Candidate Questionnaire: Senate District 34

Damion Lynn (D) — Senate District 34

Shelley Vance (R) — Senate District 34

As of press time, Vance had not responded to the Exponent’s questionnaire. Responses received after press time will be published on msuexponent.com.

Why did you decide to run for office?

Lynn: Over the last several years, especially in 2021, I found myself growing ever more dissatisfied with our political representation at the state level. Additionally, I felt that I could improve the lives of the residents in my district using insight that I had gained from my career experiences & background.

What issue should young Montanans be most concerned about right now? What legislation would you support to address it?

Lynn: The right to medical privacy and bodily autonomy is a critical issue at this moment in history. Access to abortion is an essential part of health care and family planning, the fall of Roe v Wade will lead to deaths that are preventable. I would act as a voice against legislation that seeks to severely curtail access through time limits, repeat visits or other restrictive measures that serve no medically necessary purpose. I will also work to ensure changes to our constitution would not remove the protections our state currently offers.

How should the legislature address housing affordability in Montana?

Lynn: Our state currently offers a variety of down payment assistant and rental assistance programs; I want to see the funding for these programs expanded. This is an issue of acute hardship for every resident across the state and expansion of programs like these would great benefit a huge percentage of Montanans. Additionally, I support bringing inclusionary zoning back as a tool to combat housing crisis in the more metropolitan areas. I was greatly disappointed with the 2021 legislative session and the disregard that republican members seemed to have for local control on the housing crisis.

What should the legislature’s top priority be for the education system in Montana?

Lynn: Lack of proper funding is a basic issue in all of Montana’s public schools. As the state continues to provide less and less to our public school system, counties are forced to raise property taxes to try and make up the difference. This has resulted in unequal school funding from community to community but crushing burdens on homeowners in the surrounding areas. Furthermore, this has resulted in incredibly low wages for teachers, who are often required to purchase their own teaching supplies to boot as well as a critical loss of staff across the counties. Teaching is difficult and incredibly important therefore our teachers deserve wages that reflect their efforts, education, and importance to the state.

What steps should the legislature take to address climate change and mitigate its impact on Montanans?

Lynn: Climate change has been an issue that has been a demoralizing political football my entire life yet very little has been done to prevent the disaster that I will now have to live through. We are at a point where we must reduce emissions while making preparations for events similar to the catastrophic flooding experienced earlier this year. I would support legislation to require North Western Energy to aggressively expand renewable energy resources. On the preparation side I would like to see risk and impact studies done on areas that will be most affected by a warmer and dryer environment that we will see in 50 years.

Why should MSU students, faculty and staff vote for you?

Lynn: I deeply care about our state, and I want to work my ass off to improve the lives of everyone. I want to make scientifically based decisions on the best data available that reduces our impact on the environment. I want to couple that with providing housing and career paths that allow folks to afford to call this state home.