VOTER GUIDE A LOOK AT THE LEGISLATIVE RACES IN THE NOV. 8 GENERAL ELECTION • OCTOBER 9, 2016
KNOW YOUR CANDIDATES
T
he Billings Gazette presented five questions to candidates running for the Montana Legislature within our circulation area. Candidates were given a month to respond and assured their answers would appear unedited, provided each response didn’t exceed 100 words. Candidates who declined our offer are noted in the guide. Candidate responses may be found on pages 2-16 and are also viewable at billingsgazette.com.
Question 1
For years, Montana tax collections have produced a revenue surplus. But now that surplus is shrinking as agriculture, oil, gas and timber face tough economic conditions. Tell us what you would do next legislative session to address the decline of state revenue.
Question 2
A bipartisan group of Montana legislators has suggested buying Colstrip Units 1 and 2 to the keep coal-fired power plants from shutting down by 2022, the drop-dead deadline by which the units’ current owners have agreed to close shop. What should the state government’s role be in determining Colstrip’s future? Explain your position.
Question 3
The transfer of federal public lands to the state government has been a hot Montana campaign issue this election cycle. Discuss the negatives, or positives, of such a transfer as you see them. Tell us if you would support such a move.
Question 4
If the 2017 Legislature did just one thing for women in the workplace, what should it be? Explain your answer.
Question 5
Montana’s governor and Legislature haven’t agreed on a comprehensive infrastructure bill since the Gov. Brian Schweitzer era. Explain the cause of this gridlock as you understand it. Tell us what you would do to get a comprehensive infrastructure bill passed.
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