Candidates speak in Havre Forum

Several candidates in local state legislator races were stumping in Havre Thursday in a candidate forum giving a solo presentation to the audience.

State Rep. Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, Democrat Douglas Adolphson of Glasgow, and Republican Jim O’Hara of Fort Benton attended the forum while their opponents were absent.

Former state Sen. Frank Smith, D-Poplar, who is facing Meyers in the race for Senate District 16, Democrat Ryan Rominger of Floweree, who is facing O’Hara in the race for the seat in House District 27 and Republican Casey Knudsen of Malta, who is running for the seat in House District 33, told the Havre Daily News they would be unable to attend due to conflicts. The Havre Daily offered to read to the audience statements sent by the absent candidates, but had not received any from them by the time the forum started.

Democrat Bruce Finley of North Havre, who is facing Knudsen in the race for HD 33, declined both to attend and to provide a statement.

State Rep. Mike Lang, R-Malta, who is facing Adolphson in the race for SD 17, told the Havre Daily Tuesday he would attend the forum but did not show up for the event.

The first candidate to make a presentation to the audience was freshman legislator Meyers, who is forgoing a run for a second term in his House seat to try for the Senate.

He said he often tells people that an American Indian running as a Republican is about as common as a white elephant.

Despite being told from his childhood on that Democrats are the party for Natives, Meyers said, he has found that the Republicans better match the ideals of most American Indians.

Meyers said he thinks Havre is right in the center of an area with huge potential for growth.

“I just think there is so much potential for growth here in north-central Montana,” he said.

He said much can be done to draw people here and add to the area, such as improving the Great Northern Fairgrounds or building a stadium for Montana State University-Northern to play football.

O’Hara said he has lived in north-central Montana all of his life.

He was elected Chouteau County commissioner in 2000 and 2006, then he left that seat to run for governor in 2012, he said.

Everyone he heard in 2012 said, “this is the most important election in our lifetime, and they were right,” he said. “Well, guess what, folks, this is the most important election of our lifetime.”

He said with the national debt, everyone getting a smaller piece of the pie, the nation is facing problems it does’t even know about yet. He said people ask him why, with the problems facing the state and nation, he is running.

“And my answer is, I believe in Montana,” he said. “I believe in the people of Montana.”

But, he said, the government, with very good intentions, puts up roadblocks.

“And I believe the government should take those roadblocks away,” he said, although he added that some regulation is needed, such as for predatory lending.

O’Hara said the region has advantages and the ability to succeed and improve.

“I think our future is in technology,” he said, in facilities like this.”

Adolphson said since people don’t know him, he would start by talking about himself.

“My birthday is Oct. 13 — actually today,” he said. “I am 77.”

He said he was in both the U.S. Army and Navy reserves and has been a member of unions for 56 years, is a master plumber and owns a motel in Glasgow.

“So I own a small business and I pay huge amounts of taxes every year,” he said. I’ve got to watch about taxes being raised all the time. They’re talking about a sales tax but I’m not,” he said.

Adolphson said making people pay more for necessities means they are losing income.

“So you are taking what Gianforte says are the lowest wages in the nation and making them go down,” he said

Adolphson said he is a supporter of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and private ownership of guns, and of making sure women receive the same wage rates as men for the same jobs.

He said he supports infrastructure repair, especially in north-central Montana. Adolphson said with water systems going in the region, more people will be moving here and the infrastructure needs will be high.

Adolphson said he also wants to make sure veterans receive the benefits they have earned, which they are not always now.

“I also support four for two,” he said, “at least from Culbertson to Havre.”