Last month E-City Beat emailed all Great Falls state legislative candidates requesting responses to three questions.
We received responses from three candidates – Tony Rosales (Libertarian HD22), Ed Buttrey (Republican HD21), and Fred Anderson (HD20).
Today we are publishing Fred Anderson’s responses. You can also read his candidate profile here.
Question One – Which position on abortion most closely describes the kind of legislation you would support in the Montana state legislature? Please choose only one option and feel free to briefly explain or expand on your views.
- Abortion should be legal for any reason at any time during pregnancy, including up until birth, with no exceptions.
- Life begins at conception and abortion should not be legal at any time for any reason.
- Abortion should be illegal after 12-14 weeks into a pregnancy except in cases of rape, incest, or life threatening risk to the mother.
Anderson:
I suspect that there will be more legislative options on the abortion issue than the three that you have presented for consideration. Choices two and three that have been presented for response are very finite with no room for consideration of extenuating circumstances. Given those parameters and my belief that all life is precious, I select option two.
Question Two – Describe what you will do if elected to address the lack of affordable housing in Montana. What specific legislation would you put forward or support to tackle this issue?
Anderson:
There is no “silver bullet” that will solve the lack of affordable housing in Montana. The inflation that all of us are experiencing, combined with supply issues and labor shortages, have compounded the issue. I believe the legislature will need to work with MACO and cities to review and update zoning regulations. The upturn in the construction of apartment buildings, townhouses and condominiums is making a positive impact on the shortage issue. As the interest rates continue to increase, home ownership will become more of a challenge, especially for first time buyers.
Question Three – Describe in what way and on which issues you would ‘reach across the aisle’ to implement solutions for your constituents.
Anderson:
I will reach across the aisle to implement solutions for my constituents through collaboration and advocacy. It is crucial that every bill be carefully studied to determine its potential benefit to my constituents and our state as well as its fiscal impact. I welcome and always consider input from my constituents on issues while taking a common sense approach to each bill.
