HomeMy WebLinkAboutStatement of Interest and Qualifications_Tom WoodsI was born and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I don’t recall having a choice in that but when I first came to
work as a bartender in Montana in 1982 I quickly decided that this is where I want to live. While living in
Montana over the last 39 years I have been a bus driver, bell hop, bartender, musician, maintenance
specialist, personnel manager, guide, hotel manager and most recently, a teacher. It’s not that I can’t
hold a job, but as we all know it takes a diverse skill set to succeed here. I’m currently an instructor for
the Physics departments at MSU.
I met my wife Katie in 1992 while we were working in Yellowstone Park. We moved to Bozeman in 1997
in order to go back to school at MSU and succeeded in finding a rental in a very competitive market. In
1999 I cashed in my retirement and we purchased a small duplex home for $124,000. We sold that
home in 2010 and paid down our student loan debt.
Another reason we sold our 2 bedroom house was that in 2005 and 2007 we were blessed with two
great boys, Kelty and Finnian, who are 15 and 13 years old and currently making their way through our
Bozeman Public schools. We rented a 3 bedroom house for a few years before purchasing our current
home in 2015. We are fortunate to have done so as 6 years later I don’t think we could afford to buy the
same house we currently live in.
I tell this part of my story because I think it’s important for people to know that I’ve struggled with the
same affordability issues that face the next generation. It’s gotten worse and I want to do something
about it.
I’ve been active in local issues and politics for the past 20 years. In 2012 I successfully ran for the state
legislature because I believe that government should be conducted by real people and should serve the
interests of real people. That’s how I approached my responsibilities. My job was to read legislation on a
wide variety of issues, listen to opposing viewpoints, communicate with constituents and vote on
legislation in a way that best served the citizens of Montana. I worked 12-hour days for a salary of
$91.00 per day. I refer to my time in the legislature as “the worst job I’ve ever loved.”
In the House of Representatives I was appointed to the Appropriations committee, which is the body
that crafts the $10 billion state budget. As a member of the Education subcommittee, I worked with
senators and representatives from across the aisle to formulate the K-12 school budget as well as the
higher education budget. I helped MSU gain approval for the Romney Hall renovation, negotiated the
tuition freeze (in each term), expanded our local medical school and veterinary programs and won
approval for more research dollars to flow to the university system. I’m proud to say that K-12 funding
was also expanded on my watch.
As one of your legislators, my particular focus was in trying to bring transparency and fairness to
hospital bills. I also fought to change the way our monopoly utility treats ratepayers and plans for the
future. These are battle in which I had more losses than wins, but as a consumer advocate and a
scientist I strongly feel that we are not doing nearly enough to address health care costs and climate
change. I refuse to give up fighting for our children’s future.
It has been an honor and a privilege to represent your interests in the legislature. If it were not for term
limits I would still be serving there, trying to keep the legislature from restricting the way Bozeman tries
to deal with our growth issues. I try to think of growth as being an issue, not a problem but It’s
becoming harder to maintain that optimism.
We have a great town and a wonderful community that is undergoing rapid change. There is a lot of
good that has come from those changes. I’m very proud that Bozeman has become a more diverse and
accepting culture than when I first came here, but that is being threatened by the issue of affordability.
The City Commission recognizes this and I fully supported the plan that was developed to address
affordable housing. I really appreciated the way it placed financial responsibility for affordable housing
on the parties that are profiting the most from the housing boom. That’s fair.
I am very disappointed that the legislature saw fit to wreck our affordable housing plan. It has also seen
fit to stymie our attempts to run our city as we wish. If we want a local option tax we should be able to
do that. If we want to declare our community a place of sanctuary we should have that right.
Unfortunately, we can’t rely on state government to help us with our issues. We are going to have to go
back to the drawing board and come up with new solutions. I very much want to be part of that.
I’ve recently earned a Master of Public Administration degree, but I feel my best preparation for public
service comes from my experience as an elected official. In the 5 elections I have participated in I have
knocked on thousands of doors and talked to thousands of constituents on the phone. I’ve discussed a
wide variety of issues with an even wider variety of perspectives. In addition to getting to know our
community better, this experience has taught me to be a better listener. I’ve learned to be patient and
find common ground with those who hold different ideologies than I do. I’ve also learned that crafting
public policy is not about “winning.” It’s about trying to do the best we can to plan for a better future.
I want to help,
Tom Woods