Page 29 - Flathead Beacon // 10.29.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
OPINION
OCTOBER 29, 2014 | 29 a corporate lawyer named Lawrence
VanDyke. All Montanans who believe in a fair and impartial Court need to be aware of this.
VanDyke did not practice law in Montana until just last year. Before then, he devoted most of his nine-year career to Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, a 1,100 lawyer international corporate law firm in Washington, D.C. and Texas. The firm is notable for defending Wall Street and foreign banks and various corporate wrong-doers against criminal and civil charges. It also lobbies for these clients in Washington, D.C. Given this background, Mr. VanDyke is an excellent corporate pick, although that is obviously not good news for Montanans.
Another reason VanDyke is an excellent corporation choice is his belief “corporations are people,” who have an unlimited constitutional right to corrupt political and judicial elections with their money and power. This is unsurprising, since VanDyke’s law firm represented the special interest group arguing the same thing in Citizens United v. FEC.
Corporate influences show up in VanDyke’s funding in two places. First, his campaign reports show numerous out-of-state lawyers, who represent major corporations, are maximum contributors to his campaign. This includes over 20 corporate lawyers at Gibson Dunn – including lawyers who represented Citizens United. Second, corporations and their political backers are contributing large sums of money to third-party front groups, who are starting to run attack ads and distribute other misinformation to destroy Justice Wheat’s reputation and hence, gain a seat on our court through the election of VanDyke.
Corporations are buying judicial races because they want judges who will not hold them accountable. If the disinformation they are spreading successfully manipulates Montanans into electing an unqualified corporate lawyer, we will lose our fair and impartial court. We will also lose the services of Justice Wheat, who has a 40-year record of unselfish service to Montanans from the time he was a decorated Marine in Vietnam, including a Purple Heart, to the day in 2009, when Montana’s Judicial Selection Committee and the governor chose him from many other qualified applicants to serve on our Supreme Court. As a judge, he has not been afraid to hold corporations accountable, which is why they are after him.
As one of Montana’s senators commented: “Big and foreign corporations [should not be given] free reign to secretly buy American elections ... We can and we must push back telling them: Not in Montana. Not in America.” That is what this race is really all about. That is why we must re-elect Justice Wheat.
Erik B. Thueson Helena
THESE CANDIDATES WILL PROTECT TAXPAYERS’ MONEY
It’s election time folks and we have the privilege of getting out and voting as a responsible citizen. We have some excellent candidates running for office. They have proven themselves to be hardworking, honest citizens who have the best interest of how the taxpayers’ money should be spent. Please vote for Phil Mitchell for Commissioner, Steve Daines for U.S. Senate, Ryan Zinke for U.S. Congress, Lawrence VanDyke for Supreme Court, Mark Blasdel for Senate District 4, Doug Adams for House District 5, Brad Johnson for Public Service Commission District 5, Debbie Pierson for Clerk and Recorder. Vote yes on Legislative Referendum LR-126.
Marianne Dyon Whitefish
SCHNEBEL’S BUSINESS AND TOURISM BACKGROUND AN ASSET
I believe that Stacey Schnebel is an ideal candidate for our open Flathead County commission seat and urge you to vote for her. She has a strong background in small business, technology and our tourism economy. While most of us would probably like Montana to remain our own “Last Best Place,” with only just over 1 million people living here, tourism helps us pay the bills: In 2013, tourism brought in a record amount. The Montana Department of Commerce reports “without tourism tax dollars, it is estimated that each Montana household would have to pay $544 in additional local and state taxes.” Because Ms. Schebel has worked in the business and tourism industries in Whitefish, Coram, West Glacier and Columbia Falls she has an intimate knowledge of half of the county, as well as established working relationships with people in those communities and on a statewide level. She owns homes in Coram and Whitefish (and did when she voted there, legally per our county election office), and knows both communities well.
Her opponent has been active in one town only, Whitefish, with its unique character, and does not have the broad understanding of how these other areas of our county work. I also appreciate Ms. Schnebel’s drive to learn about what her job would entail as a county commissioner. She’s met with every department head and attended various meetings to educate herself about the real duties of a county commissioner. She is a quiet, intense listener and answers the “real” question, even if its not one you want to hear. (For example, I’ve worked hard to keep the Whitefish “doughnut” planning in Whitefish, but she is supportive of immediate zoning for the county residents “so they can move on with their lives.”) I respect her willingness to speak honestly and be decisive about situations in our community that have been difficult to work out. If you show up to our public process with concerns, I believe that Stacey Schnebel will integrate your viewpoint into her decision making with sensitivity, intelligence and good humor.
It is a pleasure to be able to consider a candidate with high ethical and business acumen for this position, as well as great “people” skills, and I would encourage you to elect her to lead us for the next six years as our county commissioner. She will be a pleasure for all of us to work with.
Rebecca Norton Whitefish
PROUD TO SUPPORT MITCHELL
Phil Mitchell, the Republican candidate for county commissioner, will make an outstanding county commissioner. Phil is a conservative that has run a very positive campaign. He has stated his beliefs and priorities since the beginning of his campaign. There is no question were Phil stands on the issues. His priorities are protecting private property rights; protecting our water rights regarding the CSKT Water Compact; promoting and helping all businesses thrive so we can provide good paying jobs for Flathead County citizens; supporting our natural resource industries and the good jobs they provide; providing only as much government as is necessary to protect health and safety, but no more.
Phil is a man of honesty and integrity who will tell you what he believes and you can count on his word. This is a rare trait for any candidate running for public office these days. Phil is an extremely successful college educated businessman who believes in giving back to his community. He has volunteered hundreds and hundreds of hours on projects that have benefitted his community. Phil has 10 years of public service experience serving on the Whitefish City Council and Whitefish School Board. This gives him the administrative and budget experience necessary to be effective on day one in the commissioner Job. The voters of Flathead County are very fortunate to have a candidate so qualified with honesty and integrity on the ballot. I am proud to support and urge you to vote for Phil Mitchell, the honest, experienced Republican candidate for Flathead County commissioner.
Jeff H. Larsen Lakeside
SCHNEBEL THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER
On Nov. 4, Flathead County residents will have the opportunity to exercise their civic duty and vote. I hope that everyone will take the opportunity to educate themselves on the candidates and the issues. I’m not talking about listening to slick campaign ads, I’m talking about real research from a neutral source as well as calling the candidates to see where they stand on the issues. My question is: will The People choose more of the same [inaction, stonewalling and indifference to the people] or will people finally realize that its time for real change in leadership from the status quo. Congress has an approval rating of a whopping 9 percent so one could assume that folks are ready for a change. For me, the
choice is clear – voting for Democratic candidates is a vote for The People, you and me, the working class, the elderly, our veterans, our children and the sick and downtrodden. On the other hand, a vote for Republicans will result in more of the same; more tax breaks for the wealthy and continued subsidies and loopholes for large corporations at the expense of the middle class. More of the same might be nice if you are in the 1 percent, but for the rest of us, not so much.
We have an opportunity as citizens to change the direction of the status quo both locally and nationally. We can elect Stacey Schnebel for Flathead County commissioner and know that she will look out for the interests of all Flathead Valley residents and especially our aging population here in the Flathead. Her opponent, Phil Mitchell, apparently does not believe in the democratic process since he won’t publicly debate Stacey because it “is not in his best interest.” Really Phil? What about the democratic process and the best interest of The People? For someone who purports to want to represent the people, I find it difficult to understand why he would refuse them the opportunity to hear him debate the real issues.
In House District 5 we have an excellent representative in Ed Lieser, who has a proven track record and the ability to work across the aisle and get things done, whereas Doug Adams promises “no new legislation” and more of the same ... stonewalling and inaction. A vote for Amanda Curtis for Senate is another vote for working class Montanans, assuring that we all have a voice, as opposed to Steve Daines, who is another millionaire that is out of touch with the majority of citizens he purports to represent. And finally, John Lewis is clearly The People’s candidate who has made it clear where he stands on the issues that matter most to Montanans, as opposed to Ryan Zinke who has flip- flopped on nearly every important issue simply to pander to the voters.
Regardless of where you stand on the issues and candidates, I hope that each and every one of you reading this, takes the time to inform yourselves of the issues, find out where the candidates stand, and show up at the polls to exercise your right to vote and make your voice be heard.
Sandra McDonald Whitefish
VANDYKE: THE CORPORATIONS’ CHOICE
For the past two decades, major corporations and their front groups have been doing to America’s courts what they had already done to Congress and state legislatures. They are using their wealth and power to buy judicial elections and install judges who are responsive to their interests rather than the interests of American citizens. As newspapers and commentators have warned, this year the corporations are coming to Montana. The judge they intend to take out is Justice Michael Wheat. They want to replace him with