SD 2: State budget, taxes are key issues in senate race

Both candidates in the Senate District 2 challenge have political experience — Democrat Kyle Waterman is a Kalispell City Council member and Republican Carl Glimm, the current House District 6 representative, has served four terms in the Montana Legislature.

They’re vying for the senate seat currently held by Republican Dee Brown of Hungry Horse, who is not seeking re-election because of term limits.

Senate District 2 represents the northeastern portion of Flathead County, including Columbia Falls and areas north to the border with Canada.

Waterman says he’s a moderate candidate willing to work with all sides if he’s elected.

He supports the continuation of Medicaid expansion in the state, which has helped provide low income children and their families with health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

A native of Helena, Waterman has lived in the Flathead Valley for the past seven years. While he lives in Kalispell, which is outside the district, he works in the district at World Spice Merchants off U.S. 2 near Columbia Falls.

On a statewide sales tax, Waterman said he would be willing to look at it, but only if it provided property tax relief.

He said of greater concern is a tax proposed he said that is quietly proposed by Republicans who would tax online sales — an “Amazon tax,” that he said would hurt businesses like World Spice Merchants. The spice company does most of its sales online and chose Montana because of its favorable tax environment, he noted.

But there are taxes he said do work well. In the last legislative session the gas tax was raised and it has helped boost local infrastructure projects.

That tax was passed in a joint effort by moderate Republicans and Democrats.

“There has been a return on that tax,” he said.

Another issue being considered by the Legislature is the possibility of having a session every year, rather than bi-annually.

Waterman can’t support the idea at this point. He noted interim committees get a lot done while the full Legislature is not in session.

On the CARES Act, he said for the most part, the state had done a good job with the $1.25 billion it received from the federal government.

Regarding the state budget, he said it’s tough to note priorities, with the state and country in a recession, he said, noting state revenue will likely be down due to the coronavirus and higher unemployment.

But he is an advocate for public transportation, he said and would like to broaden public transportation in the Flathead Valley, particularly to get more tourists to visit Glacier National Park via bus, such as the newly unveiled Mountain Climber bus service, rather than private vehicles.

The region also needs to look at expanding light industry and other businesses opportunities in the valley, Waterman noted. It can’t rely on tourism alone.

The state could possibly offer business grants and other incentives to improve infrastructure such as broadband service in the valley, he added.

He said the state could possibly work with electric cooperatives to expand broadband services.

On the coronavirus front, he said he would get vaccinated if a safe vaccine becomes available.

He said he wears a mask at events and public places.

“I want to stay healthy and do my work,” he said.

He said he hopes that when a vaccine becomes available, that it goes through the public health system, rather than private insurance companies.

Despite the challenges of the virus, he commended Gov. Steve Bullock.

“We have a governor that passed a budget with a surplus and was able to deal with wildfires,” he noted.

In the end, Waterman noted that most Montanans aren’t about partisan politics and it has been shown during the pandemic.

“We care about neighbors more than ever before,” he said.

He pointed to an emergency shelter that was put together in Kalispell for folks during the first weeks on the pandemic to help the homeless and other folks who need help.

It wasn’t done through government help, but by community members who got together to come up with a quick and effective solution.

CARL GLIMM notes his experience as a lawmaker as one of his main strengths. On the subject of health care, he said he does not support Medicaid expansion in 2021, which was an area of compromise in the last legislative session.

“Less than two months before last session, Montana voters rejected Medicaid expansion and then the "compromise" of all the Democrats and just a handful of Republicans, ignored that vote and passed Medicaid expansion anyway. I did not and still don't support Medicaid expansion. The Montana voters rejected this and I agree with them,” he said. “For example, this expansion allows single, able-bodied adults without children to receive free health care. The program is experiencing a high degree of fraud and abuse.”

Glimm said the state budget will have to be an area of compromise in 2021 because revenues are down.

“I see this as an opportunity, when the budget gets tight, state agencies are willing to work with us legislators on efficiencies,” Glimm said. “Making state government more efficient with the money(from taxpayers, you and I), is the solution to our budget problems. It's a spending problem, not a need for more tax money.”

Glimm said he does not support a statewide sales tax.

“We need tax reform, particularly for property tax,” Glimm noted. “Many people are unable to afford their ever increasing property taxes.”

There has been talk about an internet sales tax, “which is a sales tax only on Montana citizens, tourists won't pay it, and that is half the argument for a sales tax,” he said. “So, if we aren't getting the tourists, why then would we support an internet sales tax? Not to mention, it is unconstitutional.”

Glimm said the idea of an annual legislative session is intriguing, but stopped short of endorsing it.

Glimm has concerns about the CARES Act money being spent wisely by Gov. Steve Bullock.

“Only a small portion of the CARES money has been spent,” Glimm noted. “Montana was allocated $1.25 billion. The governor has paid out small amounts of this money. He should have at least made sure that the people most impacted by his shutdown, were made whole with this money. He has not done that.”

As far as state budget priorities, he said efficiency in government is one of his priorities.

“While Montana was in relatively good fiscal health before the China virus, if we continue to spend as before, with dwindling revenue, we are asking for a train wreck,” Glimm commented. “This will take lots of cooperation. Hopefully, with a new administration in the Governor’s office, we will have that cooperation.”

As far as public lands are concerned, he is supportive of large conservation easements on land proposed west of Kalispell, but expressed some reservations about the Bad Rock Canyon Wildlife Management Area, proposed near Columbia Falls, because it could tax state resources.

“Fish, Wildlife and Parks will be the owner and they already have a backlog of maintenance … so management of the land could be a problem,” he said. “However, the WMA will continue to provide recreation opportunities on this property and preserve habitat along the river.”

The conservation easements on the Southern Pine lands will keep those properties accessible and usable as they have been, he added.

But when asked if there’s a case where public land should be sold or transferred to state or private ownership, he said transferring to the state could be something he would support.

“The opposition has framed this argument as public land will be sold off. No. I'm not in favor of selling off public land,” Glimm said. “What I am in favor of, is active management of our timber ground. Because of the "Equal Access for Justice" law, the feds can't manage the federal timber, because we pay the extremist environmental groups to sue us…

“Am I in favor of transferring federal lands to the state? I would be very interested in looking at this. As it becomes state land, the state can manage the forest for better health and reduce fire danger and pay for the management with timber sales, probably turn a profit, thereby lowering taxes,” he said.

Carl Glimm

Age: 45

Family: Wife Amy, married for 22 years, son, Matt, 18, daughters Rylee, 14, and Annah, 8

Occupation: Custom homebuilder, owner Glimm Homes

Background: Bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from Montana State University; volunteer firefighter for 12 years, served on board for The Nurturing Center, served on board and past president of Flathead

Building Association, board member and past president of the Montana Building Industry Association, board member and current vice-president of Trinity Lutheran Church; served

in the Montana House of Representatives for four terms, chairing subcommittee on Natural Resources and Transportation (two sessions), vice chair water policy interim committee, chairman appropriations during the last session.

Contact: (406) 751-7334

Kyle Waterman

Age: 45

Family: Husband Steve Hunnell

Occupation: Project manager for World Spice Merchants in Columbia Falls

Background: Kalispell City Council member, member of Flathead City-County Health Board and county Transportation Advisory Committee.

Contact: waterman2020.com