Laslovich Cruises to Victory in SD 43

By ASHLEY KLEIN and JESSECA WHALEN

Democrat Jesse Laslovich celebrated his victory with a “couple of Shirley Temples” Tuesday night after defeating Republican Dick Motta to become senator of District 43.

With 28 of 34 precincts reporting at midnight, Laslovich was ahead 5,685 votes to Motta’s 2,302.

Laslovich, 28, said he hopes to continue the reform of Montana’s prison system by allowing judges to choose whether a person convicted of a crime should be sentenced to prison or rehabilitation. He added that he wants to provide more funding for education and continue supporting “clean energy” bills.

He is also exploring the option of running for Senate leader in next week’s pre-session caucuses.

The Democrat’s victory galled his conservative counterpart, who said he lost because of a strong liberal constituency in District 43.

“I think Anaconda is so heavily Democratic, it pretty much eliminated the likelihood of me winning,” Motta said.

However, Motta, 69, said he is glad he gave Montanans in his district a choice.

“I at least gave Laslovich some opposition,” the retired businessman said. “I gave the people of Anaconda, Philipsburg, Drummond and Deer Lodge the opportunity to voice their opinion. That’s all I could do.”

However, Motta said he is still angry that state ethics officials have not investigated the legal residency of Laslovich.

“Jesse and his wife have lived in Helena two years,” Motta said. “I don’t care if he is going to move back to District 43. The point is; he isn’t here now.”'

Motta filed a complaint in July, but still hasn’t heard back from the Commissioner of Political Practices.

“I got pretty frustrated with the whole thing,” Motta said. “Nobody wants to get back to me on whether or not Laslovich is a resident of Montana. I think it’s a gross dereliction of their duties.”

For his part, Laslovich said that because he still maintains a permanent residency at his parents’ house in Anaconda, his candidacy is valid.

“Motta made my residency the main issue, and clearly people disagreed,” Laslovich said. “That says more than anything to me.”

Laslovich plans on finding work at a law firm in the district after the legislative session is over next spring.

“Today was a pivotal point for me,” Laslovich added. “I at least have time to line a job up before May. If all else fails, I’ll work for my dad at the construction company.”

Motta said that “it’s a sad day,” but he’s not planning on running for Senate in the future.

“What can I say?” Motta said. “I’m a loser.”

HOUSE DISTRICT 97: Another term for Reinhart

INCUMBENT QUICK TO MAKE PLANS FOR HELENA

BY LAURA L. LUNDQUIST and ANDREW VETERE

Democrat Michele Reinhart won a second term as state representative Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Carol Minjares in House District 97.

Reinhart had the lead after the first absentee votes were counted and was still ahead by 1,569 votes with 98 percent of the precincts reported. Reinhart had 2,967 votes (67.82 percent) to Minjares’ 1,398 (31.95 percent).

Reinhart, 28, stopped into the Missoula County Courthouse Tuesday evening just as the second round of votes were released. When she saw the percentages for the House District 97 race, her first response was, “Oh, poor Carol.”

But her sympathy was short-lived as the congratulatory phone calls started coming in.

Reinhart rattled off her priorities as she dashed down the courthouse stairs. Emphasize energy efficiency in institutions, businesses and homes. Develop zero and low interest loans for sustainable businesses.

“But the big picture is working on green jobs creation, the economy, and education,” she said. “We need to connect the dots between all of those and find the funding. I want everyone to contact me with ideas and priorities.”

Throughout her campaign, Reinhart was approachable and in the public eye. In the two weeks before the election, Reinhart participated in six public panels and talked to thousands of constituents door-to-door.

Minjares, 59, made few public appearances, including one where she stayed only long enough to make her statement. She appeared to focus her campaign efforts on the Internet, posting to VoteSmart.org and regularly updating her own blog, Missoulapolis.

Although she works one-on-one with local and state governments as a proposal writer and attorney, her interaction with constituents was limited and she was unavailable for comment on election night.

Reinhart has specific suggestions for state budget management. She would eliminate tax loopholes so state income increases without raising taxes. She also favors maintaining a “rainy day” fund so the current surplus can postpone future deficit.

Reinhart said she would put her job as a Missoula city planner on hold when she gets to Helena in January.

“It’s time to keep kickin’ butt and workin’ hard for the people of Missoula and Montana.”

Nooney builds a lead in HD 100

By KAREN GARCIA and HEATHER ROUSSI

Republican incumbent Bill Nooney eeked out a win for the House District 100 seat Tuesday night, narrowly defeating his opponent Willis Curdy. The race stayed close until the end, with Nooney leading 1,727 votes over Curdy’s 1,503 as of midnight.

“This district is an anomaly in Missoula,” Democratic candidate Curdy said. “It’s a swing district, and it tends to lean Republican.”

Nooney, a small business owner, has served one term in the Montana Legislature. Curdy, who has limited political experience, has worked with the U.S. Forest Service as a smokejumper and taught history at Hellgate High School for 30 years.

One of the key issues during the race was a change in tax structure. During the campaign, Nooney said he would propose an “across–the-board” decrease in property taxes, while Curdy maintained that tax cuts would only exacerbate existing problems.

Energy costs were another point of contention. Nooney said Montanans should take advantage of coal reserves in the state and that drilling for oil is the most viable option for energy resources right now. Curdy championed the potential of geothermal and solar power as an alternative to traditional natural resources.

Curdy, 59, said although it may be too early to tell, he probably won’t run for office again.

“I’ve had to work hard,” Curdy said. “I’ve had a lot of help from folks. People have stepped up and said, ‘Yeah, I want to help,’ and that’s really paid off, regardless of whether we win or lose.”

Nooney could not be reached for comment.

MISSOULA EMERGENCY RESPONSE: Defeated by 1,300 votes

SHERIFF BLAMES BAD ECONOMY FOR LOSS

BY WILL MELTON

Missoula County residents narrowly defeated a bond measure on Tuesday that would have built a new sheriff’s office and 911 emergency call center.

The bond issue was losing by 1,300 votes with 99 of 101 precincts reporting. There were 22,247 (51.5 percent) against the measure to 20,950 (48.5 percent) in favor.

The measure would have raised $16 million dollars over the next 20 years by taxing property owners $13.91 on every $100,000 of taxable value per year.

The estimated cost of the new center is around $23.5 million. The rest of the money would have come from the county’s reserves and annual budgeting.

Sheriff Mike McMeekin took the news in stride but said he worried that rising construction costs would cost the county and taxpayers significantly as a result of the defeat.

There was no organized opposition to the bond, and most of its opponents agreed with the need for a new center but felt that it was the wrong time to be asking voters to pay higher taxes.

Even one of the most public opponent of the bond, Democratic county commissioner-elect Michele Landquist, said she worried about openly opposing the bond measure, as she didn’t want be blamed for the bond’s defeat.

Supporters of the bond pointed to overcrowding in the Missoula county courthouse and outdated infrastructure as the reason that the new center was so crucial for the county. They say that as calls to 911 increase and county sheriff’s deputies continue to play a crucial role in county law enforcement, the current location, in the county courthouse annex building, will become increasingly insufficient.

In the end, McMeekin said that the bond’s defeat was “understandable given that the economic situation is the way it is.” He stressed that because the county needs the center, it will find a way to get the money.

Reporter Melissa Jensen provided some of the information for this article.

HOUSE DISTRICT 95: Sands’ win no surprise

REPUBLICAN OPPONENT STAYED OUT OF SIGHT

By MELISSA JENSEN and CATE OLIVER

The outcome of the race for House District 95 was not the surprise of the day for winning Democrat Diane Sands.

Up against a nearly invisible opponent, there was little question in Sands’ mind that she would win re-election.

“I am honored to again represent the people of House District 95,” said Sands.

Republican Kevin Blackler said during the campaign that he preferred to stay out of the public eye and not be involved in the political process.

So for Sands, the surprising moments of the day were spread across the hours she spent as an election judge at Hellgate Elementary.

There she saw four young men celebrate their 18th birthdays by registering to vote and casting their ballots.

And she watched as tears rolled down the face of a woman in a wheelchair who was able to cast her own ballot at an AutoMARK machine for the disabled.

Those moments, she said, summed up why she’s involved in politics.

“I could care less about who they vote for, just that they do it,” Sands said before the election.

Now that she’s been re-elected to a second term, Sands’ attention turns to the upcoming legislative session. She’ll now get the chance to continue working on several bills she began in the last meeting of the state legislature.

One bill deals with general revisions to election law. It would review the state’s election laws and how they work together and possibly get rid of any out-dated material.

Another bill deals with voting by mail. If passed, it would set up a pilot project in several counties to look at the effectiveness of strictly mail-in ballot elections.

Efforts to get reaction to the race’s outcome from Kevin Blackler went unanswered Tuesday night.

Missoula County Reports Heavy Turnout

As Election Day wound to a close at the Missoula County elections office, Chief Deputy Clerk Debbie Merseal said none of the precincts had reported any major hiccups but that all saw a healthy turnout.

"There's been no problems," Merseal said. "It's just been very busy."

The office recieved around 28,000 absentee ballots, which they began counting this morning.

"That's higher than normal," Merseal said. "Two years ago we issued 12,000."

They had to wait until the polls had closed to begin issuing any results.

"If there are people still waiting in that line downstairs, we cannot release any results," Merseal said. "We've got to wait until we get the door closed behind everybody."

Around 9:20 p.m., they released preliminary results based on the absentee ballots.

The county set up its late-voter registration center a floor below in the courthouse's Motor Vehicle and Treasury department. The county decided to use the office to handle the expected crowed, taking advantage of the DMV's set up and take-a-number system. The office also served as a polling place. Last-minute registrees had to fill out a registration card and show an ID, then brave the wait for a chance to vote.

Residents packed the lobby throughout the day. Most stuck it out, though a few decided not to after learning they'd be sitting for upwards of two hours.

John Melendez of Boulder, Colo., forgot to file his absentee ballot in the mail and came to re-register. He filled out a card around 5:15 p.m. and waited for 20 minutes but decided to scrap the attempt when he realized the two-hour delay was no exaggeration.

"What I really wanted was one of those (I Voted) stickers," Melendez said with a laugh. "I think I'm going to just grab one anyway and call it good."

Volunteer Kim Seeberger said the center was overflowing since 8 a.m., with at least an hour wait for most of the day.

"Before the doors opened this morning, the room was packed," Seeberger said. "Then we had a lull but around the lunch hour it hit and it never stopped."

As the polls closed at 8 p.m., dozens of people still milled around the halls, waiting to vote. At 8:45, registration worker Josie Van Deventer filed the last ballot.

HOUSE DISTRICT 96: Teresa Henry wins third term

HENRY CREDITS EXPERIENCE, HEALTH-CARE STANCE

BY WILL GRANT and KELLY ROTHLISBERGER

Experience and her drive for better health care is what Teresa Henry said won her a third term in the state House of Representatives.

In House District 96, Henry, a Democrat, won with 57 percent, 2,042 votes, in Tuesday’s election. Her opponent, Steve Eschenbacher, received 42 percent, 1,507 votes.

“I am the best candidate to represent House District 96,” said Henry. “I was so supported by my friends. I had support that I didn’t even know about.”

She said her knowledge as the incumbent won the race for her.

Henry plans to reintroduce and sponsor the Creative Responsible Sexual Health bill. It would create a sexual-education program to teach the health benefits of contraception, encourage family communication, teach skills for making responsible sexual decisions and promote healthy life skills such as setting long-term goals. The program would be age appropriate and medically accurate.

She also plans on sponsoring a prescription-drug-monitoring program, which would keep a database of anyone who takes prescription narcotics. Henry said she hoped that the database would be helpful in decreasing the number of deaths caused by narcotic overdoses each year.

The legislature had passed five of the eight bills Henry sponsored in her first two terms.

Though Eschenbacher, who ran as a Republican, did not win, he is “the happiest son of a bitch in the world,” he said.

“I lost because the Republican brand is tarnished, not because of my stance on the issues.”

Eschenbacher’s campaign advocated reforming health care. He also saw other issues that needed attention, including Montana’s handling of the mentally ill.

Montana’s system for handling the mentally ill is inadequate, he said. Because there is no insanity defense in Montana, Eschenbacher feels the mentally ill are unnecessarily criminalized, and because there is no facility for treating the mentally ill in Hamilton or Missoula, they are underserved in this part of the state.

Eschenbacher will not be involved in future Missoula politics because he is moving out of the county because of employment.

“Tonight we mourn; tomorrow we go back to work,” said Eschenbacher.

For Henry, that means another two years of work as House Representative of District 96.