Both Doug Adams and John Myers cite the future of Montana’s children in their concerns as they seek election to the Montana House of Representatives, but each seeks that future through a different path.

In the June 3 primary election, Adams and Myers are seeking the Republican nomination for House District 5, which encompasses the greater Whitefish area. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Ed Lieser in the November general election.

Adams, who runs a landscaping business, said he is driven by the desire to provide a positive future for his own children and the notion that getting upset about the way things are does you no good if you’re not willing to do anything about it yourself.

“To me it’s quite the sacrifice because I’m going to take time away from my family, but if somebody does not do that, I have to be very concerned about what is going to be there for my kids when they’re grown,” Adams said. “I’d rather sacrifice now so by the time they’re grown, America’s on the right track again and my kids can afford to live here if they want to.”

He added that not only is he concerned with the financial environment, but also with fostering a social environment in which they can raise their own children.

Adams opposes the possible Medicaid expansion based on his belief that it is an inefficient system that increases welfare while not really helping anyone and opposes Common Core standards because he thinks the input of parents and local teachers is more appropriate than a “one-size-fits-all” plan from the federal government.

He also said he opposes the water compact with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes because no one has yet given him a reason that it is needed other than fear of being sued. If he was given a valid reason, he said, he could support it.

“My agenda, if you want to call it that, is actually to stand up to the federal government where the federal government is failing. In other words, to provide some pushback,” Adams said. “I think we’ve sort of reached a critical point where the federal government is running roughshod over the state and you’re starting to see some of the states push back.”

He plans to work to keep taxes as low as possible, believing tax increases should only occur when approved by voters and opposing livestock and business equipment taxes. He also supports Montana becoming a right-to-work state.

“It’s also about what my constituents want,” he said. “I need to represent them well, not just myself.”

Adams described himself as being able to look at things in a “logical, common-sense kind of way,” and that he can separate emotions from facts. He pointed to his experience on the Whitefish City Council as having prepared him to deal with the general way political processes work.

Myers, an attorney, is the son of a teacher and has been involved in both the School District 5 Board of Trustees and the Flathead High Speech and Debate Team.

He said he believes strongly in supporting education by providing resources including increased fiber-optic and other technology infrastructure.

“We have a strong public education system in the state and we need to keep supporting that, to make sure schools have the resources they need,” he said.

He referred specifically to an issue he saw while involved with the school board, that of cellphones in classrooms. Myers believes they should be allowed due to available applications that could make them useful tools for learning.

“And if a teacher feels their students can benefit from technology, then why not?” he said.

Myers also sees those infrastructure improvements — along with improvements to roads, airports and the like — as a benefit to businesses in the state as well as a draw for businesses in other states looking to relocate.

“Especially now, in the age of technology where you can work remotely, there’s nothing stopping businesses from leaving urban areas,” he said.

Funding those efforts, according to Myers, will take serious steps including reviewing the tax system and considering possible tax reform. He supports a sales tax in Montana, but declined to comment on any details of such a tax.

As for why he chose to run, Myers gave much the same reasoning as Adams.

“I think there are a lot of changes we need to make in the state and I got tired of being somebody who sits on the sideline and complains rather than doing something about it,” he said.

Myers is a fifth-generation Montanan and a native of the Flathead Valley.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.