Whitehall Indivisible: Rep Ken Walsh, HD69

Representative Kenneth Walsh (R) of House District 69 spoke to the Whitehall Indivisible group last week. The informal presentation with Q&A covered topics ranging from concerns about Madison County government-owned buildings to the reallocation of marijuana revenue to sales tax, voter rolls, and public school funding.

Rep. Walsh explained that two events occurred simultaneously in Virginia City and Nevada City: the first was HB680, which he sponsored. HB 680 amended an existing law to extend the term of leases for government-owned heritage sites from 20 years to up to 99 years in cases of substantial capital investment.

Rep. Walsh explained that many state-owned buildings require extensive renovations and that the government lacks the funds to complete them. The possibility of a longer lease was intended to incentivize private businesses to make “substantial capital” investments where needed and to provide assurance that the lease would be theirs for the long term. These new leases are still in the development phase.

The second occurrence in Virginia City in December of 2025 was that the Department of Commerce, under temporary leadership, terminated existing contracts and offered new ones with significantly different terms, including a substantial rent increase. The Heritage Commission, the entity charged with managing state-owned properties, is removing members with embezzlement convictions.

The changes brought by HB 680 open the door to high-dollar external investment that could lead to significant changes in the future. The Department of Commerce’s Montana Heritage Commission is tasked with “serv[ing] as a steward for these historic sites, ensuring their preservation, interpretation and sustainable operation for the benefit and enjoyment of all,” per their website.

The Department of Commerce is now led by former HD75 Rep Marta Bertoglio. The marijuana funds redistribution sparked a lively (and long) conversation that had to be quashed with the promise of a future guest speaker who will talk about beavers and high-country natural water storage efforts and programs.

Indivisible members asked about the Sec of State’s stated “compliance” with the federal request for voter information, which included partial SSNs and driver’s license numbers. Rep. Walsh was told that only the name, address, phone number, and partial SSN were sent to the federal government, indicating the SOS did not comply with the request.

Rep. Walsh closed by inviting people to reach out to him with questions or concerns. He is running again for his current seat in the House of Reps for HD69 against Trevor Walter of Sheridan.

Whitehall Indivisible is a nonpartisan pro-democracy group that meets weekly on Thursdays at 6 PM at the school library. Everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you.