Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Democrat Perry Miller of Havre said he would like to put his experience as a long-time north-central Montana resident, employee and union representative to work in Helena if elected in the general election Nov. 4. “I have that experience where I can represent the whole constituency and I would love to do that,” Miller said. He faces Republican Wendy Warburton of Havre in the race for the seat in House District 34, which covers the northeastern corner of Hill County and the northern half of Blaine County. The district has no incumbent in the election Rep. John Musgrove, D-Havre, cannot run for reelection due to term limits. Miller moved to Havre 40 years ago to attend Northern Montana College, now Montana State University- Northern, where he wrestled, played football and baseball and received his degree in education. After graduating and marrying his wife, Teresa Miller went to work for the Great Northern Railway, now Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, where he worked until retiring last year. He served a term on the Havre school board in the 1990s and was a railroad union representative for 25 years, including chairing the local chapter for eight years. His endorsements include the AFL-CIO; two transportation unions; MEA-MFT, the Montana Public Employees Association and the Laborers International Union of North America. Miller said that his experience in the union gives him negotiation and listening skills that would be valuable in Helena. If people think the disagreements between Republicans and Democrats are harsh, they should hear union negotiations, he said. “Those are two sides that are a lot tougher than the constituency here,” he said. He said he would work to bring common- sense solutions by working across the aisle, negotiating with both parties. “I don’t care what side you’re on I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat,” he said. “I have a heart for the whole constituency, not just one issue or problem but every problem for all of us.” One specific issue Miller said he wants to look into is the creation of a loan account that could be used by agricultural producers who are having difficulties. Miller said he had talked to a local producer who had inherited that family farm, and was having a hard time. “It seemed like he was struggling, was going month to month, and he shouldn’t have to,” Miller said. “Here is one of the small businesses we talk about, that we should be helping him.” The program could be set up to make loans based on producers’ ability to pay, allowing them to consolidate their payments into one account, he said. The loans could possibly be administered through regional economic development companies, such as Bear Paw Development Corp. in Havre, he said. A similar initiative could set up an insurance pool for ag producers, making it easier for them to get health insurance, Miller said. He said health insurance in general is a major issue for him, including his support of Initiative 155, which would increase the coverage of children through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Miller said similar work needs to go forward for adult Montanans as well, possibly using insurance pools to provide coverage for the uninsured. He said development of the state’s natural resources is a key to continuing the strong economic growth the state has seen, despite an economic downturn in most of the country. “Most of our hard dollars, the hard dollars to find, are going to come from our natural resources, timber wind, biodiesel,” Miller said. He said several areas of energy development intrigue him, including the capture of carbon dioxide both in energy production and in agricultural use. Miller said he is very interested in pursuing clean-coal technology, which could utilize the massive coal reserves in the state while producing clean energy. Carbon dioxide capture would also allow the state to sell the byproduct to industries, such as the oil and gas companies drilling in Montana, he said. “Here’s a method where we can capture it and sell it to another business entity,” Miller said. “They can use it, and it ends up in the ground where we were going to put it any way.” The state could also export that cleancoal technology to other countries, he added. Capturing emissions in farm work is another avenue the state should support, he said. Miller said he recently toured a farm where the emissions from farm equipment are captured and put into the ground as land is plowed and seeded, capturing the carbon dioxide and using the nitrogen from the emissions as fertilizer. “It acts as a natural fertilizer and we reduce emissions in the air, so it’s a double benefit, not only to the farmer but to the taxpayer,” he said. He said he wants to continue encouraging petroleum exploration and development, but that he would like to see the state’s 18-month tax holiday on new wells adjusted. Companies are taking advantage of that, pumping heavily when the holiday is on then opening new wells and reducing production in the first when the holiday ends, he said. He said he is not necessarily advocating eliminating the tax breaks, but the holiday should be shortened. “The incentive for the 18-month tax holiday was put in when oil was 10 to 20 dollars a barrel. It was an incentive to come and drill,” Miller said. “Now the price is a hundred dollars a barrel it doesn’t need to be there at all.” He said if elected he hopes to be able to work on both sides of the aisle on these and other issues, including obeying the state constitutional mandate to provide a quality education. “I’m hopeful that there will be a number of those gentlemen or ladies (in the Legislature) who have what I have at the heart of my campaign, which is to serve the people the best possible way we can,” Miller said. “We should be doing that together because we have a two-party system, and it’s so evenly divided we have to work together.”
