About Jim

Raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, Jim Elliott moved to Trout Creek in 1975, where he pioneered the 33 Ranch out of 380 acres of cut-over timberland. He has ranched, farmed and harvested timber from the 33 ever since.

In 1984 Jim began his career in public service when he volunteered to serve on the local dump board. Five years later Jim successfully ran for Montana House of Representatives, where he served Lincoln and Sanders County for 8 years. While in the House he was Chair of the Fish & Game Committee and a member of the Taxation Committee.

In 1996 Jim decided against running for re-election to devote his time and attention to the ranch. After a 4-year break he was so disturbed by the legislature’s passage of electrical deregulation that he decided to run for Montana Senate where he has served his community from 2001 to 2009.

In the Senate Jim served as Chairman of three influential senate committees, Taxation, Water Policy, and the Committee on Committees, which assigned senators to committees. Jim’s philosophy of “agree happily and disagree respectfully," enabled him to work effectively with both Democrats and Republicans and gave him the ability to be a fair and effective voice for Lincoln, Mineral, Missoula, and Sanders Counties and for the people of the State of Montana.

Honored twice by the Montana Library Association for his fight against governmental agencies' spying on law-abiding citizens (2001 Legislator Award, 2006 Pat Williams Intellectual Freedom Award), Jim is also a Fellow of the Eleanor Roosevelt Global Leadership Institute and the Arthur Fleming Leadership Institute.

2001-2009: Montana State Senator for Lincoln, Sanders, Mineral and ................. .Missoula counties
1989-97: Montana State Representative for Sanders and Lincoln ..................counties
1987-89: Sanders County Solid Waste Board
1986-89: Sanders County Agricultural Advisory Committee
1984-89: Supervisor, Green Mountain Conservation District
1983-87: Chairman, Sanders County Dump Board

2005-2009: Senate Taxation Committee, Chairman
2007-2009: Committee on Committees (Appointments), Chairman
2007-2009: Water Policy Interim Committee, Chairman
2005-2007: Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee,
2001-2005: Legislative Audit, Chairman
.......2003-2005, Vice Chairman
2001-2009: Education
2005-2009: Rules
.......2007-2009, Vice Chairman

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