Valley Views

Vote Republican for common sense solutions

It’s election season, also known as the season of misleading information. A prime example is what appears to be Montana Democrats’ main talking point on legislative races: “If the Republicans can flip just two more legislative seats, they’re coming after the constitution.”

What the Democrats fail to mention is that the Legislature cannot change Montana’s Constitution. It says right there in the constitution that any proposed amendments have to be voted on by Montana voters. At most, the Legislature can propose amendments for the voters to decide. A good example of that is the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this year to safeguard our privacy in the digital age. Republicans passed it in the Legislature over the objections of more than 20 House Democrats. Now, voters will get to decide whether the government is required to get a warrant before accessing our election communications.

Despite the Democrats’ fear mongering about make believe “threats” to constitutional rights, I don’t see voters approving changes to reduce or eliminate freedom of speech, personal privacy, tribal sovereignty, religious freedom, public education, a clean environment, civil rights, the right to bear arms, hunting and fishing rights, or public access rights, among others. Nor do I see Republicans proposing any radical changes like that.

What Montana Democrats are really saying is that they don’t trust Montana voters. Montana Democrats believe the government knows what is best for you and they don’t trust you to update our constitution if that’s what you want to do, whether regarding digital privacy or any other topic.

The Montana Democrats are spinning lies and nonsense because they know Montana does not support their far-left liberal agenda of pushing woke policies destroying our families, culture, and schools. Montana doesn’t support their agenda promoting soft on crime policies, open borders bringing in dangerous drugs, and destroying our energy and natural resources economy while supporting OPEC oil and overseas mining employing child labor, not to mention Biden’s reckless spending and inflation.

With an unpopular agenda like that, I guess I’m not surprised Montana Democrats have resorted to trying to mislead Montanans about our own constitution. This November, remember, only you can change Montana’s constitution. But Montana Democrats will implement reckless policies if you vote for their candidates.

Vote Republican for common sense solutions.

Legislative Notes Sen. Greg Hertz Polson

We need local solutions

Governor Gianforte’s Housing Task Force released its draft recommendations to address housing in Montana. These include forcing every community to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on every residential lot, removing local restrictions on how small lots can be, and stopping local governments from requiring parking spaces for new development. These recommendations to remove local regulations are not surprising because the Task Force began with the assumption that local regulations are the primary cause of the housing crisis in Montana.

The state has spent billions in marketing to convince people to move here to work, live, and play. Now they are here, and we can no longer afford to live in our own communities. Housing advocates, local governments, planners, and other experienced public and private sector organizations have been working to solve the housing problem for years and find solutions to ensure that people can find a home they can afford. The complex intersection of virtual employment, the high price and scarcity of building materials, increasing land prices, labor shortages, and chronic lack of state support for housing programs require multi-layered solutions and public-private partnerships. In some communities, water and sewer services are inadequate for the new growth. In others, land prices make housing development too expensive. And in yet another, public opposition to a new development becomes insurmountable. There is no one solution.

Our state’s outdated land use and planning laws, which only allow review and public participation after an application is submitted, make the development approval process long, expensive, and uncertain. These antiquated laws and processes stand in the way of increasing our housing supply. Fortunately, the 2021 Legislature decided to create a Land Use Interim Working Group to officially look at an overhaul of land use and laws in Montana. This committee includes representatives from the realtors, builders, land surveyors, professional planners, clerks and recorders, and engineering companies, in addition to the Montana League of Cities and Towns, the Montana Association of Counties, and a bipartisan group

Valley Views Kelly Lunch Montana League of Cities and Towns

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of legislators. This working group has been meeting regularly since 2021 to carefully craft a proposal that helps developers with faster, less expensive review processes to help make projects pencil out.

Modernizing land use and planning laws are a far cry from the one-size-fitsall zoning reforms that the Housing Task Force recommends. Their draft report calls for removing parking requirements in every community and allowing a second dwelling unit on every residential lot in Montana. These aren’t Montana solutions. These state-down requirements are ideas straight from California. The state shouldn’t dictate such zoning reforms – they should be based on local circumstances, needs, and priorities. Removing parking requirements for communities without bus systems can result in less mobility and access. Additional dwelling units without local permitting will lead to inadequate sewer treatment in some communities. Our local elected officials know what their communities need and the solutions to build more housing in their communities.

Montana’s cities and towns want to work with the Legislature to demonstrate what they need locally to create more housing. We support local decision-making on what zoning reforms work best in each of our communities. We need more investment to expand our infrastructure capacity to serve increasing populations with drinking water, sewer treatment, and road construction and maintenance. We need to increase the state’s commitment to financing the construction of housing people can afford. We need to modernize our state planning laws. These solutions are complicated, long-term, and require large-scale investments, but this is the hard work necessary to truly address Montana’s housing crisis.

Kelly Lynch is the Executive Director of the Montana League of Cities and Towns, a nonpartisan, nonprofit association supporting 127 Montana communities to provide resources and advocacy to build and maintain unique, vibrant, healthy, and safe communities. vj

Consider Azzopardi

Editor,

There could not be a bigger difference between the Democrat and Republican candidates running for Montana House District 93. Shirley Azzopardi has shown that she cares what is on the minds of voters in her District. Shirley has personally knocked over 1,000 doors since May. She is currently knocking on doors five nights a week. Her commitment and hard work to connect with voters in her District has shown that she is willing to work for her constituents and Montana. Shirley has not just been knocking select voters’ doors, but all doors, Republican, Democrat and Independents.

Whereas her Republican opponent, Joe Read, doesn’t seem to feel he has to work to connect with his voters. Has anyone seen Joe out knocking doors in his District? Does he really believe that a few signs and an “R” by his name are enough to get him back into office? Do voters really want to support a Representative that voted for unconstitutional laws that ended up costing the taxpayers of Montana millions of dollars to overturn?

Vote for Shirley Azzopardi. Our Montana way of life depends on it.

Dayna McClure Polson

Answer questions

Editor,

The Missoulian published a Voter Guide for 2022 on Oct. 9 that provided at look at Montana’s Legislative candidates. Each candidate in several western Montana counties was asked to provide a brief bio as well as answer the same five questions. This information gives us, the voters, information about our candidates’ background and insight into how they might vote while in office.

As I am from Lake County, I was interested in the candidates in those districts. Surprisingly, Linda Reksten, the Republican candidate for House District 12, and Joe Read, the Republican candidate for House District 93, both did not respond to the questionnaire. Conversely Shirley Azzopardi, the Democrat candidate for House District 93, and Sterling Laudon, the Democrat for House District 12, both replied to the questionnaires.

Since these two Republican candidates provide no information, I have no idea about their qualifications and background for the job. Therefore, I must assume that they are not as qualified as their opponents.

Candidates who want our votes should, at the very least, answer questions posed to them. If they cannot answer

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Vacancy Announcement

The Ronan School District is seeking interested individuals to serve on the following committee:

TITLE VI PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

*Must be a parent/guardian of an eligible Title VI student enrolled in the Ronan School District.

Title VI Students are: Enrolled Members of a Federally Recognized Tribe or 1st Generation Descendant (enrolled parent) or 2nd Generation Descendant (enrolled grandparent)

Purpose of the Committee:

❖ Assist in the development of bylaws consistent with RSD policies and procedures. ❖ Assist in the grant program development, review budget, financial reports and analysis to determine that grant funds are being used to supplement and not supplant the level of funds available to the community for the education of American Indian Children, in consultation and collaboration with RSD. ❖ Review and give recommendations based upon the grant, which includes the Indian Education Report. ❖ Assure and set forth the policies and procedures ensuring the program will be operated and evaluated in consultation with, and with the involvement of, parents/ guardians of the children, and representatives of the area, to be served.

Title VI Goals:

❖ Increase Cultural Awareness and Identity ❖ Increase College/Career Pathways Readiness ❖ At-Risk Student Support

Please contact Eva Green if you are interested. eva.green@ronank12.edu (406) 676-3390 EXT 7532 *OPEN UNTIL FILLED