Candidates aligned on how to deal with state surplus

House District 11 candidates Kim Fleming and Albert Olszewski might be on different sides of the political spectrum, but they agree that the state’s surplus should go back into the pockets of Montana citizens.

House District 11 includes the area south and west of Kalispell, including the West Shore area of Flathead Lake.

Fleming, a Democrat who has served on the Whitefish City Council, said that “any surplus that occurs at the state level is money that belongs to taxpayers.” She added, “I do not favor expansion of current programs or new programs when there is not an open discussion concerning the use of tax dollars. We become cynical toward our government when lawmakers eat up the surplus — perhaps even with permanent programs that must be funded in future years.

“That would mean an increase just to maintain these new programs. Expansion of our government should only come when there is thoughtful and open debate that involves the citizenry,” she said.

Olszewski, who is running on the GOP ticket, said it’s simple. “I would return all surplus funds back into the pockets of hard-working Montanans.”

He believes the best way to spend the state surplus money is to give it back to the residents and let them decide.

“My approach to accomplish this goal would be to champion a process critically analyzing our state’s revenues and expenditures during the last 12 years that a budget surplus [has] existed. I would determine an acceptable reserve fund in order to pay for unanticipated revenue shortfalls. I would support legislation that returned the budget surplus to our residents through reduced state income tax rates for all Montanans.”

Fleming does not support the expansion of Medicaid in Montana, saying the state should be reducing its dependency on federal dollars and the number of people on welfare rolls in Montana.

“The federal government is expert at drafting mandates and then not supplying the funds to comply,” she said, adding that it seems unlikely the federal government, including all citizens that pay federal taxes, can afford it.

Olszewski expressed a similar view. “I do not support Medicaid expansion because it forces the working poor of our state into an antiquated government-run medical insurance program. Medicaid is in desperate need of comprehensive and fundamental reform,” he said.

Olszewski said the Republican Party needs to demonstrate that it is a party of equal opportunity by championing alternative, private health insurance that is supported by federal grants, similar to what middle- and upper-class residents are eligible for.

Olszewski said the concept of transferring federal land management to Montana is appealing to him.

“It is my perception that any long-term land management strategy involving our state would be more successful if it were ‘made in Montana,’” he said, “rather than Washington, D.C.

“I believe that this idea is still in its infancy and will require extensive study and open public discussion before this issue is ready for serious deliberation in the state Legislature.”

Fleming opposes the transfer of federal land to state ownership, saying, “there is a great taxpayer cost at the federal and state levels to manage public land. Fire management and the bureaucracy is expensive.”

She also expressed worry about the eventual possibility of roping off the land to sell it to private citizens. “I think there is a good reason the federal government owns these tracts — it is in a position to raise the taxes necessary to preserve it now and into the future. No one will feel the pain until the roads are closed off, access to stream banks are gone, lake access and fishing is cut off by the new owners. I think we must be careful about the future cost to the state. I don’t want to be saddled with it.”

Olszewski does not support the water compact as it is currently written because he says it’s significantly different from all previous tribal water compacts signed by the state. He added that he wouldn’t support a compact that is “legally vague.”

Fleming said she believes there should be some agreement for the ordering of water use, citing the number of water-related issues the Flathead Valley has had because of the influx of residents.

“The current rendition of this compact would appear to undo the water adjudication system that has been in place for many years,” Fleming said. “Montana has a mechanism to sort out priorities for water. To hand over the broad rights — both to waterways originating within the boundary of the reservation and then to waters originating outside . . . is reminiscent of a massive land grab.”

Fleming said she is very interested in the protection of Montana’s water and also taxation in the state. She’s an advocate of orderly, thoughtful discussion on how best to use our natural resources. She said she greatly enjoyed her time serving on many governmental boards in Flathead County, including the Whitefish City Council, and that she “likes tackling problems and hopefully finding some solution that will benefit the most people.”

Olszewski’s focus will be preventing Medicaid expansion and working toward a significant reform of the state’s antiquated Medicaid program.

“As an independent physician and small businessman, I have personally experienced the detrimental impact of Obamacare and witnessed its transformation of health care from a patient-centered process to one that is centered upon governmental control,” he said. “I believe there is an opportunity to reverse this trend.”

Reporter Brittany Brevik may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at bbrevik@dailyinterlake.com.