HD-14 candidate Rep. Denley Loge

There will be two Republican candidates for the primary election on June 8 for the Montana House Representative from District 14. Both live in St. Regis, with Rep. Denley Loge as the incumbent and Randy Mitchell vying for the position. HD-14 covers areas in three different counties.

Questions were asked of both candidates and Loge's answers follow:

Q: Please share your professional background.

Loge: I have a BA in Geography, with certification in secondary education. After graduation, I worked road construction for private contractors for 17 years, building roads, bridges and buildings. During this time, my tasks included laborer, truck driver, equipment operator, foreman and project superintendent. In 1986, I purchased the family ranch, requiring a switch from statewide construction work to local highway maintenance for the Montana Department of Transportation. This included 28 years of all aspects of labor and operating equipment, and for the last eight years of employment, I was section supervisor of Superior Section or Lookout Pass Section.

Q: What are the primary reasons you are running for this position?

Loge: With all the turmoil we have going on in our state and country, I feel compelled to run for re-election to keep civility in our law-making process. This past session with the pandemic, we protected personal choice by not allowing vaccine discrimination, we strengthened our second amendment rights, we strengthened election integrity, and we protected life. These bills did not all pass in the first draft, they needed some revisions and discussions to get the job done and I was part of that. I have the civility, patience and ability to help find solutions to protect our Montana way of life.

Q: What local organizations/community involvement do you participate in and what national memberships do you have?

Loge: Currently Mineral and Sanders Forest Collaboratives, Mineral County Resource Advisory Committee Chairman, Trinity Lutheran Church Past Chairman, Mineral County Planning Board 48 years, Mineral County Preforming Arts Council, Region 2 FWP - Citizens Advisory Committee, University of Montana Alumni Band 30 years, Mineral County 4-H Council, Mineral County Republican Precinct Committeeman, Community band.

Past, Mineral/Missoula County Farm Service Agency 8 years, Mineral County Soil Conservation Board 16 years, Montana Private Land/Public Wildlife Council 12 years

Q: On economic development, housing and public schools, where do you stand?

Loge: Economic development: Set a tax structure that is more business friendly. Montana is the treasure state, rich in Natural Resources. We need to revisit the regulations to use those resources, whether it be minerals, timber, wildlife or recreation, using today’s science and equipment. We need to protect our waters but the regulations on mining sometimes require higher standards for water quality than exist in nature. The standards that halt road building in logging involve wildlife movements that are not hindered by roads. We need to set up more areas for multiple use in our forested land for all ages to recreate in for our locals and for our tourists.

Housing: Burdensome regulations need a review. A look toward duplexes and 4 plexes can help keep the cost down, since the initial price of land can be divided by 2 or 4. With the high land prices in recent years, the housing situation has gotten worse, but it has to be a private landowner or business solution. Subsidized, low-income housing should be avoided since government housing seems to fail. Low-income worker housing is what is needed and may have to be the business community fix.

Education: We have an obligation to provide a quality education. The pandemic was a negative impact on the quality of education. We learned that with some students and in some situations, remote learning worked well but overall, the quality went down. We must strive to get back to a strong basic well-rounded education with parents and school boards paying attention to curriculums and learning thresholds. The opportunities for apprentice programs and technical training must be offered and utilized more.

Q: Why are you the best candidate and please provide anything else you would like people to know about you?

Loge: I have worked and played in Sanders and Mineral Counties for over 50 years. I feel like I know many of you as neighbors and friends and understand the business and needs of our area. I am approachable, do business in the area, and am willing to stop and visit on any topic. I live within my means and feel I carry that same sentiment on to the state budget and business. I know not everyone agrees with my votes, but I try my best to represent my constituents and plan to continue that. As they say, you cannot please everyone all the time. I have tried to send some reports home periodically to stay in contact. umors go around on all topics, and I would sincerely hope you would contact me if you have any questions. I have no personal agenda and would be honored to continue your work. (406) 544-5220. www.denleyloge.com