Veteran, newcomer vie for Senate nomination

For Rep. Jon Sonju, the Montana Legislature’s prime task is to do anything and everything to improve the state’s economy.

His opponent in the Republican primary election for Senate District 4, Daniel Pickar, believes government has gotten too big and corrupt.

The winner of the June 8 primary will go on to face Democrat Mary Reckin in the general election to fill the seat currently held by term-limited Sen. Greg Barkus.

Early voting for the primary begins Monday, May 10.

Sonju said his travels as sales manager for Sonju Industrial, a company that manufactures aircraft components, has given him a good look at the dire condition of the economy in Montana and across the country.

“This economy is just flat brutal,” Sonju said. “People are looking for work everywhere. The Flathead has really been hit, but it’s statewide and national.”

And Sonju believes Montana needs to respond in much the same way that businesses have to.

“The answer is we have to run faster than our competition,” he said. “That’s how we’re going to get through this.”

State government has a role in helping the economy run faster. “Everyone is cutting back” and government needs to do the same. Sonju said. “That’s going to be the reality ... there are some pretty good programs out there that may or may not get funded.”

The Legislature also will have a role in ensuring that taxpayers aren’t tapped to cover government programs.

“I’m not going to go down [to Helena] in this economy and raise fees or taxes,” said Sonju, who has served three terms representing House District 7.

While Gov. Brian Schweitzer has made determined efforts to cut state government spending recently, Sonju is not impressed.

“I’ve been there the whole time of the Schweitzer administration and every year there has been in government, not only with taxpayer but increased [full-time equivalents] in every department,” he said.

Sonju believes state government should be fully engaged in trying to lure businesses from less competitive states by working closely with local economic development organizations.

“That type of culture needs to be empowered by the executive branch, and the Legislature needs to support them wholeheartedly, I don’t care if they are Democrats or Republicans,” he said. “You have to go out there and get the sales. If we need to do targeted tax policy to get some of these businesses and corporations in here, then so be it.”

Sonju said he believes his work experience and his tenure in the Legislature will be advantages in advancing business-friendly policies through the Senate.

“You know what situations are, you know who to talk with, you know how to craft legislation to help people out,” he said. “There’s something to be said for being a veteran legislator, especially in these economic times.”

By contrast, Daniel Pickar is a newcomer to elections as a 23-year-old expecting to graduate from the University of Montana this spring with a degree in political science.

He grew up south of Columbia Falls and intends to return to the Flathead Valley after graduation. He noted that one of his professors at UM, veteran legislator and former Secretary of State Bob Brown, urged him to get involved in politics by running for office.

“I’ve always been interested in politics, but with the current events going on now, I think individual rights are more in jeopardy now than ever,” Pickar said. “The government is getting too big. The bigger the government, the more problems.”

At the federal level, he cites the political influences on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac leading to irresponsible home loans and No Child Left Behind presenting states such as Montana with impractical and unfunded mandates.   

Pickar said fiscal responsibility should be the most important pursuit at all levels of government, and he believes state government can do more to spur economic recovery.

“I think for the economy to be boosted, to get back on its feet, the private sector needs some kind of incentive,” Pickar said. “Government jobs don’t produce GDP [gross domestic product] ... there needs to be incentives to hire people like tax breaks.”

Pickar believes state leaders should do more to advance natural resource  development, particularly with coal reserves such as the state’s Otter Creek tracts. He said Montana should exceed Wyoming’s lucrative coal developments.

“That would be a huge boost in the economy if we could be competitive with Wyoming,” he said. “It would create jobs in the private sector.”

Pickar is interested in several other issues.

He said he believes the state should be responsible for managing wolves. He said Sen. Jon Tester’s wilderness bill may have been well intended, but it will not produce substantial forest management activity or job creation while it will create permanent wilderness designations.

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