Blasdel has the needed experience
At risk of violating my self-restraint of writing no more than one letter to the Inter Lake editor per year I now acquiesce to weakness and submit my second.
Our state is at a crossroads of official decision with regards to those of us that are subject to Montana property tax. Montana property tax is predicated on a six-year cycle, prorated on an annual percentage of the total each year, to reach the final increase at the end of the six-year period. We are now at that six-year period when the state Department of Revenue re-values our property for the next 6 years.
Property owners here in the Flathead, including the entire west side of the Divide, have been overcharged for the last six years for property taxes because of the tremendous downturn in property values since the last property assessment.
Mark Blasdel is running for the office of Senate for District 4 which encompasses most of the city of Kalispell. Mark has the experience in the Legislature required to make right the inequities set forth by the past property valuation.
Mark Blasdel, two-term representative and current speaker of the House, fought hard for tax relief for property owners here in the Flathead only to be rebuffed by the overwhelming numbers and lobbying by east side agriculture interests. We saw east side agriculture property taxes go down while our west side taxes increased by triple digit numbers.
Mark Blasdel’s expertise in the area of property tax is above all and indeed superior to an untested member of the Senate like his opponent. Ms. Fisher is indeed a nice person but her tenure as mayor hardly qualifies her as senatorial material. It is well known that the first year a legislator is in Helena about all that is accomplished is locating the bathroom. Mr. Blasdel already knows where the bathroom is and is ready to go to work for us all immediately.
This is a very important session and we need all of the experience of a seasoned legislator to restore a state of normalcy to the taxable value of our property for the next six years.
Fraser is a resident of Somers