by Jennifer Swacina, Missoula
In honor of my late father, who was a proud union pipefitter, and in honor of my late boyfriend, who was a U.S. Forest Service silviculturist and firefighter, I will be casting my vote for Sam Forstag to be Western Montana’s next congressman. They were both hard-working, honest men who walked their talk, and I recognize those qualities in Sam too.
With his experience as union leader for U.S. Forest Service employees, Sam Forstag understands navigating bureaucratic complexities while representing his peers. And as a smoke-jumping firefighter, he intimately understands the complexity and the consequences of public land legislation. Sam gives me hope that it’s possible to reform inefficiencies in our government without burning it down or selling it off.
Today’s issues are complex. They are not simply blue vs. red, left vs. right, as they are being framed. Sam has the character and skill set necessary to negotiate across party lines and to unite “we the people” so we can avoid becoming a government of, for, and by the oligarchs.
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