HD 9 hopefuls emphasize issues, not parties

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

Democrat Edd Blackler squares off against Republican incumbent Bill Jones in this year's race to represent House District 9.

If elected, Blackler hopes to bring a fresh point of view to the state Legislature.

"I'm running for a number of reasons. Probably the biggest is that I feel like there's a need for a change, at all levels really," he said. "I really think that we all need a different perspective on things."

Blackler says he'll focus on ideas and issues, not party lines, if elected.

"What's harmful in the state and in the country is that we've become so polarized," he said. "We're constantly knocking heads at the partisan level, and it's not fruitful. We need to find representatives who are able to reach out for the good ideas, whether they come from the left of the aisle or from the right of the aisle."

Jones, too, intends to focus on issues rather than party lines.

His tendency to do this sometimes drew fire during his last term in the Legislature, but Jones says he is committed to bringing Judeo-Christian values to Helena regardless of party politics.

One of his primary goals is protecting the family.

"The fundamental unit of government is the family, and when the family breaks down, it gets very expensive for taxpayers, because … we have all these needs for social programs that we wouldn't have had," he said. "And I feel the family is best protected by the Ten Commandments and Judeo-Christian values."

Blackler, who ran for the same position in 2000 as an independent, says the state recently has taken steps in the right direction. Thanks to the Legislature's work last session, small-business owners can offer their employees better quality health care, he said.

He also praised Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposed tuition cap.

In addition to health care and education, Blackler lists fair taxation and protecting the environment among his top concerns.

"In the Flathead area, we have an overabundance of citizens of a higher age level - retirement status," he said. "We've got to make sure that their property taxes don't force them out of their homesteads."

The state's current policy of taxing property based on its assessed market value may have to be re-examined, he said, suggesting instead a system that would consider the property owner's age, income and other factors in addition to property value.

Montana also needs to look at developing its alternative energy resources while protecting the environment, he said.

He said he has heard that in Montana alone, there is potential to replace 20 percent of the nation's foreign oil dependence. Fossil-fuel alternatives should be explored, he said, but in such a way that "we don't foul our nest" and damage the state's pristine air, water and viewsheds.

"We certainly don't want to destroy any of those aspects just to sell ourselves out to be the saviors of the world, if you will," he said.

Protecting the family explains Jones' anti-abortion stance, which he says plays an important role in his support for government-funded health-care programs.

"As a pro-life person, we have to be willing to pay for public assistance," he said. "If we don't like abortions, we have to be willing to pay for their birth, but being pro-life also has an obligation to protect and nurture this life up until death."

If elected, Jones also plans to focus on education, which he says has ramifications beyond academia.

"The place that increases dollars spent on education have a profound effect on our life expectancy," he said.

"People who are better educated live longer. They know more about taking care of themselves.

"Education, when you start to look at it, starts to become a key to better health, better income, better government."

Jones plans to carry a bill to expand higher education for dental students and says he will support efforts to make access to higher education - including vocational and technical education - available to more people.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.