The Bitterroot Star requested the following information from all candidates who have challengers in this election cycle.
• brief bio and photo
• statement of why you are running and the issues that are important to you
• your opinion of how the state is handling the COVID-19 situation
Here are their responses, in their own words.
James V. (Jim) Crews, Republican
I am a Republican, married, 64 years old. I have a varied background. I have been a Navy Nuclear Machinist Mate 1(SS), Commercial Nuclear Maintenance Standards Advisor, Professional Weapons Handling Instructor, writer, a former telecommunications technician and am currently retired. I am a hovercraft pilot and technician, a multi-use rights advocate for all citizens regarding our natural resources. I have lived in Stevensville for 20 years, have been a member of the Town Council, Town Council President and appointed Mayor.
I am running for House Seat 88 for several reasons. The first is that I believe we need to have a bit of local government reform, in that the citizens need to have a simpler method of holding local government officials accountable to the citizenry. Second, I want to see what we can do to restrict the Montana Administrative Rules process so that non-elected officials have less power to write rules that become law, removing or restricting a citizen’s rights. The current process favors large organizations and not necessarily the rights of the individual citizen. Third, we need more diversity in the state legislature, in that the state legislature should be composed of all types of citizens, from all walks of life so that the average Montanan can be represented by those folks who have worked and lived within our communities. Fourth, I want it to be known that Montana is not for sale, nor are the rights of Montanans. I am Pro-life for the unborn, Pro-right to work, Pro-United States Constitution, Pro-Second Amendment, I am an American first, above all else.
Regarding how the state is handling the COVID-19 situation, I have had a few thoughts regarding what mandatory and voluntary restrictions were presented and how they were implemented. I think time will tell more that I can predict as to the final outcome of how things were handled. I have looked at the Constitutional aspects of the Stay at Home Directive and have concerns about the constitutionality of what we were requested to do. Ultimately it is the people who will have a final say as to how things were handled and how they will be handled in the future.
As a former member of the local government I see a significant need tor the Council and Mayor’s office to be trained regarding their roles and responsibilities during an emergency situation. When I was first elected to serve on the Town Council I started asking questions regarding our emergency plan and found that the plan on file at the town was out of date, we promptly acquired the current Ravalli County Emergency Operations Guidelines which by the way is 10 years old and is in dire need of revision, although it was updated somewhat in 2018.
The Town does not have an emergency plan other than the county guidelines and other local communities such as Victor and Florence as they are unincorporated fall under county control. Towns and Cities need their own Emergency Plan, that will mesh with the county plan when needed. All of the recommended resolutions and ordinances should be written and ready for adoption when needed, with at least an annual review process to make sure they are up to date. All employees, council members, mayor and other officers of the town should be trained and retrained on a regular basis so that they understand their roles. I think that we are seeing a time where the old Civil Defense preparations need to be considered so that we are not caught totally unprepared in the future.
Sharon Greef, Republican
My husband Ed and I have lived in Florence since 1986 and plan to call the Bitterroot home forever. We have been married 55 years and have two married daughters, five grandchildren and two adorable twin great-grandsons! We belong to the Florence Carlton Community Church where we are both involved in a variety of activities. We love being outdoors… camping, canoeing, hiking.
I managed a log home supply store in Stevensville for several years and before that, worked as an auditor and sales representative in the grocery industry for twenty years.
I’m running because there are a lot of issues I care about and I want to represent you in Helena. I am sick of the divisiveness in politics. I want to go back to Helena to get things done… to work together to bring about the solutions that make sense for our state, for our valley. The issue closest to my heart is protecting the unborn and I will do whatever I can to reign in the killing of these dear innocents. I will work to bring economic development to our valley and along that line to support improvement to our infrastructure including improvement of internet services so we appeal to those looking for places to bring their businesses. I want to work for solutions… to work together, not try to block ideas that are not mine.
The COVID-19 crisis has affected all of us in ways we couldn’t have imagined. I believe the Governor was right in the beginning to shut things down but we MUST re-open or we won’t have an economy left! Re-open with caution. With common sense. Yes, I’m tired of wearing a mask and gloves but continuing to do it is a small price to pay to protect each other. It breaks my heart to think of the small businesses that will never recover… to think of those working for minimum wage and those trying to figure out how to not lose their home. It’s time to start a gradual opening of all activities. Our state and local economy have been dealt a major blow and we need to find safe and reasonable ways to open all our businesses and service jobs while still protecting our most vulnerable. This is not the time for political grandstanding and empty rhetoric… now is the time for proven leadership and common sense.
Scott McLean, Republican
Scott is a third-generation Bitterrooter, a Stevensville volunteer firefighter and EMT, and the owner of Montana Legacy Realty, LLC and Montana Legacy Law, PLLC. Scott served on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee where we worked to stop Obamacare. Scott currently serves as the General Counsel of the Montana Young Republicans. Scott once brought, and won, a federal free-speech lawsuit allowing people to put “For Sale” signs in their car windows. Scott is a Constitutional conservative who prizes liberty above all, and wants Montana to have the distinction and honor of being the freest state.
I am running to help Montana be the freest state. I would like Montana to have the best regulatory environment and the lowest taxes in the country. With a Republican governor in place next session, we could finally move so much legislation that has been held up by previous Democrat governors.
I already have several bills ready to go for the next legislative session including:
• A strict voter ID law. One person, one vote.
• A bill allowing occupational licenses issued in other states to be automatically recognized in Montana. Montana will be open for business.
• A bill demanding that our state-funded schools follow the 1st Amendment rather than PC culture. Campus viewpoint oppression against conservatives will stop.
• A bill allowing for Constitutional carry of firearms. Its time to honor the 2nd Amendment.
• A bill ending the suffering of the unborn. Please stop making our kids suffer.
Governing bodies have been put in an impossible position, with policy choices that offer trade-offs between protecting innocent lives by imposing restrictions on the populace, or ruining other lives by cratering the economy and causing massive layoffs and the attendant miseries. My initial thought at the beginning of the epidemic was that governing bodies will have to take a middle ground. Both policy choices, if taken very far, are unworkable in my mind. My instinct was that people are generally self-interested creatures, and that this virus threatens us all, therefore if people are well-informed they will generally take protective measures on their own initiative to make sure that they and their loved ones don’t catch it. With that assumption as a starting point, I think state government bodies should (1) not contribute to the spread (all interactions with government should be done remotely if at all possible, or delayed if necessary), (2) state government should be out front trying to educate the populace about just how dangerous the virus is, and how the virus works, with the latest information being provided in an almost constant stream though every government channel, (3) government should be marshalling resources to arm our front battle lines with ammunition (health care providers, hospital and assisted living facility staff, first responders, police etc. should have PPE and the government must try to meet this demand), (4) testing will likely be the way out of the epidemic. As therapeutics become available they will need to be delivered early to those who test positive. The more testing we have available, the more we can focus our efforts on isolating those who have the virus, and worry less about those who don’t.
If my guess is right, outcomes in states with draconian lock-downs will fare little better than states that are much less restrictive. If that guess is right, then governments would be better off by leading through example, sharing information to the max, and repeating again and again, “This is deadly for many people. For many others, it is still miserable. It’s highly contagious, and highly unpredictable. It appears that it is highly contagious even in the absence of symptoms. You may have it and pass it to others without even knowing it. It appears to last on surfaces for days, and in the air for hours. It appears that it can be introduced into the body through touching your mucous membranes with your hands, or even through breathing the same air as others. There is no cure, and few treatments are available to relieve suffering. Please stay home, stay away from other people, wear a mask, disinfect, and wash often.”
Let’s all voluntarily do these things to the maximum that our circumstances allow, and encourage government to cut all the bureaucratic red tape that has slowed down our scientific and medical response or that has prevented our scientists, institutions, and businesses from solving the virus’s attendant problems. Solutions are coming (look how far we’ve come in two months), and we need to hang in for a while, and let free people do their amazing problem-solving.