Letters to the editor Oct. 11

Change election

Montana is known to have the most liberal Supreme Court in the nation. We have an opportunity to change that this election cycle. I have listened to the two candidates and researched who supports them. Please join me in voting for Dan Wilson for Montana Supreme Court.  

— Pam Holmquist, Flathead County commissioner

Flint endorsement

I first met Aaron Flint nearly 20 years ago when our wives introduced us. Amy and Jessica have been lifelong friends and our families remain close, bonded by a shared commitment to serving our communities and country. He hasn’t changed since. He’s steady, the same in private as in public, in hard times as in easy ones, and his family has backed him 100% through years of service.

I work as a rural firefighter in Missoula County, and that work has taught me what it takes to answer the call and what it asks of the families waiting at home.

Aaron understands that sacrifice. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and came home with two Bronze Stars. He knows what deployment asks of a family: the missed birthdays, the long silences, the worry that never fully goes away. Law enforcement officers, firefighters and military families live with some version of that every day.

Over the years, Aaron has consistently stood with law enforcement, first responders and our military, not just when it’s convenient, but when it counts. Montana needs a representative in Congress who will make sure they have the support they need and won’t forget the families behind them.

Steady character is hard to find. Aaron has it. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Aaron Flint for Congress.

— Casey Porte, Missoula

Bodnar wants results for Montana

While it goes against our instinctive loyalties, for those of us who are tired of  fractious politics, voting for an independent this year offers real representation that is not bound by party loyalty, platform or the politics of power.  

Montanans take pride in thinking for ourselves. I’m hoping my neighbors recognize the opportunity for informed and sincere representation of our interests and will check out Seth Bodnar’s stance on issues. His priorities for affordability in housing and medical care; for food, energy, economic and military security; for protection of public lands; and his awareness of the ethical lapses in our current Congress demonstrate he knows where we are hurting.  

I’m hoping Montanans of all loyalties will join me in voting for independent Bodnar for the Senate. He’s interested in results — results for our state and for the needs of Montanans — not in going along with a predetermined agenda.  

— Eileen Bech, Kalispell

Constitutional conservative

Please join me in voting for District Court Judge Dan Wilson for the Montana Supreme Court. Dan is fair in his rulings and is a constitutional conservative, which means Dan will follow the constitution without advancing an agenda for special interest groups. 

Dan will follow the plain language of the constitution and the law and not legislate from the bench. Many of us believe we have too many modern judges that legislate from the bench, Dan will help reverse that on the Montana Supreme Court. Dan knows that we have three branches of government and that the judicial branch’s role is to interpret law and not make law. He knows the Legislature’s role is to write the law.

Sadly, many judges either do not know this or they ignore on purpose and legislate from the bench to serve the special interest groups that support them. Dan will bring a constitutional conservative approach that will bring a balance to the Montana Supreme Court that strongly needed in Montana. If you agree that we need a new constitutional conservative on the Montana Supreme Court, please join me in voting for District Court Judge Dan Wilson for the Montana Supreme court.

— Ardis Larsen, Lakeside