Meet HD6 candidate Carl Glimm

Carl Glimm is seeking re-election to Montana’s House of Representatives in District 6 because he’s concerned about ensuring the future of the state.

“I’m concerned about what we’re leaving for my kids and all kids,” Glimm said. “I grew up in Montana and I want to leave the state like it was when I was a kid.”

The Republican is a Kila resident and a small business owner.

District 6 covers the northeastern section of Flathead County, up the U.S. 93 corridor north of Kalispell and south of Whitefish. It covers West Valley and as far north as Olney.

The incumbent said his No. 1 priority is to be re-appointed to the Appropriations Committee because he is concerned with how taxpayer money is spent.

“I want to make sure we are as efficient as possible because I think that is key,” he said. “I want to focus on the state budget — passing a budget is the one thing the Legislature is constitutionally required to do and we have to pass a balanced budget.”

Glimm, 39, is the owner of Glimm Homes and attended Montana State University graduating with a degree in construction engineering technology.

He is a board member for the Flathead Building Association, and is involved with the Montana Building Industry Association. He has served as volunteer firefighter, on the board of directors for the Nurturing Center and for Trinity Lutheran Church. He and his wife, Amy, have two children ages 8 and 12.

Glimm said if the state has a budget surplus he feels the money should return to the taxpayer in some type of tax relief.

“We need to get that money back to the people paying it,” he said. “It’s not the state’s money. It’s tough to make that happen when the Governor doesn’t have the same philosophy, but I think this time we can do a little bit better job of that.”

On education funding, Glimm again wants to make sure that money is being spent efficiently. He said more money has been added to education and still teacher salaries remain low.

“I value a quality education, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more money,” he said. “We’ll put more money toward it because we’re required to. We need to be looking more at our outcomes and not just pouring more money into education. We need to make sure we are spending responsibly and efficiently.”

Glimm voted against Medicaid expansion and he continues to be against it. He said while it seems fairly inexpensive right now, later on it may cost the state a lot.

“I’m not convinced it will stay that way,” he said. “The state could end up having to foot a lot more of that bill, and it’s a big bill. Maybe there is a different avenue to reform that.”

Glimm wants to look more into the transfer of federal lands to the state, and says he’s not opposed to state management of those lands. He said there is a misguided argument that the state will sell or restrict access to those lands.

“The intent is to expand access,” he said. “The state already does a better job of managing its lands than the federal government does. There is financial cost aspect, but there is financial gains to the state taking over.

State control of the lands could mean natural resource development, including increasing timber harvest, and extraction of minerals and oil and gas, he noted.

“If it’s financially responsible for the state to control those lands then the state should be,” he said.

Glimm is against a statewide sales tax, something he said is a “dirty word” in Montana. He said the problem with a new tax is that it will eventually creep up.

He is cautious about expanding the resort tax to more cities. The problem, he said, is when no option is provided to not pay the tax. Whitefish already has the resort tax, but if Kalispell were to implement the tax, he said, that leaves residents with no option other than to leave the Flathead Valley to shop.

“In Whitefish there is a pay down to help property taxes,” he said. “If you did that in Kalispell that would work for city residents, but what about everybody in the county that lives outside those incorporated areas. The idea is to catch the tourist, but suddenly if you don’t live in town, you are a tourist.”

Glimm said he has an important perspective as a small business owner, if he returns to the citizen Legislature in Helena.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community, our state and our nation,” he said. “Small business owners know what it’s like to sign both sides of the check. You know how these things we do in the Legislature effect small business.”

He said small businesses have the ability to impact the economy.

“If small businesses are not successful then they’re not hiring people or paying wages,” he said. “We need to have a pro-business environment.”