Editor’s note: The following story was written by a student in John B.

Saul’s graduate
reporting class at The University of Montana. You are free to share or publish this story,
provided you retain the reporter’s byline.

House District 94: Linda S. Frey

BY BECKY MALEWITZ

Linda Frey has never run for elective office before, but the rookie Republican has several
ideas to bring to Montana’s House of Representatives if elected in November.

Citing her experience fighting a special improvement district on Hillview Way in

Missoula, Frey wants to “preserve the right to protest tax increases or adverse
development.” She said she would also focus on cutting taxes and uses the motto
“realistic expectations, realistic solutions” on her campaign website. If elected, she
would like to abolish permanent mill levies, change funding for the education system,
look into health-insurance reforms and change the business climate of Montana.

In working against the Hillview SID, Frey took on the issue of waivers that the city has
landowners sign. In these, residents waive their right to protest future neighborhood
improvements. In the case of the Hillview SID, the controversy was caused by plans to
widen the road, but improvements covered in the waivers pertained to everything from
sewers to street lamps.

“One of the things I would like to do is make illegal these waivers by which the city in
effect blackmails individuals . . . of their right to protest in the future,” said Frey. “It
seems to me that the city is forcing you to cede your constitutional rights.”

If elected, Frey would like to look into abolishing permanent mill levies and make them
renewable. Montana has a permanent mill levy for education that distributes money each
year in an attempt to equalize funding among school districts.

“I think all mill levies should have either an expiration date or be renewable,” said Frey,
adding that permanent levies “take the responsibility out of the people’s hands.”

“I don’t think we should be passing those kind of debts on to the next generation.” Frey
said, “It’s an issue both of accountability to the tax payers and responsibility to the next
generation.”

She said people should be able to go back and see how their money was being spent in
order to make changes and get better results.

Additionally, Frey would like to look into property taxes and either cut or put a cap on
them.
“I’m worried that some people will be forced out of Missoula because of the cost,” she
said.

An increasing number of people are living on fixed incomes in the area, she said, and
taxes are going up faster than their ability to pay.

If taxes are lowered, Frey plans to make up for the money lost by using the surplus
Montana is expected to have at the end of the fiscal year.

“If the governor is right and we are awash in money, give it back,” she said.

She also has ideas as how to change the allocation of funding for Montana’s public
schools. She cites a decline in the number of students as one cause of financial problems
in smaller schools around the state. Her solution is to fund by the number of classrooms
instead of per student. Frey would like to cut administrative costs to get more funds
directly to classrooms.

If elected, Frey would also like to look into health-insurance reforms to make it more
affordable to individuals, saying that she would like to consider the possibility of self-
insurance pools.

She is interested in looking at ways to change the business climate by bringing more
firms into the state and making it comparable to Washington and Idaho when it comes to
wages.

“If you can make $10,000 more in a neighboring state with the same degree, that’s too
much of a difference,” said Frey.

Frey is running against Democrat David McAplin, who has served two terms in
Montana’s House of Representatives.