'Work begins now' for candidates, constituents
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
By Neil Peterson
Executive Director
Gaming Industry Association
The work begins now.
The June 3 primary elections "are in the bag and the bag s in the river," to paraphrase my good friend and former Helena radio sportscaster Cato The Cat Butler.
But a quick visit to a number of candidate websites tells us while they are grateful to have survived their primary race, the real work for them begins now.
There are many positive things about living in Montana and one of them is our citizen legislative system.
Our senators and representatives aren t full time politicians'; they own businesses or hold jobs just like the rest of us. Most of them grew up in their district, went to school, participated in community activities, and raised families alongside many of us.
The same holds true for the candidates for statewide offices.
One of my favorite stories about Montana s political climate took place a number of years ago. I was playing along with some of my fellow Helena basketballers in a charity basketball game against Denver Bronco football players.
At halftime, a drawing for the raffle s grand prize was to take place with the Governor drawing the winning ticket. The emcee started by saying the Governor was going to draw the winning ticket but for some reason couldn t make the game. Someone from the crowd shouted out the Governor was sitting right over there in the stands.
Only in Montana could the Governor of a state sit in the stands and not everyone in the building know he s there. Imagine the Governor of California going to a local event and remaining incognito.
While a citizen legislature is a good thing, there are a few challenges associated with such a system. With term limits, every two years there are new candidates running for office. It s a tough learning curve to come up to speed on all the issues that are confronting the state, from education funding to natural resource development to taxation to the myriad of social issues. And if they are successful in getting elected, learning the ins and outs of the legislative process is no small task.
Maybe that is why those candidate websites tell us the work begins now. The work also begins now for all of us.
We need to get out and visit with the candidates from our areas. Candidates appreciate the opportunity to visit with their constituents to learn what issues are important to them and how they can best represent those interests when they go to Helena.
Take some time to meet the candidates from your area and let them know what issues are important to you and your business. Get to know them and let them know their votes on an issue have an effect on real people and real businesses. Participate in the process to the extent your individual situation allows.
After all is said and done, we don t want to be scratching our heads and wondering what happened.
That s why the Work Begins Now.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, April, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.