Senate District 2 race: Fern says candidates need to listen

Whether he’s walking door to door in Columbia Falls or Whitefish or pedaling his folding bike across Senate District 2’s vast rural neighborhoods, Democratic senatorial candidate David Fern feels he’s making headway in his campaign.

“I’ve knocked on 7,000 doors and raised $20,000 — much of it in $50 or less contributions,” he said.

Fern says that by listening to people in the predominantly Republican county, he has possibly persuaded some independent and Republican residents to cast their vote for him this November.

“I ask them what improvements they want to see, what bothers them,” he said.

Jobs and the economy continue to be the number one issue facing residents. Fern said he contacted the state Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office for information on what’s being done.

“There are a number of factors, from business-friendly policies and taxes to quality of life, education and amenities, available work force and available capital,” he said. “I don’t see one issue turning around the economy.”

Many residents are angry about gridlock in Washington, D.C., so they expect more from their state legislators.

“Is compromise a good thing?” he asked. “Most people say yes, it’s how their own families solve problems. So they’re looking for someone with temperament.”

Residents also want good schools. Locally, they have high regard for School District 6.

“They understand the complexities of the district, the low-income families and students with special needs,” he said.

Property taxes are a big issue for many residents, especially in light of the recent six-year reassessments.

“It’s no fault of their own that many people can’t pay their high property taxes — many of them have lived there all their lives or are now on fixed incomes,” he said. “This could happen to anyone anywhere.”

Montana is too dependent on property taxes, Fern said. He said he’s OK with getting rid of the business equipment tax, if local communities like Columbia Falls are made whole, and he wants to save the bed tax for tourist promotion, as it was intended.

He’d also like to open up the possibility for towns around Montana to enact their own sales tax, similar to Whitefish’s resort tax, in order to use tourist money for infrastructure needs.

Many residents expressed concerns about access to Flathead National Forest lands and called for more timber harvesting. Many were former timber industry workers who feel they’re being punished for past practices.

Fern says he’s committed to solving the more than $3 billion in unfunded liabilities for the state’s teachers and employees pension plans. The problem needs to be solved in the next legislature, he said, but he won’t commit to replacing pension plans with a 401K-type plan until he’s seen the research.

As for what to do with the state’s budget surplus if it reaches something like $500 million, Fern says the options are creating jobs with infrastructure projects, short-term property tax relief, funding for K-16 schools, replenishing the state’s wildfire emergency fund or even helping out the pension plans.

Locally, Fern wants to see definitive answers about the future of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant, keeping the Montana Veterans Home running as it is today, and lobbying state and federal governments to move forward with rebuilding U.S. 2 through Bad Rock Canyon.