economic development in the area for five to seven years including working to try and get the Missoula Best Project to come to the valley to help the economy.

Dunham thanked several people for their statements that he could work with the system. Ken Donavan (Swan Valley Community Council), Glen Morin (Glen's Automotive), Dwayne Forder (former Swan Valley Community Council), and Vicky Gordan (2014 Missoula County Commissioner candidate) were all thanked.

Dunham serves on the Missoula County Election Advisory Committee that tries to get more people voting and tries to figure out why people don't vote. Dunham feels that most non-voters don't vote because they don't like politics and politicians.

"Frankly, I am not a politician and I don't hate politics," said Dunham. "I am an individual who wants to serve as a person for the state of Montana to help the betterment of Montana and House District 92."

Dunham feels that there is plenty that can be done to help and promote the economy and protect the environment.

Hopkins is a fourth generation Montanan, born in Helena and raised in Missoula. He has a background in public budgeting and has worked in financial compliance and reporting.

Hopkins feels that the biggest thing the next legislative session will be dealing with is less money and a lot more priorities trying to get a piece of that smaller pot.

"I think what matters is how are we going to navigate that and actually get things done," said Hopkins.

Hopkins was disappointed in the last legislative session not passing an infrastructure bill that could have helped communities like Glendive. Glendive recently had an oil spill that damaged their water supply.

Hopkins said that one reason why the bill dropped is that the Democrats insisted that all projects had to be put together in the same bill. He questioned why they couldn't prioritize the projects.

"Clean drinking water for Glendive was put together in the same bill with $25 million to improve a museum in Helena," said Hopkins. "I've been to the museum and I don't think there is anything wrong with improving it but the idea that that's as high of a priority as water in Glendive is preposterous."

Hopkins feels government needs to be more responsible to the taxpayers and prioritize how their money is spent.

Hopkins feels that he has the most experience in the workings of the legislature and that he won't waste the first several weeks of the 90-day session trying to figure things out.

Vannoy calls himself a fellow American and is running because he has voted his whole life and followed the issues. He feels he can do a better job.

Vannoy spent part of his childhood near Clearwater Junction and has lived in Missoula since 1975. He has no political experience. He mows lawns and sweeps chimneys.

"What business do I have running for political office?" said Vannoy. "Well, I still believe that the constitution is important and I think our county is in trouble."

Vannoy thinks more difference might be made in the low levels of government instead of worrying about the president. He believes in self-governing and that the government isn't going to solve everything.

Vannoy knows he is not a professional politician and says he wants to listen to the people and do what the people want.

"Every person has value and worth," said Vannoy.

1. How would have you voted on these bills in the last session: Medicaid Expansion, Anti Dark Money, Confederated Salish and Kootenai (CSKT) Water Compact, Preschool Education and Infrastructure?

Dunham said his biggest problem with the Medicaid expansion was that it is funded with soft money. He was not against the expansion, he just questions where the money will come from when the soft money runs out and felt that should have been addressed.

Dunham said he has never had any dark money himself but he feels that people should be able to donate to whoever they wish.

Dunham would have never supported the CSKT Water Compact. He said he researched the issue thoroughly and that he feels that it should have remained an issue on the reservation, not affecting our public waters off the reservation.

Dunham said he couldn't comment on the preschool or infrastructure without doing more research.

Hopkins wouldn't have supported the Medicaid expansion because it uses federal money to pay for it. Each year the federal dollars go down and the burden lands on Montana taxpayers. This burden increases until Montanans are fully on the hook for it.

Hopkins feels people should be able to contribute to whatever candidate they chose. He would like those donations to be fully disclosed but remove the limits currently placed on them.

Hopkins wouldn't have voted for the CSKT Water Compact. He discussed his feelings on the Infrastructure Bill in his opening.

Hopkins said he felt that the preschool debate in the last legislative session missed one major question. They talked about how it can help kids out but failed to answer if the money would be better spent on K-12 education instead of preschool.

Vannoy would have voted against the Medicaid Expansion because he wants smaller government and doesn't like the federal government getting involved in the state government.

Vannoy doesn't care if donations to campaigns should have to be disclosed. He thinks people should be able to give what they want to whomever they want.

Vannoy is totally against the water compact, that's part of why he is running. He is also against preschool because he feels that it's the parent's job to take care of their kids, not the government.

Vannoy would like to see the infrastructure bill be voted on per project, not all compiled together.

Marx would have supported Medicaid Expansion. She said it wasn't perfect but that she has seen people get taken care of who never would have received care before.

Marx supported the Dark Money bill. She said it wasn't about people donating as much as corporations donating and having more say in government than the people.

Marx said the CSKT Water Compact is very complex and once she took the time to understand it, she believes the right decision was to sign it.

Marx has been around the world and seen that a lot of other countries start their kids out in preschool. She feels we should too. Funding preschool is necessary to keep up with the global world.

Marx said she supports infrastructure because it makes our communities strong and prosperous. She experienced, first hand, what happens when infrastructure needs to be built and it isn't funded, referencing her business in Seeley Lake having to invest a sizable amount of money into a new septic system while the town waits for a proposed sewer system to be funded.

2. What is your position on transferring federal lands to the state?

Hopkins feels the state manages land better than the federal government does. However, he feels paying for wildfires would bankrupt the state and therefore the land should stay federal for now.

Vannoy would be for totally eliminating federal ownership of all land, giving it and control of it back to the states. He would like to see it opened up for the people who live here to start being able to use it.

Marx said she has been an advocate for public lands to remain in public hands forever, keeping land in federal ownership. She feels the firefighting cost needs to be taken out of the US Forest Service budget and funded separately. The Forest Service could then get back to managing lands instead of fighting fires with their budget. This is a federal issue.

Dunham believes federal land should be treated as it was East of the Mississippi and given back to the states. He feels this land is key to our economic future and should be used for that.

3. What is your opinion on the sale of the state cabin leases, how would you help facilitate those sales?

Vannoy would be for the state selling them quicker.

Marx believes the state cabin leases in the Seeley Lake have been held by generations of people. Those people are being priced out of their own cabins. If the cabins are sold too quickly, it destroys that heritage. Selling to the highest bidder isn't always the answer.

Dunham feels the state should be required to improve the sites before selling them. He said there are substandard septic systems along the rivers and lakes. Those need to be fixed before any discussion on how quickly they should be sold.

Hopkins feels that there is no accountability in the state government under Governor Bullock. Once the decision to sell the sites was made, bureaucracy and incompetent employees have taken over and created the slow pace in which the lots are sold.

4. Is there any way to protect a rural area like Seeley Lake from decisions made by large urban areas like Missoula? For example: the Parks and Trails Bond (2015) that was passed by the urban voters, not by the rural voters.

Hopkins said that the legislature could enact controls on different levels of government as to what they are capable of doing. He thinks that a more direct route would be changing local leadership such as the county commissioners.

"Quite frankly, Missoula County and Missoula City certainly has never really demonstrated an ability to stop reaching their hands into our pockets and doing remarkably stupid things with the money they take out," said Hopkins.

Hopkins said to get out and participate in local government and speak out at meetings.

Marx said this is a big concern. Currently the city of Missoula is looking at a gas tax to pay for its roads. That troubles her she said because she would like to see the city help pay for our infrastructure but said that would not happen.

"First of all we have to elect people who live in the rural areas," said Marx.

Marx said that the Parks and Trails bond could have had more rural input to make it a better deal but that you have to get involved when the bond is being formed.

Dunham fully agreed that voting for people who live in the rural areas is a great place to start, being that he lives in a rural area. He suggested that through community councils the rural could be heard.

Vannoy said he is for local communities making decisions for local people. He cited the woodstove ban in Missoula City being forced into the Seeley Lake area.

5. If elected how do you plan to keep in touch with your constituents?

Vannoy has put out his personal phone numbers and would do his best to return calls.

Marx feels she already has a good reputation for communicating with people.

"I do feel that the people that are behind me, giving me the information that they are experiencing, is what's going to make me a strong legislator," said Marx.

Dunham said the best way to handle this is by sending out daily updates about things impacting the area. He also feels that going out and interacting with people on a personal level is key.

Hopkins has had issues contacting his representatives so he knows the problem. Last session he worked hard to always return calls from his constituents and traveled a lot to visit them.