Republican Doug Adams is running to serve in the state House of Representative because he wants to give back to his community.

“I love Montana and in particular Whitefish,” he said. “This is a great way to give back.”

Adams is challenging incumbent Democrat Ed Lieser in the race for House District 5.

Adams moved from Atlanta to Montana in 2000 and started a landscaping company. A former Whitefish City Councilor, Adams has served his adopted hometown before.

If elected to serve in Helena, Adams says he may sponsor some specific bills, but says laws should not be designed to solve individual problems because the net result is that there is constantly new laws.

“I’m not going to see how many laws I can make,” he said. “A lot of people feel we’re overregulated to death and that government could stand to tread more lightly.”

Adams said he will be cautious about any new laws that are passed, but his specific goal is to make sure the government is doing what is best for the people.

“Whether you’re looking at the economy or pushing back against unfunded federal mandates or protecting personal freedoms,” he said. “I think all of that is important.”

Adams says he believes local government should hold more power and points to Whitefish as an example.

“The city of Whitefish tightened its belt buckle when it needed to when the economy was bad,” he said. “They lived within their means, even when it hurt.”

He also pointed to The Wave, Smith Fields and the Stumptown Ice Den as positive examples of public-private partnerships creating something for the community.

“Private people that work with the public entity and through fundraising and volunteerism have created amazing amenities,” he said. “They did it because the private sector worked with the public entity. They are not sitting back saying the government should give us this.”

The public school system could take a lesson from private schools when it comes to managing funding, he noted. Adams says private schools are often able to accomplish more with less money.

He notes that Whitefish has a new high school building and relatively new middle school building.

“We’re not lacking in facilities at all,” he said. “Based on test scores and colleges that students attend, I would say we’re not failing as far as the quality of teachers.”

Adams says the notion of school funding is a catch-all phrase.

“What are you really saying when you talk about school funding,” he said. “My guess is that what people are saying is they want more benefits for teachers and administrators, and better pay. We all want better pay, but the market dictates what the pay is.”

Adams said the state has to follow past commitments on retirement benefits, but in the future, compromises will have to be made from both sides to continue benefits.

Adams says those that talk about school funding aren’t always talking about the students, and that’s where the conversation should be about whether more funding is needed.

“Be honest in what you’re talking about,” he said. “I think a lot of people are hiding behind the kids. When it comes to school funding, I would like to hear what issues they are really talking about.”

He points to fundraisers by booster clubs and parent-teacher organizations for extracurricular programs as ways to provide more funds.

“Private parties work with public institutions and the more that goes on the better the system will be,” he said.

Adams says he doesn’t think Montana needs a sales tax, but it does need more flexibility in the resort tax. He feels no sales tax is a benefit to the state’s economy.

“If you look at the great benefits in Whitefish from the resort tax, it’s amazing,” he said. “The best tax is one we don’t have to pay and when you consider out-of-state residents pay the great majority of it, I can’t complain.”

Adams is against the idea of expanding Medicare in the state.

“It’s yet another form of welfare,” he said. “Welfare is not the answer to any problem. Let’s work to solve the problem, not find another way to give people welfare.”

Welfare programs give the message that the government will take care of those who aren’t making it, Adams said.

“We can’t afford it,” he said. “If I’m making laws, I’m taking money out of [taxpayers] pockets and I shouldn’t do that just to give to somebody else. That’s wrong.”

Entitlement programs don’t work because of fraud and bureaucracy, he noted, and would be better managed at the local level.

“If the federal government was not wasting so much of our tax dollars, then they could give that back to the state, and if the state would do that then it could give it back to the county and then to the city,” he said. “The city would have the ability to do the social programs and our taxes would be a whole lot lower.”