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LOCAL DEMOCRATS FILE CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY AND MONTANA LEGISLATIVE SEATS
March 12, 2018
A historic number of candidates have filed for public office in the 2018 election in Gallatin County
BOZEMAN, MT—The Gallatin Democrats welcomed several more candidates to their already strong slate of capable, qualified leaders running in the 2018 election for County offices and State House and Senate seats. Democrats are offering voters a promising group of new and incumbent candidates inspired to work for smart solutions on local issues and good government. Candidates filed for all but one Montana House and Senate seats.
Filing to serve for public office in Gallatin County are candidates Scott MacFarlane for County Commission, Jennifer Blossom for Treasurer, Eric Semerad for Clerk and Recorder, and Erin Cox for Auditor. These county candidates have a tremendous amount of experience with a combined 49 years in service to the people of Gallatin County already. Semerad has 28 years experience as Chief Deputy Clerk and Recorder Department Supervisor. Jennifer Blossom has served as Auditor since 2003 and has worked 19 years with the county. Erin Cox has worked two years in the office of the County Auditor.
Most of these candidates proudly announced their bid for public service on the first day of filing, January 11, in a celebration on the steps of the Gallatin County Courthouse.
“There is momentum and vibrancy among Democrats that we can make gains all the way around in 2018,” said Senator JP Pomnichowski, incumbent legislator running for re-election in Senate District 33. “We make the most effective difference at the local and state levels, and we will work hard to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2018. Our first commitment is to elect local representatives whose policy decisions improve the lives of each Montanan every day: jobs, health care, schools, water and roads. These are the bread and butter issues that are most important. We’ve seen the effects of the GOP tax cuts already in reducing or eliminating vital services. That’s not right, and not where we should cut our budget. Democrats will work to restore services when we take back the Montana Legislature.”
Filing for office on day one were the following candidates:
Gallatin County
Scott MacFarlane, candidate for Gallatin County Commission, is Facilities Director for Belgrade Public Schools where he manages a staff of over 30 people, multi-million dollar school construction projects, and all district maintenance funds. He currently serves on the Gallatin County Capital Improvements Board, the Bozeman School District Planning Board, and is a cross-country coach for the Bozeman Track Club and Monforton Schools Track Program.
Jennifer Blossom, candidate for Gallatin County Treasurer
Jennifer is running for County Treasurer because she has seen push back against progress for far too long I am running for County Treasurer because I’ve seen push back against progress for far too long, and after spending 15 years auditing that Office, she knows where changes can be made. People’s time and money matter and she believes it’s time that the Treasurer’s Office recognizes, respects and honors that. She believes an elected official shouldn’t have to be pushed to make positive changes. They need to be willing to take a step back, listen to those around them and make improvements where necessary. That was the reason she ran for Auditor in 2003 and why she is running for Treasurer now.
Eric Semerad, candidate for Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder
Eric has worked in the office of the Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder for 28 years and served as the Chief Deputy Clerk or Recorder Department Supervisor for nearly 25 of those years. His vast experience in this position has made him an essential resource for residents, attorneys, development professionals, and government entities statewide. He is a featured speaker at statewide conferences on recording processes and technology. Semerad is a lifelong public servant who wants to continue to serve the people of Gallatin County by continuing to make county records easily accessible and running open and efficient elections.
Erin Cox, candidate for Gallatin County Auditor
Erin is currently the Internal Auditor for Gallatin County reporting directly to the Gallatin County Auditor. In addition to knowledge gained from her current position, Erin also draws on her experience from the banking industry, and has her degree in Accounting. She is passionate about the Gallatin County community and looks forward to using that enthusiasm to further the values of financial accountability, fiscal integrity, and transparency to the public to the Gallatin County Auditor’s Office.
Montana State Senate
Pat Flowers, Senate District 32
Flowers, a first-time candidate, is the former director of Region 3 Fish Wildlife & Parks who retired in 2014. He intends to put the same problem-solving skills he used in that position to use in the state legislature. His vast experience in natural resource management is particularly well suited to SD 32 given the large component of public lands, and the challenges of rapid growth in the district.
JP Pomnichowski, Senate District 33
Incumbent Senator Pomnichowski will run for her another term in the Montana Senate, where she currently serves as the Senate Minority Whip and on Senate Taxation, Natural Resources, and Highways & Transportation Committees. She has carried the stream access bill, passed laws for a cancer drug donation program, to protect property values of Main Street Bozeman after the 2009 explosion and fire, and to spur high-tech industry siting in Montana, employing Montanans.
Sam Newville, Senate District 34
A small businessman, Sam has managed Turf Tech since 1993 and owned it for the past 11 years. Sam has been a resident of this district for 36 years and raised his family there. He feels that it’s time that we quit cutting back when it doesn’t offer us a secure future in a growing county. He believes that our children are our future and we are not fulfilling our promise to them by cutting taxes and risking their future.
Montana State House of Representatives
Jim Hamilton, House District 61
Rep Hamilton is running for a second term in the legislature. In the Montana House he served on the Taxation, Transportation, and Agriculture committees. Recently, he was appointed to a new subcommittee to study Montana’s tax structure. He co-presented with Rep Zach Brown at a December meeting to help explain the budget cuts that occurred as a result of the regular session, special session and potential results from the Federal tax cuts http://bit.ly/2m9DfeX.
Tom Woods, House District 62
Minority Caucus Chair Tom Woods is running for his fourth and final term in the House. He serves on Appropriations, Joint Education Finance, and Rules Committees. Woods has the distinction of being the first representative in the history of the Montana Legislature to pass legislation opposed by NorthWestern Energy. He is also known for his work on health care reform and public pensions.
Zach Brown, House District 63
Rep. Brown is running for his third term in the House. He serves on the House Fish, Wildlife & Parks Committee, as well as House Taxation Committee, and is vice-chair of the Natural Resource Committee and vice chair of the Water Policy Interim Committee. With Rep. Hamilton, Brown co-hosted the local town hall mentioned above. See the full video here http://bit.ly/2m9DfeX
Denise Albrecht, House District 64
First-time candidate Denise Albrecht, a native of Great Falls and a Gallatin County resident for 24 years, has had two careers. She began as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker advocating for children and families in Great Falls and Gallatin County. More recently she has acted as head coach of the MSU women’s tennis team where she served up 132 victories. Over 15 years as coach, Albrecht led the Bobcats to 13 Big Sky Conference tournament appearances. She now plans to apply this same winning strategy to her campaign in House District 64.
Chris Pope, House District 65
Pope, one of the driving forces behind rebuilding Main Street after the gas explosion in March 2005, is running for his second term in the House. As a successful small businessman, he served in HD 65 in 2015 and is running to return to this seat in 2019.
Denise Hayman, House District 66
Incumbent Denise Hayman is running for her third term in the House. During that time, she has served as Vice-Chair of the Federal Relations, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, as a member of the Local Government Committee, the State Administration Committee, and on the Audit Committee. Hayman, a long-time Bozeman School board member, is an advocate for quality public education. She sponsored a bill that allowed fire districts and fire service areas to consolidate. She supports efforts to strengthen small business. She believes strongly that public lands should stay in public hands and that Montana consumers should have access to renewable energy.
Kristine Menicucci, House District 67
First-time candidate Kris Menicucci is running in a district that has been her home for 28 years, and where she has served on the City Council since 2013 and on the Board of Trustees of the Belgrade Library. Menicucci is a retired intermediate school teacher, and has served two generations of Belgrade children. She is a strong advocate of public education and health and human services.
Seth Mangini, House District 68
With a Master’s Degree in Earth Sciences from Montana State, Seth currently works for the US Forest Service, Bridger Bowl, and as a consulting geochemist for the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership at MSU. He believes people with a background in science and technology are highly underrepresented in public office, particularly those with a strong knowledge of energy issues. While at MSU, he worked for a Department of Energy partnership on carbon capture and sequestration technology for power plants, which has application in places like Colstrip, to help bring the next generation of energy jobs to our state. He sees the main obstacle implementing this technology is not technical, it is political, and would like to bring his expertise to the Montana Legislature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdYM-0guDFc&feature=youtu.be ###
Gallatin County Democrats
info@gallatindemocrats.com; 406-570-1033
www.GallatinDemocrats.com
On Facebook at Gallatin County Democrats
On Twitter @Gallatindem
For further information call Elizabeth Marum, 406-570-1033
