Meet the candidate: Dave Fern, Democrat for HD-5

Dave Fern

Party: Democrat

Age: 69

Occupation: Owner of Chimney Solutions

Community involvement: I have been honored to serve the people of House District 5 for the past six years. I have been a member of the same committees, Taxation (vice chair past session), Local Government (Vice Chair 2019 session) and Transportation.

What are the top issues you would like to see addressed in the next legislative session?

I believe the immediate issues facing our most vulnerable citizens is the need to increase the state’s share of Medicaid reimbursements to compensate our front line workers tasked with home health care and staffing our nursing homes and assisted living care facilities. I believe we must do a better job providing regional mental health care services to our populace in need. Corrections must be made at Warm Springs, the state hospital. Overall, the state faces a competitive disadvantage in hiring qualified people in our state agencies including public defenders.  Compensation must be adjusted and reflected in the upcoming budget. I will advocate for a budget that reflects such needs.

There are a few models in Whitefish that could be expanded to offer more affordable housing. Trail view, in the southwest corner of the city offers many deed restricted homes, modest in size and footprint. If this model has additional financial assistance, be it free land (possibly city owned land), tax credits attached to the development, or philanthropic giving, the model could reach a lower income level, if such incentives were available. A state tax credit could expand the number of affordable units offered state wide. Much talk surrounds flexible zoning so as to assure the inclusion of multifamily housing, and  accessory dwelling units. Additional talk includes regulatory reforms to hasten the permitting process. I agree with the aforementioned but there is likely a cost associated with additional staffing at the state and local levels.


Property taxes furnish the funding for county and municipal government, universities, local schools and 95 statewide mills to assure funding equity for K-12 education. Those functions will be funded  by property taxes or backfilled through our income tax or a non-existent sales tax. Income tax collections could subsidize all or a portion of the 95 mills or an expanded tax assistance programs so as to reach middle class residential property owners. There is much interest in freezing taxable assessments to inflation and add mills to newly assessed property owners to meet budgets funded through the tax. This would require a constitutional change. Presently, all taxable assessments must be equalized so similar homes in the same district are assessed the same amount. Realistically, I expect the legislature to lower the residential property tax rate and expand eligibility to existing tax assistance programs. I’m supportive of such efforts.