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I’d like to thank the folks of Richland County for their support in my campaign for House District 35. We had many people reach out with offers to help campaign, and to host yard signs, and many others with prayers and well wishes. I’ve spoken with the incumbent and he wished me well, and I wish him well in his other endeavors. I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring real Conservatism back to Helena and to represent the needs of Richland County. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Brandon Ler...
Dear Editor: Matt Rosendale is the real deal I have known Matt Rosendale for many years and have been involved with him in multiple settings. Through it all Matt has remained steadfast and true, never taking his eye off the goal or being distracted by the fracas of politics. Through hard work and self-determination Matt has risen through the ranks to earn his present position as Montana’s Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. While many claim to be conservative, Matt has proven it. From his voting record in the Montana Legislature, to h...
Dear Editor: Setting the Record Straight There have been many outright lies made about Joel Krautter in his re-election. If you look at the letters against Joel, you’ll notice the majority is from out-of-town and the few that are local are from Joel’s normal critics. At any rate, I feel compelled to address some of the most glaring falsehoods. Let’s start with questioning Joel’s Republican status. The Republican Party is not just for far right people. There is a range of views within the party, from far right to moderate. They are all still R...
Dear Editor: Let Environment Council Hear From You On Radioactive Waste For six years citizens have worked with the Department of Environmental Quality to write rules setting safeguards for disposal of oilfield radioactive waste called TENORM. Richland County Commissioner Duane Mitchell served on the stakeholder working group. He promoted standards consistent with surrounding states to prevent Montana from becoming a dumping ground for out-of-state radioactive waste. Richland County Commissioner Shane Gorder and Civil Attorney Tom Halvorson...
Dear Editor, I am saddened to see politics in Richland County more vicious than I have ever seen it. Based on recent letters to the editor, petty personal attacks cast a cloud on real issues that need to be addressed. We need discussion on how adequate funding for our public schools and rural healthcare can be sustained in the current economic climate. On a positive note, I met a gentleman the other day from Glendive who is running for Senate District 18, which encompasses Wibaux, Dawson and Richland counties. His name is Pat Mischel and I...
Dear Editor, I am writing to recommend a couple of men who were great Legislators and would now like to serve Montana in a different capacity. One of these men is Senator Scott Sales. Scott is the only person in Montana history who was picked by his peers to serve as both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. He served as President of the Senate for both sessions that I was in the Senate. One thing I can say from that experience is that Scott was one of the purest voters I’ve known, he was firm, yet he was fair to everyone. Scott u...
The Rest Of The Story Dear Editor: I am saddened when an elected leader of the majority party in the Montana State Legislature becomes involved in a personal attack on an incumbent Legislator, of their party, in a district 500+ miles away, for putting his constituents ahead of partisanship. This also appears to apply, in the opinion of some, in the local central committee. Sort of like a "purity" requirement based on their views. President Ronald Reagan said, in effect, "do not speak ill of a fellow Republican." HB 658, the Medicaid reform bill...
Richland County Needs Joel’s Representation In Helena Dear Editor, Montanans are facing trying times, and COVID-19 isn’t giving our eastern communities a pass. Whether you’re an employer struggling to pencil out the coming months, or an employee who’s been laid off and facing an uncertain future – the pandemic is impacting everyone. This crisis is justifiably front and center today, but we need to start thinking about how we rebuild our economy when the threat has passed. Elections are coming up, and when your ballot reaches your doorstep it’s...
Dear Editor: In the 2020 primary season for HD35 there seems to be much misinformation circulating. Joel Krautter has claimed in his various letters, Facebook posts, and mailings that his vote for Medicaid Expansion Renewal didn’t provide funding for abortion and that those reporting his voting record are “extremists.” Let me address these two accusations. First, contrary to Rep. Krautter and a few other woefully misinformed (but probably well-intentioned) supporters, Medicaid absolutely does...
Dear Editor: Last week, Brad Tschida, a legislator from Missoula wrote a letter to the editor criticizing me. There is a reason why Tschida is attacking me: I disagree with Tschida on many issues. While I normally ignore baseless attacks, because of the current COVID-19 situation I am limited in the personal conversations I would be able to have during a regular campaign season and I want you to know the truth. Tschida voted against a bill to prohibit sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants in Montana; I voted to prohibit sanctuary cities in...
Dear Editor: I have served in the Montana House of Representatives for the past seven years in your neighboring house district. I know both of your Republican candidates for HD #35 very well. The voters of Richland County are fortunate to have such a clear and distinct choice in the upcoming Republican primary. The dictionary defines misrepresentation as “the action or offense of giving a false or misleading account of the nature of something”. For the last two years Richland County has been misrepresented in the Montana House of Rep...
Letter To The Editor In response to Brad Tschida’s editorial comments on House Representative Joel Krautter’s voting record, I as a Montana’ taxpayer and voter the past 44 years, did some research. SB 338, collection of bed/hotel taxes, provides funds for the Historic preservation grant program: historic sites, museums, tourist promotion, maintenance of state parks and construction of the Montana Heritage Center. HB 661, the aviation fuel tax, will increase revenues for MDT’s grants to local public use airports (Glendive and Sidney), aviatio...
Dear Editor: Several weeks ago, before the letters to the editor by Representative Joel Krautter, Julie Millam of Helena and Glenda Edgeworth of Stevensville, I had been asked for my opinion about the allegation that Representative Joel Krautter’s vote for Medicaid reform supported abortion. My ‘off the top of my head’ response included these points. 1. Having had several conversations with Mr. Krautter personally I have no reason to question his sincerity when he says he is anti-abortion and very pro-life. 2. I know that he is part of a stron...
Dear Editor: During the last legislative session, I had the distinct pleasure to represent Montana’s farmers and ranchers and advocate on issues of importance to the agriculture community. Now a proud Sidney resident, I am supporting Joel Krautter’s re-election campaign for representative because of the strong work I personally saw him do for agriculture in Helena. Thankfully the 2019 legislature was one of the most productive for agriculture with the passage of important legislation like HB 50 which Joel sponsored to hold commodity dea...
Dear Editor: I am a Democrat and I know a Republican when I see one. Joel is a Republican friend of mine, as are many other Republicans in this community. The smear campaign that the Ler camp is attempting is less than graceful. - Cara Lokken-Frandsen...
Dear Editor, I am the current Republican Majority Leader in the Montana House. Early in the 2019 Legislative Session, I noticed Freshman Rep. Joel Krautter voting for bills that were contrary to established Republican Platform positions. I visited with him to ask about the basis of his votes, having knowledge of the values of voters in Richland County through my relationship with his predecessors, Reps. David Halvorson and Scott Staffanson, and his current Senator, Steve Hinebauch. As the Republican Majority Leader, elected by the majority of t...
Dear Editor, ‘Krautter is a Prolife Ally’ When considering support of a candidate, our first concern is whether or not that person is pro-life. Through talking with Representative Joel Krautter and reviewing his voting record, we have found him to be 100% pro-life. In addition, the Montana Family Foundation gave him a 100% score. If there were any concerns, he would not have received that score. Representative Krautter has also co-sponsored pro-life legislation in Helena. It is deeply disturbing to read the lies being perpetrated about him supp...
Pro-life organizations around the state are aghast at Joel Krautter’s assertions in your wonderful publication. As a decades-long resident of Montana, a Constitutional Republican, a Christian volunteer, and a pro-life activist, the record needs to be set straight. As the Montana Family Foundation has made abundantly clear, the Medicaid expansion rule that Krautter voted for along with Montana House Democrats, did indeed provide for tax-payer funded abortions. Krautter claims he has an A-score with the Montana Family Foundation, but that score d...
I saw Rep. Joel Krautter’s article in the Roundup, as did many conservatives around the state, and I want to respond to it. As the former executive director of the Montana Family Coalition, I need to respond to it for the sake of honesty. The first thing that you need to know is that Krautter, in calling pro-life voters “extremists,” is actually mimicking word-for-word a fake news site set up by the leftist “Solutions Caucus” called the “Extremist Chronicles.” Favored by the progressives with whom Krautter caucuses in Helena against Repub...
The commencement of election season has brought a rash of fake news being written by right-wing extremists, borrowing a play from the radical left, and spread on social media about my voting record. The distortions concern pro-life issues and my vote this past session for the Medicaid Reform and Integrity Act (MRIA) that our Sidney Health Center asked me to support. It’s disappointing to see politically motivated misrepresentations, but I’m glad to highlight my pro-life work, set the record straight, and help people be better able to ide...
Large numbers of Richland County people have given public comment about closure of MDU’s Lewis and Clark Station at Sidney. We did this four times to MDU and three times to the Public Service Commission. Richland County Commissioners have filed written public comment. With a few precious exceptions such as PSC Commissioner Randy Pinocci, we have been speaking to people who have plugged their ears. One PSC commissioner has even complained about us being allowed to appear before them. Public comment is good, but we need to take further steps. W...
Dear Editor, For years we have watched the passion of the “Pro-choice” and anti-gun people and the progress they have made. There has been over 50 million babies killed by abortion since 1973, plus thousands of women have died, in the process. The anti-gun people have taken several runs at trying to take our guns away across the nation and even in this state. The most recent attempt that made the headlines was in Virginia. The point being, we have a problem. My wife and I had the privilege of going to Sidney to the meeting held on Jan. 20 to...
Dear Editor, I would like to sincerely thank the many attendees at the town hall forum hosted by the Republican Party to discuss making Richland County a sanctuary county for the Second Amendment and the Right to Life. I was very pleased to see so many of our neighbors attend the event, which was likely a record of some kind for the county. As we proceed in this venture, with so many in support, we should realize that not everyone is in agreement. When that is the case, we should state our...
Dear Richland County, As pastors in this community with the charge to care for the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40), our heart is burdened for the unborn. We encourage the attendance of all people of faith and/or conscience to attend the Jan. 20 meeting at the Extension Office at 7 p.m. to lend their voice on the subject of Richland County becoming a Sanctuary County for Life. We believe that your voice will be important in this matter. The clergy of this community are united on the subject of protecting those who need protected the most. We...
Many of you may not remember who “Dr Dirt” was. I am an Internal Medicine physician who has worked in this area since 1986. I took a sabbatical from medicine for several years. I have been back in medicine for over six years, doing what I was always meant to do. During my sabbatical I ran a small landscaping business with my three sons. I did a variety of other things as well. I wrote a weekly newspaper column for “The Roundup” for five years that was entitled “Dr Dirt.” After reading the obituary on the legendary Russ Wells and attending his m...
