DEMOCRATS ENERGIZED BY LOCAL AND STATE CANDIDATES FILING ON FIRST DAY
New candidates, incumbents and a former legislator fill the Democratic ranks for County Offices and State Legislature.
BOZEMAN, MT. The Gallatin Democrats proudly announce a strong slate of capable, qualified leaders running in the 2018 election for County offices and State House and Senate seats. Included is a promising group of new candidates inspired to work for smart solutions on local issues and good government. Nine candidates are filing for Montana House and Senate seats including four women and five men. Filing for Gallatin County Commission and County Clerk and Recorder are two men, Scott MacFarlane and Eric Semerad, respectively.
A press conference will be held on Thursday, January 11, at 9 am, on the steps of the Gallatin County Courthouse. This is the first day candidates can file to run for elected office. All are welcome to attend and to meet the candidates.
“There is momentum and vibrancy among Democrats that we can make gains all the way around in 2018,” said Senator Pomnichowski. “We make the most effective difference at the local and state level, though 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 are the following candidates:
Gallatin County
Scott MacFarlane, candidate for County Commission.
Scott is Facilities Director for Belgrade Public Schools where he manages a staff of over 30 personnel, 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.
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 Recording 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 serve the people of Gallatin County by continuing to make county records easily accessible and running open and efficient elections.
Montana State Senate
JP Pomnichowski, Senate District 33
Incumbent Senator Pomnichowski will run for her another term in the Montana Senate this year where she currently serves as the Senate Minority Whip and on Taxation, Natural Resources and Highways & Transportation committees. In the last session, she passed a bill allowing hunters to electronically validate their hunting tags using a phone app.
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.
Montana State House of Representatives
Jim Hamilton, House District 61
Rep Hamilton is running for a second term. In the MT House he served on the Taxation, Transportation and Ag 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 recently terminated his campaign for US Congress and is instead 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 MT 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 Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and Taxation, and is vice-chair of Natural Resource Committee and vice chair of Water Policy Interim Committee. With Rep. Hamilton, Brown co-hosted the local town hall mentioned above. Again, you 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 Representative Denise Hayman is running for her third term in the House where she has served as Vice-Chair of the Federal Relations, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, as a member of the Local Government Committee, State Administration Committee, and 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, saving taxpayers money. 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.
A press conference with all the candidates will be held on the steps of the Gallatin County Courthouse at 9 am, on January 11, the first day the Secretary of State allows candidates to file for office. The Gallatin Democrats are inspired by this smart, qualified and hard-working group of public leaders. We plan to do all we can to get them elected.
