LETTER: Don 'K' is right person for state Senate

Like many of you, I was excited to learn that my friend Don “K” Kaltschmidt has decided to run for the Montana Senate in District 3. I hope to share with you why I think he’s the right person for the job.

While we all know that Don is a successful businessman, Don also has a long history of public service that began with his tenure in the Marine Corps and continues with his support of Rotary, Boy Scouts, the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce and active involvement in  his church and youth activities among many others.

I’ve had some intense policy debates with Don over many issues and though we don’t always agree on everything, I’m grateful that he is a principled conservative and practical thinker. I appreciate that he has pledged to listen to the people of his district and not to special interests. He has promised not to take money from PACs and dark money groups and that the people of this area are the ones that will have his ear.

I appreciate that Don is the kind of leader that will celebrate when we pass an infrastructure bill for our state and who will not see its defeat as a success. He will insist we put people to work improving roads, bridges and schools and he will not be satisfied to continue to see that money sitting in some bank in Helena.

As much as I appreciate Don’s experience and background, I continue to be impressed with his ability to help people see that there might be another way to look at and even solve problems — an attribute that has no doubt benefited him in his professional life and that will undoubtedly serve the constituents of Senate District 3 equally well.

I wish Don the best in his continued role of serving his community and in his campaign for the Montana Senate.

—Frank Garner, Kila