Windy Boy, Meyers face off in race for House District 32: Gilbert Bruce Meyers, Republican

Republican Gilbert Bruce Meyers is challenging incumbent Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, in his bid for re-election to the seat in Montana House District 32.

Meyers, 70, said he was born on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and raised on Rocky's Boy Indian Reservation. He graduated from Box Elder High School in 1966 and has eight children, three who are currently serving in the U.S. Navy, Army and National Guard.

He attended the University of Montana in Missoula and earned a bachelor's degree in public health administration, and Montana State University, where he received his master's degree in higher education and has other master's degree credits.

Meyers also served one term in Montana House of Representatives in 2013. He also ran in 2015 for Montana Senate District 16 against Sen. Frank Smith, D-Poplar, but lost.

He said it was a big district and with him working full-time he didn't have the ability to run a winning campaign.

He said he is a past member of the Montana Indian Education Association and a member of the National Business Management Consulting Organization.

He added that he has 30 years of experience in higher education, administration and adult education, spending time in a variety of universities such as the University of Arizona, University of Minnesota and the University of Alaska.

Meyers said he was also the former coordinator of Indian Affairs for Gov. Judy Martz, who served from 2001 to 2005. He added he believes she chose him because he reflects strong conservative Native American Values.

He said Native Americans are pretty conservative, when is come to strong traditional family values and are pro-life, "believing that all life is sacred."

He said his father, Donald W Meyers, owned the the first gas station on the reservation and his mother, Sophie Meyers, always encouraged higher education.

"I believe in education. I believe that higher education is the key to unlocking the doors," Meyers said.

He added higher education is crucially important to all administrative policy decisions.

Meyers said he believes more needs to be invested in developing local economies in the state and strong social institutions that support the family.

He added he also has been endorsed by the Montana Family Foundation.

Meyers said there could have been a better financial plan by the governor to avoid the revenue shortfall after the last legislative session, which led to a special session last fall. He added that there was a lack of planning and awareness that was in the state budget in the 2015 session, the year he was in the Legislature.

He said he is employed with the White Sky Hope Center, which is under the Rocky Boy Health Board, where he works with substance abuse and suicide prevention, with both substance abuse and suicide having high rates in the state.

Meyers added that in the past he has seen a lot of methamphetamine use, although it has changed to a rising number in heroin and opioid abuse.

One of his goals, Meyers said, is to get the tribes together, to work together with the county drug task force and crack down on the Mexican drug cartels that are bringing these drugs to the state.

"We need to work together," he said.

If people work together, the state and the tribes can successfully combat the growing drug problem in the state, he added.

Meyers said he also has big problems with Initiative 185, because the issue of Medicaid expansion needs to come to the Legislature to be voted on as a bill.

The initiative raises tax on cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping products and helps fund Medicaid expansion and other programs including for veterans and senior citizens.

He added the initiative has strong opposition, from veterans, state office holders and other people, with the main concern that the initiative is a slush fund. Meyers said the initiative needs to be tailored a little bit more and specify where exactly the money collected will be spent.

Another focus in the legislature should also be improving veterans affairs, he said.

He added that another discussion that the Legislature will face in the next session is a discussion of state versus federal control of public lands.

Meyers said in any debate over policy change discussing public lands need to be settled by those who are affected the most by the decision. Although, he added, the land's resources need to be utilized, the impact on public access being considered.