Salomon heads for Helena

PABLO — Election day was just like any other day for Dan Salomon.

“I voted early and then plowed all day,” he said.

He also won his election bid for House District 12, earning 1,850 votes en route to defeating Democratic incumbent John Fleming (1,642) as Republicans surged to a major advantage statewide and nationally going into the next legislative term.

Running on a platform of economic reform, the freshman representative will trade in his tractor for a seat behind a desk in Helena. Despite a busy schedule farming his 600 acres in Pablo, Salomon will take the time to serve the district he has lived in his whole life.

“A lot of my friends encouraged me to run and I decided to go for it in January,” he said. “It wasn’t an overnight decision but it piqued an interest and it came down to how people want to be represented. We gave people the choice.”

The message of how people want to be represented was sent during the Nov. 2 election, Salomon said. A smaller, fiscally responsible government is what people are looking for, he said, and he is confident he has the experience and background to work towards that goal. He served 13 years as a Ronan school board trustee and has testified in Helena on behalf of agricultural and educational issues.

“I’ve heard the term ‘drinking out of a fire hose’ probably a dozen times now, so in other words, it’ll be fast a furious,” Salomon said. “By the same token, it’s exciting. We have this great opportunity, and if we don’t do it, it’s our fault.”

To get ready for his two-year term, Salomon is absorbing as much information as he can. He said he’s spoken to other local legislators, including House District 11 Rep. Janna Taylor, to learn more about the position and ways to be effective. In February Salomon attended an informal legislative “school,” learning from veteran lawmakers ways to research and present bills.

This week, Salomon visited Helena for leadership training for first-year representatives.

While he has learned a great deal, he’s realistic that he’ll learn more as he goes, from day one in office.

“Again, it’s all new to me, I’ll be along for the ride in a sense,” he said. “You don’t walk in and change everything, I’m not that naïve.”

Salomon’s family has lived in the area since the original homesteaders came to the valley, and almost two years ago he closed down the family dairy business that had run for 50 years. He said he misses it but not having all the responsibilities of a dairy operation has given him more time to spend with his three daughters and wife. The support from family was instrumental in campaigning, he said, and made a long, tiring process that much easier.

While he’s excited for the opportunity to serve his community, Salomon admits some of the things he sacrificed to run for office were certainly missed.

“I couldn’t do football games on the radio, that was the toughest part,” he said with a laugh.