House District 15 seat up for grabs
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LAKE COUNTY — Eldena Bear Don’t Walk and George Kipp III are vying for House District 15.
Bear Don’t Walk is an attorney, appellate justice and nonprofit consultant who has lived in Lake County since 2003. Bear Don’t Walk’s mother is from the area, so she spent almost every summer of her life in Lake County. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a master’s degree in Public Administration, juris doctorate and legal master’s degree.
Bear Don’t Walk said education, the economy, and social justice are her primary areas of concern.
“We have some great schools and great teachers,” Bear Don’t Walk said. “But we can always do better. Montana students overall lack math and writing skills when they get to college. I support more funding to our schools and better pay for our teachers. Montana’s higher education systems are underfunded and students are coming out of college with bigger debts and fewer job prospects in our state.”
Bear Don’t Walk said she supports making funding available to develop small business.
“We also need to focus on sustainable economies, local food sources and environmental policies that take into account tourism,” Bear Don’t Walk said.
Bear Don’t Walk’s work in the courts system has made social justice a priority.
“I’m a former public defender for the State of Montana,” Bear Don’t Walk said. “We have criminal laws that don’t make sense in practice. We funnel far too much of Montanans’ money into the business of corrections. There’s little work being done to rehabilitate when there’s so much money to be made with reoccurring offenders. I believe our dollars are better spent working on rehabilitation, where possible.”
Bear Don’t Walk’s challenger George Kipp III did not respond to requests for information.
