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20-year-old has eye on House seat

By DANIEL PERSON

Bozeman Daily Chronicle


ERIK PETERSEN/CHRONICLE Clint Regenold, the 20 year old Chairman of Three Fork's School Board talks Thursday at the Three Forks Cafe about his intention to seek the Republican nomination for Montana House District 69. THREE FORKS -- Precocious. Few words better describe Clint Regenold.

The 20-year-old Three Forks man was elected to the Three Forks School Board when he was 18. He was appointed chairman of the board this year. And now, as a candidate for House District 69, he’s not pulling any punches from his two fellow-Republican opponents.

“I’m not worried about age,” he said over a hot chicken sandwich and French fries in the Three Forks Café Thursday. “I’ll beat them on ideas.”

Regenold entered the race for House District 69 on Wednesday, making him the third Republican vying for the chance to represent the district that encompasses Three Forks, Manhattan, west Belgrade and Willow Creek.

The seat is now held by Republican Rep. Jack Wells, who cannot run again due to term limits.

Also running for the Republican nomination are Rep. Roger Koopman, who currently represents HD 70, and Bozeman resident Ted Washburn.

Regenold’s ideas include bringing more regularity to school funding in Montana and banning people who do not live in a district from running to represent those districts. Neither of his opponents live in HD 69, and Regenold plans to make that a major campaign theme.

Koopman and Washburn have both pledged to follow in Wells’ footsteps, but Regenold said changes need to be made in the conservative leadership in Helena.

Area conservatives, he said, are too uncompromising, and pledged to work across the aisle to get legislation passed.

“Introducing bills and having them die in committee, that’s not getting anything done,” he said, referring to Wells’ record last session. “If you can’t get anything done in the district, if you don’t live in the district, how are you going to help the district?

“I’m a conservative, I just don’t agree we need to abandon education and tell people how to think,” he said.

It may be tempting to think the young politician is getting involved to learn about the process, but Regenold will tell you he already understands it, and he wants to change it.

One of his proudest accomplishments on the school board has been successfully fighting against a pay increase for school administrators in Three Forks, he said. He campaigned to get “likeminded” members elected to the school board and succeeded.

Plus, he said, the school board meetings are running much more smoothly that before with him as chairman. He has even gotten the administrators to come around on his ideas.

John Overtreet, superintendent of the school district, would not comment for this story.

While he has only voted in four elections, including primaries, and does not pay property taxes, Regenold insists his age is not a disadvantage.

He said his experience on the school board has proven that, both in his victory over older opponents and in what he has accomplished.

“I took on a 50-year-old, a 40-year-old, a 30-year-old,” he said. “I creamed them all. … (People say) ‘He’s 20 years old, but that 20-year-old guy is getting the job done.”

When he’s not taking care of school board duties, taking online classes through the University of Montana for degrees in economics and political science, working at Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Bozeman or running for the state legislature, Regenold said he likes to rebuild cars.

But his passion is politics, he said.

He remembers watching former president George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton debate when he was in kindergarten. He remembers the anger he felt when he watched Clinton get sworn in.

If he can, he wants to be a policymaker for life.

“If I get this, I have four months of (doing) something I really like to do,” he said.

So far, no Democrats have announced plans to run for the HD 69 seat.

Daniel Person can be reached at dperson@dailychronicle.com or 582-2665.

Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of The Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Please read our Online Users Agreement.

clintregenold wrote on Feb 1, 2008 8:56 AM:

" HI,

I am Clint Regenold, and this is a lousy representation of myself. I understand the need to make deadlines and sell newspapers, but this is a gross misrepresentation of myself, my goals and my accomplishments.

My proudest accomplishment is not voting against raises on the school board, thats absurd. I voted against those raises because I felt they were too large an increase for anyone no matter the job which they performed, in fact the part he left out was that event led me closer to the administrators, and I voted for increases in all three administrators pay the following year. I told Daniel (the reporter) my proudest accomplishment was the way in which our school board came together this year, shortened meetings, and has had an overall lack of conflicts, thats due to a school board that works together not a board that ramrods decisions down anyones throat. Evidently a school board that works together, is not very newsworthy.

Next, I never recall "creaming" (frankly, that terminology offends me...) anyone in an election, I did defeat three candidates, but like I said with the coming election, If I succeed, I will succeed on ideas not divisive bickering. I apologize to anyone who was offended by that, but those are not my words.

Finally, never in my life have I rebuilt cars, again Daniel asked "What do you do in your spare time when you are not , working at Lowe's, attending school board meetings, and studying/researching..." I paused looked at him and said "honestly, not much else, an public policy is a passion of mine, but I do like to look at and buy cars ( I've had way too may for a 20 yr old, crashed too many too...). So again, take the neglect shown in this article with a grain of salt, I'm sure Daniel Person meant well, and I'm grateful for the front-page cover, but we all make mistakes, and these were worth correcting. Thanks, Clint Regenold (Candidate H.D. 69).

"

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Anonymous wrote on Feb 19, 2008 8:07 PM:

" I recently attended a school board meeting at Three Forks High School. Mr. Regenold read the apology letter, and I have to agree that people make mistakes. However i have to wonder, Why would a same man who says he is innocent react so violently when the issue was brought to him. I understand this is a meeting of school and not of public issues but when the gentleman asking the questions moved on and asked another question pertaining to the school, Mr. Regenold saw fit to call the man "Sick" and "Pathetic" I may not be too up to date on the world of politics, but i do know that if you expect to receive votes from a community member, you do not use such foul and inappropriate words. I found this very unnecessary. "

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