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Election mail bag Sept. 13

| September 13, 2020 12:00 AM

Stop falling for the false narrative

I have known Greg Gianforte and have worked with him on public land issue the last few years. The end result is effective federal legislation that benefits all Montanans.

So when I hear the out-of-state groups run ads about Greg’s lawsuit, or when I hear his opponent claim that he is for the sale of public lands it makes my blood boil. What ever happened to getting the facts correct?

What I can tell you as fact is my family’s business has been the victim of the over regulation of the Bullock/Cooney administration. Every time our industry would try to initiate positive change to improve service or cut government costs, the cronies’ of the Bullock/Cooney administration would put a stop to it. Do I think a lifetime politician like Cooney will be able to run a more efficient government? Not a chance

Greg is a smart business man, and will be able to bring the business savvy necessary to right size the government agencies of Montana matching them to the tax burden we as citizens can realistically handle.

I challenge any Montanan sportsman to do his or her homework, stop falling for the false narrative that Gianforte isn’t for public land. Greg can really make a difference in jobs, keeping costs down and ensuring the state of Montana works for the people of Montana!

—Patrick Tabor, Whitefish

Impressed by Waterman for District 2

I recently had the opportunity to play guitar for a Kyle Waterman polical rally. I have to admire those who have the motivation to run for office. Kyle is running for Montana Senate Distrct 2. At the rally I had the opportunity to hear from Kyle about the issues that he cares deeply about.

His positions on support for public schools and for in-school health initialtives resonated personally with me. I also appreciated his interest in investing in public land access points and protecting these lands from out-of-state special intrests. Finally, I was impressed in his down to earth no-nonsense ideas about public-private investments to create more jobs, improve housing, and developing the local workforce.

Finally, he told me that I could visit the Montana Secretary of State website to check my voting status, which I did. With all the changes going on, I would recommend everyone to go to that site and check your status.

—Steve Eckels, Kalispell

Larson a listener for commissioner

I have spoken at several public hearings before the three county commissioners, and I soon realized that none of them were listening. Some doodled, others gazed blankly into the distance, and one kept an eye on the face of a stopwatch to bang a gavel if someone dared to finish a sentence past the allotted time.

I know it’s time for a county commissioner who is ready to listen to the residents of the Flathead Valley.

Kristen Larson is a woman I met when the efforts to minimize the effects of the proposed water bottling factory were in the works. She was invaluable to the cause. She is a woman who was always first to volunteer for whatever task was at hand, and would successfully organize and bring it to fruition. Her optimism and boundless energy were amazing and inspiring. Kristen Larson deeply cares about our valley’s future.

It’s time to bring enthusiasm to the commissioners office, and help the other commissioners hear what constituents want, not “lawyer up” to oppose voters wishes. She is honest, has integrity and wants to mesh conservation with smart growth for our beautiful surroundings. She can be the communicator we need in this office to slow the rubber-stamping of thoughtless sprawl.

—Jean Rachubka, Kalispell

Bullock is leading us through pandemic

Governor Bullock is a great governor. I worked in pubic service for almost 40 years as a Paraeducator for School District 5. There is nothing easy about Public Service work. It is honorable, hard work for sure.

This year has been exceptionally difficult for everyone across the country. I receive calls and emails from people in other states. They always mention how fortunate we are to have such a compassionate, caring governor. He is always concerned about keeping people safe. We have lost more than 190,000 lives to Covid-19. Each of those people had a family that is now grieving their loss.

Yes, this pandemic has been tough on all of us. Now it is September. Students need to return to school. I am glad we have someone in charge like Governor Bullock. He is making sure our schools have the resources they need to handle reopening during a public health crisis. This is very important to him.

Back in July, Governor Bullock set aside $75 million in CARES Act funds for schools to cover additional costs incurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. He is making sure they can keep students, teachers and staff as safe as possible. That forward thinking ensures that all schools have the security and precautions they need to help everyone settle back into the classroom.

This pandemic is far from over. I am glad that Governor Bullock is the one leading us through it. I have no doubts that he will continue to keep the needs of our students and educators in mind. We need more of his compassionate, caring leadership in Washington D.C.

Let’s all vote for him for the U.S. Senate this fall. He will be a Senator that we can all be proud to represent us in Washington D.C.

—Barbara Zavodny, Kalispell

Waterman best choice for SD2

Kyle Waterman is a great choice for Montana Senate District 2. Jane and I met Kyle when he was the development director for the Intermountain Children’s Home here in Kalispell, a project dear to our hearts.

Jane was so impressed with his skill in working with diverse groups and listening to the needs of people that she offered Kyle an internship with our financial planning business. Kyle was immediately liked by our clients and was ready to become a partner when Jane died because of the car crash and I chose to sell the business.

Kyle transferred to World Spice Merchants and brought the distribution operations to Kalispell. Kyle solves problems. He sees what needs to be done and develops a solution. He sees obstacles as opportunities.

Senate District 2 has unique issues that need his skills. It is tourist dependent lying at the door to Glacier National Park. It needs more affordable housing to serve the recreational industry. It needs a stronger education system to prepare our children for future careers. It needs public transportation to move workers to more distant jobs and tourists to the Park.

Don’t forget, we also live here and need to defend our quality of life. Kyle will defend our access to our public lands, the back yard of Montana. Let’s put Kyle Waterman to work for us!

—Bob Lopp, Sr., Kalispell