Saco's Stahl Files For HD28

It’s kinda like old hat to Wayne Stahl, a farmer from Saco, who threw his name into the ring to bid for the position as House of Representatives HD28 for Montana.

This is not his first rodeo by any means. He has served as Town Councilman and Mayor for Saco. Wayne was also a County Commissioner for Phillips County. He served in the House of Representatives for four terms; the fifth term he worked for the Speaker of the House, Mark Blasdel. This year, though, with the re-districting of the area, he would serve brings not only new territory, it also brings new faces.

Raised in Hinsdale and then Saco, Stahl graduated from Saco High School. He went to the US Military Academy at West Point; his dad got sick and his brother, Kenny, was just going into basic training for the National Guard and they wouldn’t let him out, but Wayne was able to. He came home and helped calve a bunch of heifers; and then went to school in Bozeman.

Stahl is one of three children in his family, and he has two children. His daughter lives in Minneapolis and his son lives in Saco, he is a disabled veteran. His mom resides in a nursing home in Helena.

As for his interest in running, Stahl said, “With the tax situation, the immense increases in real estate in the western part of the state - mostly in residential stuff, my theory is there’s going to be some major things happening in the legislature this year. Those things are going to mostly provide some relief for those people in bigger cities where housing values have gone up a lot, and business values have gone up a lot.

And what I have always found before is usually eastern Montana, rural farms and businesses kind of take the brunt of things when the housing stuff goes way up. And I think with my tax experience, I have served on the tax committee with the legislature and I was a County Commissioner - I spent a lot of time learning taxes and I did it intentionally because I knew it was going to be needed. When I was in the legislature, there was one person in the House of Representatives that understood taxation…either income taxes or property taxes, and that was me.

Now there were two or three guys, maybe four, in the Senate that were really sharp at it…but then they have been there for twenty-five or thirty years and they should have a handle on it. They knew it well and even taught me a few things.”

Stahl said he had no intention of running again, but when the tax issue came up, he knew someone had to go there and at least try to protect farms and businesses and rural Montana. He was at the Montana Farm Bureau Convention in Billings last fall, Brenden Beatty, with the Department of Revenue was there and said he had already been approached two or three times from people in Billings, Missoula and Helena, who thought the farmers and ranchers and businesses were getting a good deal and they felt that they were taking the brunt of taxes and they were going to come after ag and that’s not a good thing.

“Just equipment, in general, if you want to farm and do a fair size farm, it takes several million dollars for equipment alone, and that is equipment; it doesn’t count the operating expenses, fuel, seed, fertilizer.

So, I really think that I can go down there and have some influence on protecting rural Montana and figure out something to relieve the property taxes in general. I have some ideas.”

He continued, “Ag and businesses are going to get taken to the cleaners if we don’t do something else to fix property taxes. And this is the session it is going to happen in and it’s going to last several years. We might have some small tweaks made, but the Governor has a council he has working on taxes so it is front and center on everyone’s mind and its gunna happen in this next session - not that I want to be there, but I think I need to be.”

Even though he says he has projects that are calling his name, he feels a need to answer the call to serve.

House District 28 is now northern Valley, northern Phillips County, northern Blaine, northern Hill, and northern Toole. Harlem is not included, it was put in a Native American District to the south. Nor is Glasgow included, it was taken out and put in the eastern district. In essence, the District is from Glasgow to Chester and is the second largest District in the State.

The boundary area on the southern boundary is Highway 2.

He has been endorsed by Montana Rural Co-ops and the Montana Shooting Sports Association.

Stahl says he doesn’t feel any pressure in running for the office, this is his home, this is his family, “this is where I live, this is where my friends live - I will go represent you and do a really good job of it.”

It is his plan to put in a bill that if someone intentionally violates the oath of their office, you will be immediately removed from office and not put back into office until proven guilty or not guilty; the price is removal from office and you can’t run again. It is accountability. “It might not pass, but it will get their attention.”

Stahl stated that he has served on Business and Labor Committee, Local Government, Taxation, and Federal Regulations and Energy (FRET).

He attributes his survival in Helena to knowing what he does about government and taxes. Explaining the impact and purpose of a bill can help a bill get through the process of the legislature, communication is vital. He stressed the intensity of representing the people, and having the knowledge and background to do so.

The primary election is Tuesday, June 4.