Education a top priority for Senate hopeful

There's a two-way Democratic primary race in Senate District 4, but only one of the candidates - retired educator Jerry Reckin - seems to be competing.

His opponent, attorney Max Battle, has not responded to several phone calls and an e-mail inquiry from the Daily Inter Lake. Reckin, who is highly active in the Flathead County Democratic Party, says he has yet to meet Battle or see him at any gatherings for local candidates.

"I don't know anything about him," Reckin says.

John de Neeve, chairman of the Flathead Democrats, said Battle has not returned his phone calls, and "he's never attended any of our events."

But Battle is on the ballot, and the winner of the June 6 election will go on to face incumbent Sen. Greg Barkus, R-Kalispell, in the November general election.

Reckin, a retired principal from San Diego who moved to Libby in the late 1990s and to the Flathead Valley in 2003, puts education at the top of his priorities.

"I always look at education because an educated electorate is critical," he said.

Reckin says Montana trails badly in its compensation for teachers, and that increasingly will have an effect on the quality of teachers that Montana schools can recruit.

The school system needs a more stable source of revenue, he said.

But Reckin believes there also are problems with Montana's tax structure.

"I think the property owner is bearing a burden they shouldn't have to bear as a result of growth," he said, referring to increasing property appraisals and the costs that longtime property taxpayers incur in providing infrastructure for new development.

Reckin advocates impact fees on new developments.

His other campaign priorities are to make health care more affordable in Montana, to support and expand small businesses, and to prevent the sale of public lands.

Reckin said he is a moderate who is interested in bipartisan cooperation.

"I was a Republican for a long time. I worked on Ronald Reagan's campaign," he said.

But Reckin became disillusioned with the GOP and is now a stalwart Democrat largely because he thinks the party is "more genuinely concerned about all of our people."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com