Steven Kelly

Steven Kelly was born in San Luis Obispo, California. He attended Lassen County Community College, Blue Mountain Community College, and earned a graduate degree from the University of Phoenix in 2010. His career experience includes working in law enforcement. He has been affiliated with Flathead County Republican Central Committee, Flathead Valley Clay Target Club, and Back Country Horseman of the Flathead.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am proud to be a lifelong conservative and cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan.

The primary industries in my hometown were logging and ranching.

I spent 30 years in law enforcement, starting in a three-person agency in a small Utah town and eventually moving to Washoe County, Nevada, where I served as a Sheriff's Deputy, retiring with the rank of Captain after 25 years.

During my tenure in law enforcement, I served in various departments such as Patrol, Detention, and Administration. As a Lieutenant, I commanded the Hostage Negotiation Team, wrote and managed grants, oversaw technology projects, and was the sheriff's office liaison with the general contractor on major building projects. As a Captain, I wrote the first significant patrol reorganization for the county in 20 years. When I was assigned to the Detention Division, I managed a team of over 200 sworn officers and oversaw a facility with a 1400-bed capacity. I was responsible for a budget of over $34 million and came in under budget for two consecutive years. As a fiscal conservative, I am a serious steward of the taxpayer's money. By my retirement, I received multiple service ribbons and the Meritorious Service Award.

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?

Our property valuation system in Montana is not fair, and taxes need to be capped!

Our current tax system is dependent on the market value at a given time and does not protect property owners from sudden, considerable changes in taxation. This puts homeowners at risk of being taxed out of their homes, which is unacceptable. The taxation system should be stabilized to ensure that any increases are done incrementally and spread out over a long period rather than through sudden surges in the market.

The revenue stream for the State needs to be diversified, so the majority of the budget is not balanced on the backs of property owners.Illegal Immigration is primarily a federal problem. However, it is clear that our federal government has and is failing us with its inadequate and ineffective response to this mounting threat. We should implement all of the legal measures available to us that remove any advantage for those not here legally.In Montana and the United States, judges' impartiality is a fundamental requirement. However, recent rulings on essential issues have raised concerns about their objectivity. Although they claim to be non-partisan, we must take steps to ensure they are genuinely unbiased. I will work with fellow Montana House members to propose changes to the rules for selecting and retaining judges. By doing so, we aim to promote fairness and transparency in the judicial system.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

How we spend our taxes. This is the peoples money and not the personal checking account of our legislators.

Education - schools need to return the their core mission, and that is providing our children with the skills they need to succeed.

Natural resource management - while we do need to be environmentally sensitive we need to develop common sense ways for our state to benefit from the natural resources of which we have in abundance.

Criminal justice - our system is out of capacity. Not enough bed space in prisons. Not enough bed space in our mental health system. Our jails have become the default release valve for these failures and now we do not have enough beds for criminals that commit lesser crimes.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I read alot of history. I like Joshua Chamberlin and how he defended little round top at Gettysburg. And later how he conducted the surrender ceremony at Appomattox. I like Patton, Bradly and Eisenhour for how they conducted the European campaign in WWII.

General Oliver Smith and how he got the Marines out of the Chosin Reservoir battle in Korea. I personally have met Col. Danny Mc Night who led the Rangers out of Mogadishu in Somalia during the Black Hawk Down incident. I have great respect of those who lead under difficult circumstances and are successful. And of course I admire Ronald Reagan. I saw him speak once as governor of California at UC Davis. I was there for a 4-H leadership conference. I was impressed that he would take the time to speak to us kids. I was appalled at what the paper said about his speech afterwards as the write up went to great lengths to distort what he actually said. I believe that he was probably to most genuine president that we have had and I honestly believe he always tried to do the right thing.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Probably "the Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Accountability. Office holders must be responsive to their constituents.

Transparent. All of an office holder's dealings should be open and above board. There should be no doubt as to their actions and why.

Character. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be honest. Be thrifty. We spend the people's money, not our own. Someone worked hard to provide it, we need to honor that.

Fairness. Our citizens come from every walk of life and we need to make sure that we view the issues from more than one point of view.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I listen, I am driven, I have seen and experienced many things in government, and I want to do the right thing for my constituents. Its not all about me.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work hard and represent the constituents of his/her district. See the bigger picture so that decisions are made that avoid unforeseen consequences.

What legacy would you like to leave?

To leave this state better.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in a general store in a little town of 35 people. We carried everything from cowboy hats, jeans, ammunition, hardware, groceries, we had a butcher shop, horseshoes, and gas pumps out front.

2 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson. It is probably one of the greatest single volume histories of the Civil War. The book provides a broad view of the how, why and what happened during the war. After that it would be the Killer Angels by Shaara. Historical fiction about Gettysburg. It details the battle from the view point of several of the key actors and provides their inner thoughts. very compelling.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Walt Longmire. Sheriff of Absoroka County Wyoming. He always manages to get the bad guy and seems to do it in the most loyal way to his constituents and family.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

There has been too many, I cant remember a specific one.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Sometimes doing too much.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

In a perfect world the governor should seek or recommend legislation that would make government more efficient for the times. The Legislature should consider the request, listen to their constituents and render legislation that meets the needs of both. The governor would then carry out the legislation to the best of his duty.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state's economy is going through a great upheaval due to changing property values. This has driven entry level and lower income worker out of affordable housing. This places a greater burden on employers to find affordable labor.

The change in property values has thrown our property tax system into overdrive and we are now overtaxing many property owners. we now have long term residents who can no longer afford their property. We need to find a new tax structure that takes this burden off of the property owner. We need to diversify our tax system so that no single sector is paying the majority of the bill.

Montana is growing faster than ever before. With this growth comes a need to provide services in an efficient and effective manor. We need to work on a more comprehensive view of planning so that we can continue to keep Montana the "Last Best Place".

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

yes. Knowing a little bit about how the ground lays is always helpful.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. You cannot operate in a vacuum. To build consensus for a particular bill you need to understand your fellow legislators and what it takes to reach agreement. Plus they may have other ideas or insights that may need to be included or help in making the bill a success.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

While he was not actually a legilator, I have always favored Ronald Reagan

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I do recall one sad story of a long term resident who had to sell their home as they could no longer afford the property taxes on their fixed income.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Only after long debate and under extraordinary circumstances. The use of emergency powers often involves impacting civil rights and freedom of movement. We should never impede these except as a last resort.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A bill to reduce and freeze our property taxes at a pre 2020 level. And then another bill to restructure our tax base.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Flathead County Republican Central Committee

What committees interest you?

Judiciary

State Parks and Wildlife

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe this is an absolute. Citizens should be able to see where every penny is spent. The government needs to explain and justify why. I have often seen tax dollars spent on projects that were built with inefficient designs or a lack of efficient function. This is inexcusable.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

No opinion at this point.