Candidate enjoys the Montana lifestyle

Whitefish resident Rollan Roberts II is one of two Republican challengers in the state Senate District 3 race. He and Jayson Peters, of Lakeside, will face off against incumbent Sen. Bruce Tutvedt in the June primary. The large senate district includes rural areas south of Columbia Falls and around Whitefish.

“I never thought I would run for political office,” Roberts recently said. “I believe it was my destiny.”

Roberts grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and moved to Whitefish in 2010. He is the founder and CEO of 24ravens, a biotech company that engineers formulas for the immune system. Roberts is also the author of three books and runs a consulting firm for businesses.

He says it’s his background in business that prompted his run for political office.

“As a small business owner, I was frustrated,” he said. “I realized I could complain for another four years, or I could try to do something and run for office.”

Roberts said he would like to improve the economy and create jobs in the Flathead Valley. He notes his experience assisting with business development as one of his qualifications.

Relocating a business to another state taught him that some areas can be more helpful than others. In a difficult economic climate, Montana needs to be as welcoming as possible, he said.

“I want to say, ‘Let me show you the Flathead Valley,’” he said. “There are a lot of issues we can fix at the state level. There are things we can do with what we have and bring jobs here.”

Roberts said he was lured to Whitefish because he enjoys a place with snow where he can ride his horse and wear cowboy boots.

“I enjoy the Montana lifestyle,” he said.

Roberts had filed for House District 4 race but switched to Senate District 3.

“I’m much more passionate about the issues in Senate District 3,” he said. “At the end of the day, it was the right thing for me to do.”

On education, Roberts is for parental choice. He said parents should be able to chose between public, private and home schooling. He would also like to see greater transparency in the public school system, allowing parents to view curriculum and choose what is right for their child.

“We have better students by involving parents in education,” he said.

While he’s reviewing funding levels for education, Roberts said “we should take care of our teachers and invest in students and schools.”

His Web site touches on a few other campaign issues. Roberts says he plans to uphold the right of Montana citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment. He notes he is pro-life and says “determining the sanctity of life is not a federal issue, it’s a state issue.” Health care is also a state issue, and he opposes mandatory health care, he said.

An advocate of states rights and local control, Roberts says it’s imperative for Montana to work with federal agencies and programs to fight on behalf of veterans.

“I don’t want Helena to be to the Flathead what D.C. has become to Montana,” he said.