Letter

Cleveland is the Best Option for Montana’s First Congressional District

We deserve a representative who will listen to us

By John Dunwoody

Back in May I took a trip from my home south of Big Sky up to Kalispell to visit Flathead Lake. As a concerned citizen, I made stops on the way at Representative Ryan Zinke’s Missoula and Kalispell offices, hoping to ask some questions because he does not have an office in Bozeman, Big Sky, or West Yellowstone, even though we are also his constituents. Both his Missoula and Kalispell offices appeared to be unstaffed and empty.

Later that month I attended a town hall in Bozeman to which Mr. Zinke had been invited, intending to ask questions. He did not show up to the town hall. And in October, one of Mr. Zinke’s staff members was supposed to be at a mobile town hall in Dillon. The staff member did not arrive until 15 minutes before the session ended. Does this sound like a representative who cares about his constituents?

A search for Mr. Zinke’s voting record will show that he consistently votes in accordance with the wishes of the Trump administration. The administration’s policies have resulted in higher healthcare and grocery costs for Montanans, and Ryan Zinke is complicit in this. We the people of Montana’s first congressional district deserve a representative who will listen to us and who will fight for our interests.

Russell Cleveland was born and raised in western Montana and is invested in his community and the people who live in it. Russell plans to fight in Congress to lower healthcare costs and the price of basic necessities, and he cares deeply about the needs of the people of Montana and will fight for us in the House of Representatives. I fervently believe that Russell Cleveland is the best option for Montana’s first congressional district, and I am proud to support his campaign.

John Dunwoody
Gallatin Gateway