Lindsay Love the Democratic candidate for Montana House District 25 wants to make Great Falls a place that young adults feel connected to and involved in.
“Voting is the first step in participating. We want government to reflect our values. There are many organizations (for young voters) that have lot’s of information on local candidates and issues,” Love said.
Love who is running for The Montana House of Representatives (a state centered version of the national congress focused on issues such as budgeting and other local issues) sees young voters as vital to a better Montana.
“We (young Montanan’s) often don’t think of Montana as a place we can come back to and start our lives in,” Love said.
Although many young Montanan’s don’t see opportunity in Montana, Love says the local university system (in Great Falls) is a major step in the right direction.
“We need to support education from top to bottom, the Great Falls university system has great resources and offers people the tools they need to be active in Great Falls,” Love said.
Graduating from CMR in 2002, Love was heavily involved in school activities and the local community as a whole. Sports, student government, Russell Ayres, and helping to pass the 2002 Mill Levy are some of Love’s earliest forays into active community life.
“There’s a really great sense of community at CMR, and I grew up excited to wear green and gold, and get involved,” Love said.
This sense of community drew Love back to Great Falls after attending Stanford, and now she wants to reinvest in the community that gave her so much.
“This year everyone is really concerned with the economy, and locally we can help fix this by investing in small business and education,” Love said.
“If we look at our town, people place a great deal of importance on community and this is what inspired me to run for office.”
Education, small business incentives, and alternative energy are among the issues Love considers most important to Great Falls. Local developments such as the Rainbow Dam and the Montana Alberta Tie Line are some examples of effective local projects.Love see’s Montana as a place where the accomplishments of democrats have not gone unnoticed.
“For Montana we’ve seen that democrats have done great things for the state, from all day kindergarten, to small business incentives,” Love said.
Politics aside however Love wants to impart to young voters the importance of participation, and active involvement in government.
“It’s incredibly important for young Montanan’s to get involved, and in the end become constructive members of their community.”