News you can use

Three vie for Hill County Commision seat

Solomon shoots for county commission

Ted Solomon is hoping to soon add the position of Hill County Commissioner to his varied resume.

Solomon, a Havre resident, is running as an independent for the seat on the Commission now held by Jeff LaVoi who opted not to run for a another six-year term.

He will face Democrat Jim Bedwell and Hill County Superintendent of Schools Diane McLean, a Republican.

In the past, Solomon mounted three unsuccessful campaigns for office as a Republican: two runs for the Montana Senate in 1994 and 2002 and one for Montana Public Service Commission in 1998.

“I gave it a lot of thought and I decided to run as an independent candidate, so I can work with both parties, Democrats and Republicans,” he said.

Solomon said that he decided to make a bid for the open seat on the commission just as his son and daughter-in-law are starting to manage his ranch full-time.

“So I thought I better do something else,” he said.

If elected, he said, he will be able to dedicate himself fully to the office.

A Havre resident for most of his life, Solomon said he has a lifetime of experience operating a farm and ranch, as well as several other business ventures. That background has given him experience with balancing budgets and management, as well as strong relationships with multiple county departments, he said.

If elected, Solomon said, his central focus and the county’s biggest challenge is to ensure the county runs smoothly using the revenue it now has.

Solomon said that raising taxes is something he would oppose right now.  

The bulk of property and machinery taxes is collected come from agriculture, he said, and right now agriculture producers have experienced a nearly 50 percent drop in the price of wheat and livestock.

“So this is going to be a tight budget for the farmers and ranchers in the county,” he said.  

In the past, revenue from oil and gas drilling brought in a large amount of money to the county. However, with prices being so low, there is little incentive for companies to drill, thereby depriving the state and thus the county of that revenue source, he said.

The county does hold areas of promise, such as Beaver Creek Park, Solomon said. The county also can do more to promote tourism and utilize new technologies and strains of crops, he added.

Solomon said that the increase in rainfall gives him hope for farmers in the county. More rain will allow farmers to plant a wider variety of crops, which will in turn bring greater revenue to the agriculture producers and the county in terms of taxes.

He said more should be done to better relations with Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Solomon said he has employed people from the reservation in the past.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/19/2024 15:56