I was born in San Francisco and am 60 years old. I live in Bozeman and am a civil rights attorney. I earned a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of California, Davis and a JD, magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. As a civil rights attorney focusing on combating discrimination I am well informed on the many issues that matter to residents of House District 59 and capable of taking action on those issues. I run as a Republican but am not beholden to any party; rather, I care about defending rights for all, whether it's the right to love, the right to determine your own autonomy or the right to defend yourself.
Skyrocketing property taxes must be addressed immediately.
I will introduce legislation to reform the property tax system for residences.
What is needed is a new property tax system that limits the assessed value on primary residences. The way this would work is a baseline property valuation will be set, based on the purchase price of the residence for the current owner, with increases in that valuation capped at a certain percentage per year.
In this way, those who have lived in their homes for a long time and who are likely on a fixed budget will not be penalized for increases in home values that do not reflect the owners' actual finances.
Capping assessed value as discussed in my previous answer.
Fully fund healthcare for those in need and eliminate waste in the current budget.
Most of the problem is in waste, not in funding. The education system struggles under the weight of special interests, excessive administration and programs that have nothing to do with the core mission of educating young people in the basics. I'd support legislation that begins with a review of what the existing budget is being used for and then cutting those things that are extraneous, including programs that exist solely to divide people and promote special interests that detract from education (like DEI).
Born Key West, FL
Age 70
Permanent residency: Bozeman, MT
Occupation: Rabbi Emeritus, Previously trial attorney
Education: B.S., Math; J.D. Law; M.A. (and A.B.D.) in Religion: Rabbinic ordination
My background in law prepares me to deal with the many legal issues that the legislature may consider, and especially concerning the importance of an independent judiciary. My background as a rabbi has caused some Helena insiders to dub me "the conscience of the legislature," a nickname I'm proud to bear. I bring that conscience to bear on issues such as protecting
reproductive rights, addressing the climate crisis, conservation and protecting public lands, affordable housing, accessible and affordable health care, and quality public education.
We must extend medicaid expansion beyond its scheduled sunset. It has increased access to quality healthcare, leading to better health, employment and financial outcomes for Montanans. It brings millions of federal dollars into Montana, keeps our rural hospitals afloat, and creates many good paying Montana jobs. It helps children receive consistent healthcare so that problems are discovered and treated early, and it improves school readiness. It saves money by reducing emergency room visits, leaving emergency rooms available to those in acute need. I have continually fought for accessible health care for working Montanans, such as HB850 which I sponsored last session to boost medicaid coverage for Montana children.
We must restore property tax fairness for Montana homeowners. Last session, the Republican supermajority's policies and subsequent action by the Governor caused property taxes to skyrocket, while taxes for corporations, mines, utilities, and the wealthiest Montanans decreased. I introduced HB253 which sought to prevent these extreme increases by allowing state mills to "float," so that when property values increase, mills decrease and tax bills remain relatively constant. My bill also sought to create a homestead exemption for those living in their homes, shifting the burden back to corporations and second home owners. I also supported other similar Democratic proposals. I will continue to fight for property tax fairness for homeowners.
The most critical action needed is extending medicaid expansion. We must also address Republican policies which have stripped 120,000 Montanans of their health care, including 30,000 children, mostly for technical red tape reasons. To prevent this in the future, I will seek to restore "continuous eligibility" which was Montana policy until the Governor ended it. I sought to create continuous eligibility for children last session, which failed by one vote, so I will try again. I also introduced HB17, which sought to create Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers, to greatly expand access to mental health care. That policy is going forward and we will hopefully see results in the not too distant future.
I am a strong supporter of public schools and our universities. We must end the Republican policies of siphoning money from our public schools to unaccountable private and religious schools. We must increase teacher pay so that we are no longer 50 of 50 states in teacher pay. We must revise the caps which now limit increases so that they don't keep up with inflation. We must allocate more state funds to our public schools and universities, in lieu of Republican tax breaks for the wealthiest Montanans.
