Roberts enters SD3 election

Whitefish resident Rollan Roberts II has filed to run in the state Senate District 3 race. He will face off against incumbent and fellow Republican Bruce Tutvedt in the primary.

“I never thought I would run for political office,” Roberts told the Pilot last week. “I believe it was my destiny.”

Senate District 3 stretches from the Hungry Horse Reservoir west to McGregor Lake, and from Olney south to Lake Blaine. The district includes Big Mountain, Iron Horse and much of Whitefish Lake.

Roberts grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and moved to Whitefish in 2010. He is the founder and CEO of 24ravens, a biotech company that engineers formulas for the immune system. Roberts is also the author of three books and runs a consulting firm for businesses.

It’s his background in business that Roberts said prompted his run for political office.

“As a small business owner I was frustrated,” he said. “I realized I could complain for another four years or I could try to do something and run for office.”

Roberts said he would like to improve the economy and create jobs in the Flathead Valley. He notes his experience assisting with business development as one of his qualifications.

Personal experience with relocating a business to another state has taught him that some areas can be more helpful than others. In a difficult economic climate, Montana needs to be as welcoming as possible, he said.

“I want to say, ‘Let me show you the Flathead Valley,’” he said. “There are a lot of issues we can fix at the state level. There are things we can do with what we have and bring jobs here.”

Roberts said he was lured to Whitefish when choosing to relocate his business and found himself enjoying a place with snow, where he could ride his horse and wear cowboy boots.

“I enjoy the Montana lifestyle,” he said.

Roberts originally filed to run in the House District 4 race, but recently made a switch to SD 3. He said the change came down to the issues facing both district’s and that it was more in line with where he would like to focus.

“I’m much more passionate about the issues in Senate 3,” he said. “At the end of the day it was the right thing for me to do.”

On education, Roberts is for parental choice. He said parents should be able to chose between public, private and home schools. He would also like to see greater transparency in the public school system allowing parents to view curriculums and choose what is right for their child.

“We have better students by involving parents in education,” he said.

Roberts said he is reviewing funding levels for education, but that “we should take care of our teachers and invest in students and schools.”

On his website, Roberts touches on a few other campaign issues.

He says he plans to uphold the right of Montana citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

Roberts notes he is pro-life and “determining the sanctity of life is not a federal issue, it’s a state issue.”

On healthcare, which he also says is a state issue, he notes that he does not believe in mandatory healthcare.

Roberts says it is imperative for Montana to work with federal agencies and programs to fight on behalf of veterans.

Roberts said he is an advocate for states rights and local control.

“I don’t want Helena to be to the Flathead what D.C. has become to Montana,” he said.