Catherine Allen

Catherine Allen earned a high school diploma from Beaverhead County High School. Allen earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Montana in 2006. Allen's career experience includes working as a homemaker.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A native Montanan, I grew up in Dillon and have lived in the Flathead for almost a decade. I have three children, ages 11, 6, and 2 who attend public school in our district. I have two bachelor's degrees in history and music. In my free time, I sing in the Glacier Chorale, ski, hike in Glacier, go camping with my family and travel.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The time for bipartisan cooperation is now, and I will fight for what matters to locals while trying to bridge the gap between parties--increasing dialogue, decreasing animosity, and working together towards practical solutions. I will work to keep local government approachable and accountable.I see firsthand how important public school funding is and want to be a part of fixing the state funding formula this year so that the burden of school upkeep doesn't fall as much to taxpayers. I'll work to raise the school inflation adjustment above the current 3% cap to reflect actual operating costs and increase the Quality Educator Payment to make rural teaching positions competitive.We need more property tax relief. I support ballot initiative CI-129 that caps annual property evaluations on primary residences at 2%. We also need more workforce investment funding so people can afford to live where they work. We need state incentives for building homes priced for teachers, nurses, and essential workers.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm very passionate about fixing the school funding formula--something that happens once every ten years--that is crippling our public schools. I also want to keep continued open access of our public lands and waterways for recreation, hunting, fishing, and sustainable development and push to increase state fees for extraction and development on public lands in order to keep the Public Lands Trust better funded. In addition, I want us to invest in rural clinics and telehealth infrastructure and increase Montana's Medicaid reimbursement rates so providers can work in rural areas and patients can get care there.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Flathead County Democratic Central Committee