Senate candidate on the record

The run for Senate District 2 has certainly been very interesting and educational. I have met people who have expressed their feelings covering a multitude of concerns both political and non-political.

But the most important issue was that they wanted you to listen. In the process, I have become a very good listener. In order to devote my attention to the constituents in my district, I am writing this article to inform them of the candidate they may be voting into office.

I am a family man that believes in solid parental values. I believe that parents should play an important role in every facet of their child’s development. I am a Navy veteran who spent most of my service at sea aboard a destroyer. I have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business. My background has been in budgeting, finance and organizational skills.

In the community, I have coached youth baseball and football. I have served on a number of boards and committees: Stumptown Historical Board, Rural Fire Board Commissioner, chairman and judge of high school academic activities, past commander of the American Legion, VFW member, past president and chairman of various civic organizations, taught legislative classes to middle and high school students, and member of the Winter Carnival (King Ullr XLIII).

I also chair the Save The Old Main Association (SOMA). The Old Main building at the Montana Veterans Home was constructed in 1898 to house civil war veterans and all future vets. The Old Main was abandoned in the 1950s. Our goal is reconstruction to provide a veterans clinic to meet the needs of our aging veterans. Upon completion of renovation, the plan is to move some of the health services from Fort Harrison, in Helena, to Columbia Falls.

I have served in the state legislature for six years representing House District 6. During that time, I have served on various committees. The one with the most impact has been the House Appropriations Committee.

I feel that I have served the people of Montana always conscious of their needs and desires. I have been fiscally responsible, cutting government spending and down-sizing. In the last session, as chair of the Budget Joint Sub-Committee on Commerce and Government, a total of $90 million dollars was cut from the executive budget. A total of $270 million was eliminated.

As you may have heard, in the previous session there was an attempt to take $1.5 million from the budget of the vets home in Columbia Falls (cigarette tax money) in an attempt to privatize the home. I submitted an amendment with the support of all the legislators in the Flathead Valley to kill this action, and it was passed. In the next session, this issue will surface again, and we must be prepared to meet the challenge.

I have taken the pledge not to raise taxes or promote new taxes, protect our Second Amendment rights, develop our natural resources, defend property rights, lower energy costs, support reasonable health care not Obamacare, and to meet the educational requirements of our schools and parents.

As we get close to election day, you will receive a lot of negative ads depicting legislators as uncaring and totally indifferent to your political beliefs and sacred cows. I would caution you to do your research, including contacting the individual or individuals being criticized. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and take pot shots and remain anonymous.

I have received awards from the state and local chambers of commerce for each session that I have served, acknowledging my commitment to small businesses and the taxpayers of Montana. I have served the people of my district and the state of Montana with nothing but their best interests and I will stand on my legislative record. I look forward to serving you in the future.

Bill Beck, of Whitefish, is a Republican candidate for Senate District 2, which includes Columbia Falls and Whitefish.