I was born in the old Bozeman hospital and grew up in 4 corners. I am 49 and live in Big Sky, MT. I am an attorney and own my own business. I have a B.A. in philosophy and psychology. I graduated from the University of Montana's School of Law in 2002 with my J.D., with honors. I specialize in contract law and litigation.
My specialty is representing owner’s associations, which is much like the legislature. I help HOAs redraft their governing documents so that their rules actually address the needs of the community, work with government agencies on infrastructure and act as a mediator between neighbors. I will use my skills as a drafter to draft common sense laws and as a negotiator to get them passed into law.
Property taxes and affordable housing are what people want to discuss with me. I address property taxes in another question.
Big Sky has a resort tax, which is partially used to fund our Community Housing Trust. Our Trust has created 52 affordable, owner-occupied condominiums, moved 111 short-term rentals into long-term, local housing, ensured seven homes will always house local workers and this summer, and will complete 25 low-income apartments for locals. The Governor’s task force identified subsidies as something that needs to be studied. I would suggest that we should look at using the bed tax, which mainly funds advertising Montana, to go to our local communities for programs like Big Sky’s Trust.
Over the past couple of decades, there has been a shift in the tax burden, from utilities and industries to private landowners. While residential taxes rose 30% in Gallatin County, Montana Rail Link’s share dropped 22%. It used to be that utilities and industry shared a larger share of the tax pie. I believe that we have tipped the scales too much in their favor. We must move the needle back so industry can make a profit, but not on the backs of the people.
The legislature needs to permanently fund Medicaid Expansion (or as I call it, closing the coverage gap.) The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at University of Montana has consistently found that “Medicaid expansion increases health insurance coverage and healthcare access, improving individuals’ health and household’s financial health while creating thousands of jobs and millions in income for Montanans throughout the economy.” This program provides 100,000 Montanans health insurance. That’s about 10% of our population. It is a win win for everyone and ensures that our Federal tax dollars come home to Montana as 90% of the funding is Federal dollars.
Education funding formulas are incredibly complex and it is hard to make changes to them without unintended consequences. However, I believe that we need to tackle this so that schools receive funding that is adjusted for median area income and cost. Right now, there are no adjustments for the actual costs of materials, goods and for a living wage for staff. That means a starting teacher in Miles City may be paid the same amount as one in Big Sky or West Yellowstone. This simply is not equitable nor sustainable. At the same time, we need to ensure that rural schools are able to use their funding in a manner that best suits them, like making funds available to build housing for their teachers.
Glasgow, Mt. , 64 , West Yellowstone Mt. , self employed, property manager, BS from Montana State University,. I served 24 years on the West Yellowstone Town Council along with many years as the Mayor. I serve and have served on numerous civic committees and have worked directly with Federal, State, County and local agencies, to solve local issues.
Rising costs of property taxes and property insurance. Work with the legislature to come up with other means of income for the state and county government, which could curb the need to put more financial burdens on the backs of property owners and in turn those that rent.
Try to find legal ways to cap the increases of property insurance.
I will need to get to Helena and educate myself on the systems in place and how they can be improved.
We need to work with providers, to learn where they most need assistance. Next look at the states roll and determine how the state can help with these issues.
The bottom line is that a good education, should be one of our states top priorities. I will need to assess how the system is working and where the state can make changes to improve it.
