Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
Dear Residents of Montana Legislative House District 69,
Please let this letter serve as an introduction. I am Ken Walsh, candidate for House of Representatives District 69 for the 2025 legislative session. I currently represent House District 71. As you may or may not be aware, the State’s legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years, after the nation-wide census data is available.
This is to equalize the population in each of the 100 house districts. House District 69 now encompasses much of my previous district, and now includes the southwest portion of Gallatin County.
I’d like to share a bit about who I am. I grew up on my family’s ranch South of Twin Bridges, graduated from Twin Bridges High School, and attended Montana State University graduating with a degree in Agriculture Education. I taught Vocational Agriculture, was Manager of the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) and Rodeo, and then spent the following 33 years as President of Ruby Valley Bank of Twin Bridges/Sheridan, MT. I retired from banking in 2020 and returned to the family ranch as owner/manager, where I still reside. I have been married to my wife, Mary Beth, for 33 years and we have two adult sons.
I was first elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 2020. I have been fortunate to serve on the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and State Administration and Veteran Affairs legislative committees. These committee assignments have allowed me the opportunity to focus on the issues and challenges of our rural communities, agriculture, small businesses, natural resources, veterans, and recreation industries.
The legislature is mandated by the constitution to pass a biennial balanced budget. The 68th session developed a conservative budget, keeping spending below inflation and population growth. The financial discipline over the past 2 sessions has allowed for income tax rebates, as well as tax rate reductions and simplifications going forward. The State bonds were paid off, reserve accounts were replenished, and deferred infrastructure needs were addressed. The creation of the Behavioral Health Commission to address the growing mental health needs was a significant accomplishment especially for rural communities.
This past session saw a record number of bills introduced, making for a busy session. Bills were introduced and passed to address the affordable housing needs and childcare crisis. We were able to bring flexibility to our education system, expand career and technical education, and incentivize the implementation of proficiency-based learning. Legislation that promoted private property rights, personal freedoms, reducing government red-tape, and increasing transparency and accountably were successful. There are challenges that remain, and I look forward to collaborating with you, my constituents, fellow legislators, and the executive branch to find solutions.
My passion for strong rural committees has drawn me to public service. I am confident that I can utilize my small business and agriculture experiences to find COMMON SENSE CONSERVATIVE SOLUTIONS that will allow all to find success.
I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you personally in the next few months. I want to hear and learn your concerns/issues and earn your confidence and support. My contact information is below.
Phone: 406-596-0418 Email: [email protected]
PO Box 483 Twin Bridges, MT 59754 http://www.walsh4montana.com
