Blasdel is man of great integrity
Mark Blasdel is absolutely the most qualified choice in Senate District 4. His roots in the Flathead run generations deep, with ties to our traditional industries of agriculture and logging.
As an owner of a restaurant and catering business, he has a real sense of the unique challenges that face small business owners in Montana. Not only does Mark donate to community organizations such as 4-H, FFA and the Boys and Girls Club, his service in the Montana Legislature requires the same dedication.
Mark is a man of great integrity, a quality that served the entire state well during the last legislative session when he served as speaker of the House, successfully passing a budget that left Montana a budget surplus. Mark has received the endorsement of the Montana Patrol Officers’ Association.
Unlike Ms. Fisher, Mark is unequivocal in his opposition to the water compact between the Salish-Kootenai tribes and the state because of its negative impacts to Kalispell and all Western Montana water users. Now that the governor has reopened limited negotiations on the water-rights compact to be presented to the 2015 Legislature, we need Mark’s vigilance in Helena more than ever.
Mark is opposed to Medicaid expansion because the state will have to come up with the funds when the federal government can no longer meet its financial obligations to the state. Ms. Fisher said she would have supported Medicaid expansion.
Mark recognizes the best way to provide insurance to Montanans is with good-paying jobs. Our timber industry is faltering while federal forest lands are dead and dying just miles away, and unemployed workers go to North Dakota for employment opportunities. Mark is leading the discussion to revert many of these lands to state management for healthier forests, a healthier economy, and funding for education and infrastructure.
Leadership, knowledge, dedication, integrity, and courage to face the tough issues — Senate District 4 needs Mark Blasdel.
Sheila Keller is a resident of Kalispell