Olszewski aims to bring legislative skills to Senate

For Republican state Rep. Al Olszewski, a switch to the Senate represents an opportunity to focus on improving social services and solving local tax issues in a slightly more personal environment. 

“I’ve enjoyed my two years in the House,” said Olszewski, a first-term representative for District 11.  “But it’s like a team sport, you have so little time on the floor.”

The 52-year-old orthopedic surgeon from Kalispell is now vying for the Senate District 6 seat, which opened up after Republican Sen. Janna Taylor decided not to seek reelection. Olszewski said party officials suggested he add his name to the ticket, and looks forward to serving in a different legislative chamber. 

“It’s less smash mouth politics,” he said. “I’m excited about the component of learning different rules.”

As a surgeon, Olszewski said he thrives on maneuvering through complex procedures, a skill that’s necessary push bills through the legislature. 

For his prospective district, which surrounds the southern and western shoreline of Flathead Lake, Olszewski said major issues include access to healthcare and tax policies.

As local communities with large areas of tax-exempt federal land struggle to collect revenue, he said the state needs to take a closer look at how to appropriate funding. 

“We have a definite challenge here,” he said. “We need to find a way so that Lake County and the city of Polson can be made whole.”

Olszewski said he plans to serve as an outlet for local lawmakers to present ideas to the Senate. Additionally, Olszewski said he hopes to wrangle in government spending to fix ailing institutions, particularly child protective services.

“It’s been a tragedy for too long,” he said. 

He said failing to protect children from violence and abuse places a significant burden on the education and justice systems down the road. As a solution, Olszewski proposes imposing a two-year budget freeze, and allocating the automatic inflationary increases state agencies receive each year toward reforming the program. 

The proposition might prove a tough sell, but Olszewski said supporting children is one issue that crosses party lines. 

“I appreciate the fact that people look at Republicans and think that all we want to do is cut things,” he said. “But I think that we can all agree this is for a noble cause.” 

As a doctor and former flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force, Olszewski said residents also need greater access to healthcare, including veteran’s services. He said that while serving in interim committees over the summer he has focuses on improving local facilities so patients don’t have to travel across the state for care. 

“We’re trying to bring care to local residents, to keep them in the vicinity and keep them close by,” he said. 

Olszewski said he has a lengthy relationship with the district he’s vying to represent. A native of Great Falls, he spent his summers as a teenager working on family friend’s cherry orchard near Yellow Bay. He said the experience gave him an understanding of the unique qualities of the region. 

“The senator of this area is going to need to be very responsive to local issues,” he said.