Who is Pat Flowers?
I moved to Montana from my Ohio birthplace in 1977 as a college junior to finish my undergraduate degree in forestry, and complete a master’s degree in forest economics at the University of Montana. I went on to a career in forest fire research, forest economics, forest management, and fish, wildlife and parks. I raised two daughters in Montana with my wife, Hedvig, who passed away in 2007. In 2014 I remarried. My wife, Melissa, and I now share four adult daughters. We are lucky enough to have three of them living and working in Bozeman, and the fourth takes us to Oregon.
Pat was elected to the Montana State Senate in 2018, and served in the 2019 and 2021 Legislative Sessions. In both sessions he was a member of the Senate Finance and Claims, Senate Natural Resources and Senate Fish and Game Committees. During the interim between legislative sessions he has served on the Legislative Audit Committee, the Environmental Quality Council and the Legislative Council. He also served as Minority Whip for the Montana Senate Democratic Caucus in the 2021 Legislature.
Why is Pat running?
I am running for Senate District 32 to strengthen the reasons why you choose to live, work and recreate in Montana — including a robust public education system, access to affordable health care, and exceptional open access to our rivers and public lands. I bring a lifetime of public-service experience working to address Montana’s toughest natural resource issues. With your support, we will translate that problem-solving success into home-grown progress in many other areas.
Pat’s Values
- Pat has demonstrated integrity throughout his public service career. He has taken on some of the toughest issues in Montana and through it all maintained a commitment to the sound management of our resources and the well-being of our citizens.
- Pat has shown great perseverance on issues like elk management where he pushed for solutions that recognized the concerns of private landowners, while focusing on the goal of managing elk as valued Montana wildlife of great importance to sportsmen and women.
- As a public servant Pat has embraced transparency in government, hosting hundreds of public meetings and forums on difficult issues. He understands the value and need for state government to find solutions in an open setting where Montana citizens can participate.
- Pat recognized throughout his professional career that the toughest problems are best solved with all interests at the table. The shared solutions that come out of those efforts are not only better crafted, but they also result in outcomes that are more broadly supported, and better stand the test of time.