West Valley round-up wins big

By JUSTIN WOODBURN

Look out Missoula County, there’s a new gang in town.

Residents in four communities in Western Missoula County voted overwhelmingly to band together to create the West Valley Community Council Tuesday night.

That means Frenchtown, Huson, the Six Mile, and the Nine Mile areas will have a local center for public input and discourse and speak with a single voice on issues before the county commissioners.

With all five precincts reporting Tuesday night, the West Valley Community Council passed by a margin of 70 percent, 1,357 for and 587 against.

“I’m really pleased that the voters in the outlying areas of the county decided to let their voices be heard,” said Frenchtown resident Ray Winn. “The urban areas of Missoula have had too much influence on the rural people.”

The new council will have five members, one from each precinct on the new council. Interested individuals need to sign up at the courthouse. The county commissioners will choose the first council from the pool of applicants. This temporary council will serve until a permanent council is elected in the May school board election.

Winn said there wasn’t a great deal of campaigning for the initiative because he saw it as a “Can’t lose” proposition because it didn’t tax people or change a law. He suspects that the people who voted “No” were tired of big government and regulation and didn’t even read the ballot.

Stan Lucier, also a Frenchtown resident, suspects that opponents live in the hills of the upper Nine Mile.

“My wife calls ‘em Montuckiens,” Lucier said. “They don’t want to be messed with or bothered and they vote ‘No’ on everything.”

Whatever the case, supporters of the measure will be looking to voice their concerns on issues like road conditions. Lucier feels that it’s important to start by establishing Frenchtown as a city. Reviewing the sewer and water planning for the area and zoning in general will determine the valley’s appearance years from now. Another concern is the expensive requirements being imposed on people who build houses in the area.

“The first year is going be about communicating what they’re (the council) there for and how they can help,” Lucier said.

Florence conservatives lift Hawk to fourth term

By KYLE LEHMAN and ELIZABETH DIEHL

Republican Ray Hawk soared high Tuesday night as Ravalli County voters re-elected him to House District 90.

Three terms of experience and a platform of reducing taxes and supporting small businesses paid off as Hawk won 60 percent of the votes to Gritzner’s 40 percent, 3,116 to 2,120 votes.

“I had no idea it was going to be this close,” Hawk said, after hearing the results for absentee ballots before turning in for the night. He was unavailable for a comment on his victory.

Hawk, 67, entered politics after a career in banking. He ran on a platform of conservative policies. His primary goals, he said, will be to eliminate the state’s business equipment tax and reduce property taxes.

Hawk’s opponent, Yvonne Gritzner, a volunteer with Montana Public Broadcasting and former program director for Montana Committee for the Humanities, said that defeating an incumbent is always hard. Ravalli County, especially, is a “Republican stronghold,” she said.

“I think that people do feel it is time for a change,” she said. “I think that my views on healthcare and education rang true.”

The two candidates were divided over issues such as further funding for public education, alternative energy and taxation.

While Gritzner thought that public education in Montana is extremely under funded, Hawk disagreed, saying during the campaign that current school funding is adequate.

Hawk also disagreed with Gritzner on the immediacy of alternative energy

“Right now we have to pursue coal and natural gas, we can’t pursue enough alternative energy to meet the needs of the population,” Hawk said earlier.

Though Gritzner was disappointed with the results, she believes there are Ravalli County residents who are ready for a change.

“You always feel like you could have done more,” she said.

Hands Grabs Big Win in HD 99

By ALLISON MAIER and MIKE GERRITY

Luckily for Betsy Hands’s challenger, she will have to call long distance to rub it in.

Democrat Hands, 38, beat Republican opponent Jedediah Cox, 24, who’s currently in South Korea, with a strong majority for House District 99.

“I won because I am known in Missoula, represent Missoula's highest priorities, and I run an open campaign making an effort to listen to everyone,” Hands said.

Hands took 72 percent of the vote, with 3,514 votes to Cox’s 1,391.
Cox ended his campaign last month after accepting a job teaching English in South Korea, although he could not formally drop out of the race because the ballots had already been printed. Thousands of absentee ballots had already been turned in by the time he left the country.

Cox said he would return to Montana if he won the election, but District 99 is considered a stronghold for Democrats. In 2006, Hands won the district with 70 percent of the vote.

Last month, Hands left her position as executive director of homeWORD, a nonprofit organization that aims to provide affordable and environmentally sound housing, to focus on her campaign. She said she plans to spend the months leading up to the 2009 Legislative session working on bills she wants to sponsor, attending Legislative meetings and presenting at a sustainability conference in Boston.

“I am also going to enjoy spending the holidays with family and friends before heading to Helena and being fully focused on the legislative session,” she said.

Cox could not be reached in South Korea for comment.

Veteran legislator squeaks by newcomer in HD 88

By KIMBALL BENNION and CARLY FLANDRO

Republican Bob Lake kept his head above water Tuesday night and won a close race for House District 88.

With 99 percent of the votes counted, Lake defeated opponent Patrick Boylan, a Democrat, 2,453 to 2,326, securing him a fourth term in the Montana Legislature.

Both candidates speculated that the Obama campaign Get Out the Vote lifted Boylan by sending more Democrats than usual to the polls.

Lake, 70, a retired businessman with two granddaughters in high school, supports lowering business taxes and increasing technology in rural Montana schools.

Boylan, 31, campaigned for a diversified, a green economy and improved access to health care.

But residents from the Woodside Cutoff to Sleeping Child Lake supported Lake and his pro-business, pro-education platform once again.

In office, Lake said he would like to be reappointed chairman of the taxation committee, where one of his main goals would be to reduce or eliminate business taxes.

He also said that he will try to make higher education more affordable, and prepare more of Montana’s youth for universities.

“I want to see children get through one level (of education) and be ready for the next,” Lake said. “My biggest efforts will go into that.”

Lake, who owned Lake Milling, Inc./Lakeland Feeds for 22 years, credits his victory in part to name recognition.

“The bottom line is that any of these races are run more like a popularity contest than an issue contest,” he said.

Boylan worried that issues he supported will be ignored under Lake’s representation.

“It’s unfortunate,” Boylan said, regarding his loss. “I think it’s bad for Ravalli County.”

Lake said that he plans to run for the state senate after he serves his final term in H.D. 88.

Malek Earns Clear Victory in HD 98

By CHRIS ARNESON and DANIELLE deBOUVER

Missoula voters elected Democrat Sue Malek to serve in House District 98 by a more than 600-vote margin over Republican Will Deschamps.

Malek attributes her win to her “look-them-in-the-eyes-and-tell-them-who-you-are” attitude on getting to know voters, she said.

Though Malek, 57, does not live in District 98, she said personal connections sealed the race for her. She said she saw in many voters "a constant fear that something might happen because everybody is living paycheck to paycheck."

During the race, Deschamps criticized her for not living in the district in which she will now serve. Malek said voters didn't seem to care.

“A dozen or so people asked me, ‘Where do you live?’,” she said. “Hardly anybody lives in the district (in which they serve ). I think there are more important issues. We have all lived in Montana and we have all worked very hard.”

Deschamps could not be reached for comment after multiple attempted phone calls. He ran as a fiscal conservative, arguning for lower taxes for small businesses and exporting Montana’s natural resources to create a long-term stream of income for the state.

Malek said her differences with her opponent included “almost everything,” including the role of government in solving problems.

“I think more people are realizing that the government needs to get involved in issues,” she said.

Malek said she is excited to get to Helena and she hopes to be able to work on the state budget.

She also said she hopes to introduce a bill requiring the installation of ignition-locking beathalyzers on the cars of anyone convicted of a second DUI.

Malek, a UM Business School academic adviser, said she supports more funding for K-12 education.

“Teachers were worried about basically equalized pay,” she said. “We talked about that early on and what we need to be concentrating on is our kids education.”

Conservative vote bouys Stoker to fourth term

By NATE ROTT and MEGAN GYERMEK

Conservative values trumped the Hollywood hopeful Tuesday in House District 87 race as incumbent Republican Ron Stoker defeated challenger Democrat Peter Rosten by a wide margin.

Stoker said his three terms in office and the strong conservative nature of his constituents held off the Democratic tide that swept through much of the nation.

“I come from a very conservative area of the county,” said Stoker, who claimed victory with 66 percent of the vote. With all precincts counted, Stoker received 3,523 votes to Rosten’s 1,850.

Rosten, a Hollywood movie producer who brought media art program to public schools in the Bitterroot, touted fresh ideas and his ability to get things done.

He was philosophical about defeat.

“Although there’s a more articulate way of putting this, (stuff) happens,” Rosten said. “It wasn’t meant to be.”

Stoker campaigned on the strength of his legislative experience. He said he will continue his work with the Human Services, Ethics and Judiciary committees. His work with the Judiciary Committee sent a large amount of bills to the house last term, he said.

In the new term, Stoker plans to continue a bill draft dealing with judge’s placement of convicted criminals. He was handpicked by Sen. Daniel McGee of Laurel to carry the bill because of his knowledge and experience with its background.

Although he lost, Rosten said he enjoyed the experience of the campaign, and his defeat was tempered by the results of the elections nationwide.

“If nothing else, I’m a better man and a better citizen,” Rosten said. “The real story tonight is Barack Obama. I could have changed Montana, but Obama can change the world.”

Newcomer Landquist ousts incumbent Anderson

By COLLIN BEHAN and CAMERON RASMUSSON

County beat city Tuesday night as Democrat Michele Landquist defeated incumbent Larry Anderson in the race for Missoula County Board of Commissioners.

With only absentee ballots left to count, Anderson conceded defeat.

“It looks like I’m a victim of the Obama tsunami that’s coming through,” he said.

A nervous and largely disappointed Republican group at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Missoula said it looked like Obama voters had marked Democrat straight down the ballots.

In the county race, the tally was Landquist’s 55 percent to Anderson’s 45 percent – her 22,827 votes to his 18,565. She will be the sole Missoula County resident serving on the three-member panel that makes decisions about county policy. The other two commissioners reside in the city.

Lanquist ran on the promise that she would be a voice for county residents living outside of Missoula. Anderson lives in the city limits, and campaigned as a fiscally conservative Republican serving on a majority Democratic panel.

Landquist said was stunned by her victory.

“Until they make an official announcement, it won’t sink in,” she said.

She declined to speculate on what her victory means, adding that it would be an insult to her voters for her to speculate on why she won. The voters are smart enough to elect the best candidate for the job, she said.

Landquist also said that she hopes to see the benefits that Missoula enjoys, such as recycling and preschools, extended to the rest of the county. In addition, she plans to carefully manage urban expansion and emphasize environmental friendliness.

But things move so fast in the commission that it’s difficult to determine what she will need to do first, Landquist said.

“I’ve got my list of things from talking to people but we’ll just have to see,” she said.