Constitution Party candidate creates 3-way race in HD 6

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

Voters in House District 6 get three choices as they head to the polls Nov. 7.

Constitution Party candidate Rick Komenda of Olney joins Republican Bill Beck of Whitefish and Democrat Scott Wheeler of West Valley in the three-way race. The district previously was represented by Verdell Jackson, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

House District 6 covers the western portion of Flathead County, from the Whitefish area south to U.S. 2 and west to the county line.

KOMENDA, a longtime forester on the Stillwater State Forest, felt compelled to run for the Legislature to slow down what he calls a "runaway state government."

"My first priority would be to review every piece of legislation proposed and make sure it meets constitutional muster," he said. "State government is definitely too large, even though I'm one of those state employees."

The time is right for a third party in state government, he said.

Komenda believes the state should control all public lands in Montana.

"It's unconstitutional that federal lands are not owned by the state of Montana," he said. "Our Constitution is very specific as to what types of property the federal government can own."

Komenda said Montana has the ability to greatly improve management of federal lands and with state control, issues of public access, natural resource management, wildlife management, wildfire issues and roadless issues could be better addressed.

Following the Constitution Party's goal of limiting federal government to its constitutional boundaries, Komenda also believes the state shouldn't have to follow the mandates of the Threatened and Endangered Species Act.

"The law was not legally re-ratified in the early '90s," he said. "The law shouldn't even be on the books."

Komenda has signed the Americans for Tax Reform pledge to promise not to support "any tax increase of any kind."

"If we cut programs, we wouldn't need additional revenue," Komenda said.

He supports the elimination of eminent domain laws that he believes unfairly take private property and opposes laws that may restrict or affect the right to own guns. A Vietnam era veteran, Komenda believes that Montana National Guard and reserve soldiers should not be sent to serve in foreign lands.

ON WHEELER'S agenda, controlling property taxes is a key issue. He supports a cap on property-tax growth and believes there are several alternatives the Legislature could consider to "get property taxes back into proportion."

Because Montana's property valuations are going up faster than the rate of inflation, property-tax increases are strapping middle-class residents, he said.

"Sixteen years of a Republican Legislature has left the money they provided from the general fund for education flat," Wheeler said. "Consequently, property taxes have gone up 50 to 150 percent."

Wheeler wants to eliminate the business equipment tax for small businesses, maintaining that business owners would be able to offer better wages if it were more affordable for them to buy equipment.

He wouldn't support a sales tax unless he could be convinced it would permanently eliminate property taxes or a large percentage of property taxes.

"A sales tax is very regressive," he said.

Wheeler supports legislation that protects Montanans' access to public lands for recreation, hunting and fishing.

"I'm a member of the NRA group that trains young hunters to hunt," he said. "I don't want to lose the ability to hike and hunt in the backcountry."

He likewise wants laws that would protect water, aquifers and air quality. It alarms Wheeler that state funding for studying gravel-pit aquifers has dried up, especially because there are 80 gravel pits in Flathead County. Funding is crucial to get baseline data, he said.

Wheeler said he supports motorized and nonmotorized uses on public lands, depending on the area and situation.

Health care also is a big issue for Wheeler. He supports full funding of the Children's Health Insurance Program.

TAX REFORM is one of Beck's main talking points.

He's taken a pledge not to increase taxes or create any new taxes if elected, and sees an immediate need to revise the property-tax system.

"Property taxes are hitting our seniors and low-income residents hard," he said.

It's been difficult to reform property taxes since education is so intricately tied to tax revenue, but Beck sees a way around it. If the state were to develop its coal and natural-gas reserves to their full potentials, and in a "prudent and safe way," that would in turn reduce the amount of tax revenue needed to drive the education system.

Beck wants to abolish the state's inheritance tax.

"It's not fair to Montanans that property can't be passed down without a [tax] burden," he said.

As for a sales tax, Beck says no, unless it's combined with language to eliminate property taxes.

Health care is another issue Beck has given a lot of thought to, and he's in the throes of developing a plan for a health-care insurance program for small businesses. Beck proposes converting a percentage of an individual's income tax and employer contributions into health-care credits that could pay for health insurance. He's working with Blue Cross/Blue Shield representatives to further research his idea.

Funding for education is another hot-button issue for Beck.

"What are we going to do about the high cost of education," he asked. "The funding formula has been patched, but it still needs to be looked at."

Beck proposes consolidating administrative costs so that districts could share the costs of purchasing, food service and transportation.

"I wouldn't close schools," he assured.

Beck supports the proper management for timber harvests and natural-resource development on state lands.

"I think it can be done in an environmentally safe way," he said. "I don't think we should shut people out. I'm a hunter and fisherman, and we shouldn't have to give up our heritage. Too many decisions are being made in Washington, D.C. We should be able to determine our own destiny."

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.