Forum at Northern has candidates discussing issues

More than 50 people came out to the public forum at Montana State University-Northern's Applied Technology Center Wednesday, many of the candidates for the Montana Legislature spoke on issues and answered questions from the audience.

Candidates were given two minutes to speak and answer each question during the forum.

Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel moderated the event and thanked everyone for attending the forum.

House District 28

Kegel asked House District 28 candidates, incumbent Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, independent candidate Bob Sivertsen and Libertarian Conor Burns, "What should the state be doing to try and improve the economy of eastern Montana?"

Sivertsen answered, the state needs to focus on improving and expanding U.S. Highway 2, because an adequate highway is a "prerequisite" for a community to grow. He said the plan will attract and recruit businesses here in Havre to broaden the tax base. He added that since 1974 Havre has seen businesses and people leave the community with its size in 2018 the same, or even smaller, as it was in 1974 he said.

Burns said the way the state can improve the economy is to cut property taxes and "leave people alone." He said cutting taxes, including income tax, allows the free market to grow.

The government shouldn't be doing anything with the economy, Burns said, because everything it does interferes with the free market and ends up destroying things.

Bachmeier said what the Legislature needs to do is to take the theoretical into action. He said while he was in the Legislature he is proud to have voted for an infrastructure bill - which failed - that invested in the Hi-Line. He added that investing in infrastructure is important to continue working on. He said he feels it is important to grow programs such as Medicaid, adding that without Medicaid expansion health care in rural communities like Havre would die.

Funding infrastructure, public education and healthcare are probably the best things that could be done to keep these communities alive, Bachmeier said.

Kegel asked the candidates' position on Initiative 186, an initiative that requires mining companies to provide clear and convincing evidence that the work done will not contaminate water sources.

Sivertsen said the laws that are in place, if implemented, already guarantee that companies will have clean water. He added that mining adds jobs to an economy and brings a lot of money into the state which can be used for programs. With modern technology, Sivertsen said, there is no reason that there cannot be both clean water and profitable industries.

Burns said he agreed with Sivertsen and added that Montana has some of the most stringent regulations in the world. He added there is enough regulation, it just needs to be enforced.

Bachmeier said mining is important to the state but many companies that come from outside of the state or outside of the country do not have the interests of the communities in mind when they start work. He said he supports the initiative and wants to hold these companies accountable for the damage they do. He added public lands create one of the biggest industries in the state and they need to be protected.

Sivertsen said funding should be for public education, K-12, it is important to build a profitable economy in the community. With a diminishing economy, he said, people move out or won't move to a community, creating smaller schools because of a smaller tax base. If the economy improves, through investing in an adequate highway, he said, schools will improve. Education is key, he added.

Burns said he has always believed education is a personal thing but in regards to how it is being administered, the test scores in the state are better than most in the country, but there is always room for improvement.

Bachmeier said that after being involved in the public education system - "It seems like only two years ago I graduated from Havre High School, "he said to laughter from the audience - and now studying secondary education at Northern as well as serving on an education committee in the Legislature, he understands the importance of education. He said public education has come a long way and has made improvements to the system over the years, but he will always advocate for improvements to public education.

One of the audience members asked about sexual abuse. Sivertsen said it is all over the news, sensationalized and the ones who benefit the most are the lawyers who are taking these cases. He added that if people learn to respect one another and get "God back in school," then these incidents would not happen.

Burns said these are crimes and should be treated as such, adding that law enforcement prosecuting people who hurt others is one of the few things he truly believes the government should be involved in.

Bachmeier said he has heard people tell their stories of sexual abuse and wholeheartedly believes when these cases come to court it is not about money, or sensationalism or anything other than justice.

House District 32

House District 32 candidates incumbent Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, and Republican Gilbert Bruce Meyers first answered a question about how the state can help agriculture in eastern Montana.

Windy Boy said that as a member of the Agricultural Committee in the Legislature agriculture is a priority for him. He said it was very unfortunate that farmers and ranchers could not receive more aid during fire season last year and that in the future some funds need to be redirected toward ag. Agriculture being important to the local economy, he said, it is important to protect that industry.

Meyers said agricultural producers is the leading industry in Montana and promoted free market principles and trade in the industry. He added it is important to educate the youth and promote increasing technology in the industry.

When asked if, with public charter schools now in operation in Montana, the state needs to change how it administers charter schools.

Both candidates spoke in support of charter schools. Windy Boy said that during the last legislation he sponsored legislation to change how the state administers charter schools, adding that the areas that need charter schools have many issues, such as drug, alcohol, sexual abuse and family abuse. He said starting charter schools is "outside-the-box thinking" to solve many issues that face the youth and gives them a beneficial education, adding that education should not be a partisan issue.

Meyers said it is important to recognize the parents' responsibility in education and give them the freedom to choose which facility their children can attend. He added that he thinks it is important that children have the right to pray and say the pledge in making them productive American citizens.

Windy Boy said public lands is important to Montanans and everyone should have the right to access them. He added that prior to 1492 these lands were still there and the lands should be preserved.

Meyes said these lands need to be utilized for the resources and still allow public access.

Windy Boy went over his voting record with the audience and the work he has done in the eight years he has been the House Representative for the district. He said he has been successful in securing funds for the Fort Belknap community, regarding the impacts of a mine, securing funds for schools and other communities. He added one of the things he was proud of was the Native American language programs that he got funding for, with language for the Native people important to keep the culture alive.

Meyers said he worked on a few bills when he was in legislation for his single term. One of which was misunderstood - the bill was to provide transparency between the state and the citizens allowing people to see how funds are spent in the state government - because he worded it in terms of Native American tribes, he said. He added that he helped pass the Salish-Kootenai Water Compact and the Medicaid expansion bill in 2015. He added that he is a peace maker and works to better the state.

Montana House District 27

Democratic candidate Dan Nelson, who is running against fellow Fort Benton resident Republican Joshua Kassmier in the race for the seat in House District 27, spoke at the forum.

Kassmier was unable to attend although he did provide a statement that was read to the audience.

Kassmier's statement said that if he was elected he would work hard for the people of Montana and do what is best for the state. He added he was thankful for all the support he has received during his campaign and is always available for questions or concerns.

Nelson talked against having a sunset in Medicaid expansion in Montana. He said everyone in the state has a responsibility to care for the aging and those who do not have financial resources. He added that it seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer including in Montana, and this can be seen greatly in medical field. If people were not covered by Medicaid that would only mean that Montana would have more people without care, he said.

He said the Legislature has a responsibility to people in the state to make decisions that benefit the people. Nelson said he also does not advocate for the cuts made during the special legislative session last year.

Initiative 185, Nelson said, is not a legislative issue. If the initiative fails then the matter will be taken to the Legislature and be dealt with accordingly, he added. He said he does not think initiatives are the best way to pass laws due to them being flawed such as Marsy's Law. Everyone supports victim's rights, he said, but when the initiative passed in Montana it created numerous unforeseen problems.

Nelson said the university system is a great example of the rich and poor divide, with wealthier people being able to receive higher education. He added that it is a very complex issue and he has no complete answer, although he would like to have students graduating in four years rather than six as well as have students not be faced with excessive debt.

When an audience member asked about training people in skills outside of college, he agreed that people can find good careers in trade fields without going to college. He also praised the programs at Northern - his alma mater - in technology, teaching students manual labor, high skilled, jobs, adding that these benefit a community.

Montana Senate District 14

Montana Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, and opponent Paul Tuss, a Democrat, went head-to-head during the forum, answering questions from the moderator and the crowd, such as what motivated each candidate to run, how the state should fund construction projects, opportunities to generate resources, the private prison contracts, veterans and education.

Tuss said what motivated him to run was that he is opening a new chapter in his life after his wife, Pam Hillery, died two years ago from ALS, and he wants to continue with public service. He has many concerns about education, infrastructure and the university system although his biggest goal, if elected, is to help end the partisanship issue in the Legislature, he said.

Tempel said that when he was appointed to the Senate he did not take it lightly. He received a lot of support from various people and county officials telling him that he should run.

He added that one of the items in the next legislative session he would work on is the Education Interim Committee trying to get the first $2 million collected from the lottery in to fund educational scholarships.

Tuss said he wants to get the state more involved with the university system, adding that higher education is very important for the future workforce of Montana. He said when he attended the University of Montana is Missoula, the state was paying 70 percent of the cost to educate him, but in 2018 it has been reduced to 30 percent.

That has happened nationwide but locally the state needs to re-invest in the university program, he said.

Tempel said, if elected, he wants to get unqualified people off the HELP Program and Section 8 housing. He said there are many people on these programs who are working and have the income to pay for their own insurance and housing, who do not need what the program offers. He hopes to correct that so more qualified people can work toward getting off the program, as well.

Tuss said he supported bonding states construction projects. He said the bill the governor introduced was an aggressive infrastructure package and would have given rural communities including those in north-central Montana a large amount to help rebuild crucial infrastructure. But the bill was voted down due to hyper-partisanship, where the Republicans in the Montana Legislature did not want to agree with the governor. He said debt is not always a bad thing - if he hadn't taken out a mortgage, he said, he would be sleeping in a pup tent in Pepin Park - and the state's bonding interest rate is good and the state should take advantage of it.

Tempel said he supported the bonding bill that passed through the Legislature. He said he voted across party lines for the bill because of his understanding from his time as a commissioner. There was a retirement home, Tempel said, that look 10 years to build because the county was saving money up for the programs themselves. When they achieved their goal, prices for the construction doubled. Tempel said it is important that projects are attended to immediately and efficiently.

Tuss said one of the resources Montana should develop more is use of public lands, congratulating the governor for creating the Office of Outdoor Recreation, which generates income from the public land access through recreation. He added that this was a great way to utilize a resource and still make public lands available for everyone.

Tempel said one of the missed resources that needs to be utilized in Montana is timber that is left after wildfires. By the time all the paperwork and process is completed, Tempel said, the wood is already rotting. He added that the state also needs to utilize gas and oil, with those industries paying a lot of taxes toward programs.

Tuss and Tempel were asked by an audience member about the governor not renewing the contract for the private prison in Shelby.

Tuss said he does not know enough about the situation to comment.

Tempel said this contract would have provided a large amount of revenue that could have been utilized by the state and he does not understand why the governor took this stance.

An audience member asked if the two supported increasing the capital gains tax in Montana.

Tuss said what needs to happen is that there needs to be a serious "adult" conversation about revenue within the Legislature and that rather than discuss specifically about capitals gains tax, talk about how the Legislature can fund essential programs and see where the conclusion is. He said the tax structure in Montana is decades old and needs to be examined.

Tempel said he does not believe in higher taxes, but suggested cutting some non-essential programs.