Hey there, it’s Erin! If you are new to the campaign, thanks for joining.  

📋 TL;DR — a lot is happening in SD41 this month! This one's a full update. Here's what's inside…

• 💰 Taxes: property tax relief, renters, and why I oppose a flat 5%

• 🏠 Housing: 14 years in SD41 and why homeownership feels out of reach

• 💛 Kindness: a 9-year-old's campaign advice I'm adopting forever

• 📅 April 27 SD41 Candidate Forum: please come, bring a friend

• 🌱 Spring Wild Rice Recipe: did you know true wild rice swells to about four times its size?

Feel free to skip around, or grab a cup of coffee and read the whole thing.

🌱 Our Roots Run Deep

Spring is springing and we are so excited about our campaign roots!

This is a SD41 homegrown campaign: from filming to sign assembling, from neighbors knocking doors to local advocates standing with us. We’re proud to be building a grassroots campaign that reflects this district’s values.

We’re out in the neighborhoods, meeting small business owners, gathering at parks, and listening closely. The best solutions start right here. And we can feel it.

What We're Hearing…
Taxes, Rising Costs, and Kindness

Taxes

It's tax season, and fairness matters. Property values have jumped fast, especially here in Lewis and Clark County. When values rise faster than incomes, people get priced out of homes they already own. That is not a "free market" outcome. That is a policy failure.

Relief should match what people can actually afford. If your income stays flat but your tax bill spikes, the system should automatically step in. That's how you protect seniors on fixed incomes, working families, and people who've lived here for decades.

Renters deserve relief, too. Renters pay property taxes indirectly through their rent. Yet very few landlords applied for relief this cycle (see Helena IR / MT Free Press). If we want to keep Helena livable, we cannot pretend renters aren't carrying the burden.

💡 Did your rent go up because of property taxes?
You can check whether your landlord applied for relief at revenue.mt.gov using the property geocode from Montana Cadastral. Still confused? Reply to this email and I'll help you find it!

Income tax: simple isn’t always fair. On income tax, I do not support a flat 5% rate. It sounds simple, but it pushes Montana in the wrong direction.

A teacher and a millionaire are not the same. Working families spend most of their income necessities such as groceries, car repairs, school supplies, and small businesses right here in Helena. For the highest earners? That money is the least likely to come back to our community. No ripple, no trickle, just POOF!

And when the state cuts revenue without a plan? The bill shows up somewhere else, usually in higher property taxes or reduced services.

Working with Senate Democrats in 2025 reinforced something I believe strongly: fair income tax policy isn't about slogans. It's about choices, trade-offs, and clear priorities.

Here are the four questions I use when evaluating tax policy:

1. Who does the relief really target? Working families and full-time Montana residents should benefit most.

2. Where does the savings go next? When working families keep more, it goes back into the local economy, such as groceries, car repairs, small businesses right here in Helena.

3. Is it fiscally responsible? A tax cut that creates a deficit isn't relief. It's a delayed bill.

4. Is it simple enough to actually use? If it's too complicated, the benefit goes to people who can afford accountants.

That's the direction I'll keep pushing: a tax system that's fair, sustainable, and focused on keeping Helena home.

Housing

A personal reality. On April 2, Rob and I celebrated 14 years of owning our home in SD41. I'm honestly not sure we could afford that same house today.

A new analysis puts Montana near the bottom nationally for how long it takes to save for a down payment. The average age of first-time homeownership is nearing 40.

That is not inevitable. It’s the result of policy choices. We need to:

• Build more housing working people can afford

• Bring financing tools to projects that are stuck

• Fix property taxes so rising values don’t force people out

If you have a housing story you're willing to share, reply and tell me what you're seeing. I really want to know.

Kindness is Key

This one keeps coming up at the doors. Alex, a 9-year-old growing up right here in SD41, helped me craft my responses to the IR Candidate Questionnaire this week. His advice?

"Be kind… and don't start wars."

💛 I'm holding onto that forever.

Kindness was a theme this month and that's a relief, because relationships are my thing. I value connection, listening, and finding ways to work across differences. I've done it before, and I know I can bring common sense, curiosity, and a smile to the Montana Senate.

What We’re Doing…

Join us for the following…

• 📋 Signs are going up! Make sure you're on the list by filling out our contact form here.

• Every Tuesday in April | 5–6:30 PM
  🍻 Hang Out @ Ten Mile Creek Brewery
  

• Monday, April 27 | 6 PM
  📚 SD41 Candidate Forum @ L&C County Main Library — attend, ask questions, and engage in the discussion! Bring your friends!
  

• Tuesday, April 28 | 6–8 PM
  👋 Candidate Forum for Progressives @ St. Paul’s United Methodist Church — hear directly from MT House and Senate Legislative candidates running to represent Helena
  

• Saturday, May 9 | 11 AM start
  🏃 Prickly Pear Don't Fence Me In Run — sign-up for the 5K Dog Walk with me and reply to this email to join our crew!

Can’t attend but want to support this campaign? Please donate or sign up to help here.

Thank you for your support! I hope to see you soon.

Endorsement Shout-out. We're so excited to have the support of SD41 residents Erik Burke, Bill Hallinan and Linda Gryczan, and Barbara Chilcott
who recently wrote about their reasons for supporting this campaign in Helena’s Independent Record. From conservation advocates to human rights heroes, I’m grateful to have the support of people I've admired for years. You can review the pieces published to date on our website here.

🎶 What Are You Listening To?

People are quilting. Woodworking. Gardening. Making music. Campaigns need fuel too.

Send us a song for the playlist and we’ll share it back.

What We’re Cooking…

Spring calls for something light and fresh, the kind of dish you can prep ahead for Easter brunch or bring to a picnic.

This recipe fits tax month in a funny way. Wild rice has been called "pocket money." Early traders used that term because true wild rice swells to about four times its size. A small handful could feed a lot of hungry people. One of my favorite chefs, Sean Sherman, talks about this in The Sioux Chef cookbook.

I'm still trying to dial in the taste of my favorite version. The version that showed up at gatherings in the Many Nations Longhouse during my law school days. I remember living off those leftovers for weeks. Just like those early traders: a little went a long way.

We're building this campaign person by person, neighbor by neighbor. And you're part of that. Whether you're showing up at an event, putting up a sign, sharing this email, or just paying attention, it all counts.

If you're able to chip in $10, $25, or whatever feels right, small donations from neighbors add up fast. Can't give right now? Forwarding this email helps just as much.

Onward!
Erin

Every Montanan deserves to live in a state where:

☑️ Our constitutional freedoms are protected
☑️ We can count on strong public schools
☑️ Future generations can fish, hunt, and explore the lands that make this place home
☑️ Hard work leads to stability, not stress over housing or childcare
☑️ The wealthy don’t get a free ride while the rest of us pay the price

There is so much to do and so many ways to plug in. Here are a few ways to get involved today:

• 💵 Make a donation — every dollar helps us reach more voters

• 🤝 Endorse the campaign — your public support builds trust and brings others in

• 🚪Sign up to knock doors — or volunteer in other ways

• 🪧 Host a yard sign — help show your support visibly

• ✍️ Write a letter to the editor — your voice matters

• 📲 Share our campaign — forward this email or tag us on social Facebook & Instagram 

Have something else in mind? Let us know here.

Together, we can protect what matters most and build a better future for all of us. I’d be honored to have your support.

Checks can also be made out directly to: Erin 4 Montana, P.O. Box 141 Helena, MT 59624.