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This column could be considered an open letter to Montana judges and justices, as well as the various agencies and parties engaged in lawsuits over legislation from the 2023 and 2021 legislative sessions. It’s also meant to inform Montanans about how ongoing litigation could impact future legislative sessions and, more fundamentally, their own ability to know and understand the current laws of our state. I write today not to submit another critique of political biases and integrity within the judicial branch, which have been widely discussed t...
Skyrocketing property taxes. Astronomical energy rate increases. Homes that are unaffordable to most Montanans. And yet more big tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, while the rest of us are left to foot the bill. When we look back on the last year, all these changes and more were brought you by one party and its supermajority: Montana Republicans. As 2023 ends, let’s look back over the last 12 months to see where Republicans really took us as a state. The Good. Montana Democrats at every level are speaking out, standing strong, and demanding a...
What a bunch of B.S. How many and who are getting the kickbacks at $5.7 million? Has the Montana Department of Transportation thought about all the traffic coming off Boy Scout Road? How many accidents will happen at that intersection, someone trying to make a left turn or getting rear ended? Speed and not paying attention always contribute to accidents. Highway 83 out of Condon and beyond drivers think they’re on the Autobahn. Are new speed limit signs or flashing lights to slow down going to help? And are the citizens of Seeley Lake going t...
Judge Malloy cut the wolf trapping season to protect grizzly bears. Yeah, right!! The last issue with wolf traps and grizzlies was in 2013. Why so much concern over an incident a decade ago? Last year there were two grizzly bears killed by cars in district 2. There were several more killed in other areas by vehicles, also in the last year. Last year there were two grizzly bears killed from fly fishermen. There were two grizzly bears killed by bow hunters. One bear problem with upland game bird hunters. Why then are they focusing on a problem th...
In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather came west from Missouri and settled with his family in a wooded area near Alberton. He was drawn to western Montana, he said, by the “power and beauty of the Rocky Mountain front.” It was the tradition of my great-grandfather and those of us who came after him to support political candidates who best represent our state, regardless of party. While my father voted twice for Dwight Eisenhower, he became a Kennedy Democrat in 1960, partly because of Kennedy’s strong advocacy for the conservation of publi...
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. It opportunely coincides with the holidays when folks are going to parties, reconnecting with old friends, and maybe indulging more than they do the rest of the year. Wherever you’re going this Christmas season, please never get behind the wheel impaired. While I’m encouraged that this year our alcohol-related traffic fatalities are down from the last two years, just one death on our highways because drugs or alcohol is too many. This year, there have been 53 alcohol-related traffic fat...
Public safety has been a significant and growing concern in our communities for the past several years. The 2023 Legislature heard these concerns loud and clear and acted to make our state a safer place to work, play, and raise a family. We took on human traffickers with House Bill 112 from Rep. Jodee Etchart. It increased penalties for human trafficking and gave law enforcement more tools to prosecute these heinous crimes. HB 112 has already been credited for a major prostitution bust in Bozeman. Senate Bill 265, sponsored by Sen. Mark...
Governor Gianforte: The Montana Supreme Court clarified the state’s ability to accrue ‘banked mills’ when the calculation required under MCA § 15-10-420 results in mills above the cumulative cap of 95. While that opinion was directly in contrast to the position of many counties, and the Montana Association of Counties in our defense of our membership, we recognize the Supreme Court’s determination and appreciate the clarity. As you know, 49 of 56 Montana counties levied the current State mill levy authority, calculated by the Departme...
I’m definitely not. Everywhere I go, people are grumbling about how much their property taxes increased. But if you think nobody is happy, you’re wrong. Governor Gianforte and the Republican legislative supermajority raised our property taxes. Yep, it’s true, and it was intentional. Sure, taxes are complicated, and we pay them because we have to. So, you might be asking an obvious question, like I did: Why in the heck would Republican leadership want homeowners to pay more in their property tax bill? The answer is simple math -- the gover...
Residents of the Flathead Valley have recently been witnesses to what can happen in public lands management when the public isn’t adequately consulted before decisions move forward. I’m referring to the permitting issues for Holland Lake Lodge. I think (and hope!) what has happened there will provide lessons that both federal agency employees and our elected officials learn from. I’d like to bring it to Senator Daines’ attention, as I see him moving a piece of public lands legislation forward in the U.S. Senate currently without first investing...
In the quiet corners of rural Montana, credit unions and community banks offer a unique ability to focus on bringing value to Main Street rather than Wall Street. These institutions have a vested interest in the success of their communities and often serve as economic anchors, supporting local businesses, farms, and ranches. Local banks offer a unique ability to build personal relationships and offer services dedicated to fit the specific needs of a rural community. However, their ability to do just that would be at risk if federal legislation...
We’re now less than a year out from one of the biggest elections in Montana history. Next November, our ballots will be stacked with candidates for president, U.S. Senate, two congressional seats, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, state auditor, and two supreme court seats (including chief justice), to say nothing of regional and local offices and any potential ballot initiatives. Ahead of such a jam-packed election cycle that is sure to produce high voter turnout and its share of c...
Flathead Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth; however, this summer’s low lake levels severely impacted residents, irrigators, fishermen, recreators, marinas, land and dock owners and many other businesses directly or indirectly. The economic impact is huge. So, what happened, and how can it be avoided in the future? One thing we can all agree on is that there was a very low snowpack last winter that resulted in record-low inflows into Flathead Lake. Despite low snowpack and other early strong indications of a drought year, the SKQ...
I am so grateful for Loving Hearts Thrift Shoppe. I recently got the prettiest teal colored jacket there, and a pile of other great items, at the $1 bag sale! When I got home and realized my new favorite jacket was reversible, and even prettier on the inside, I SQUEALED with joy. I am a very proud cheapskate - a frugal warrior - and your store makes my heart happy. I love a good deal, I love reusing perfectly good clothing, and I love popping in to Loving Hearts every month or so to run into people and see what’s going on. So many people in t...
Recently opinion pieces and information sent to legislators regarding the counties decision to levy 77.9 mills instead of the State directed 95 mills has been circulating in both statewide newspapers, and internal legislative correspondence. It appears that the message being distributed is counties are giving large tax breaks to corporations and out of state homeowners while doing little for the average Montanan. While the numbers can be interpreted to support that message, and they (the numbers) are in fact accurate, they only tell part of...
No Montana community is untouched by the mental health crisis. Suicide. Addiction. Loneliness. The struggle to find mental health services or appropriate supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. Patients receiving care in places that aren’t best for them. The list of challenges facing our communities is long and years in the making, and the time for setting that list aside is over. This spring, Governor Greg Gianforte and the Montana Legislature invested $300 million to reform and improve Montana’s behavioral health and dev...
As the first snow is falling, and freezing temperatures hit, we are getting pummeled with another huge energy rate increase, thanks to the five Republicans on the Montana Public Service Commission. On Wednesday the Commission unanimously approved a 28% rate increase from last year, the majority of which will fall on small businesses and residential users – renters and homeowners. This historical rate hike goes into effect Nov. 1 – meaning that the heat you need right now is costing you nearly one-third more than what you were paying before thi...
Bull trout in Holland Lake are unique yet vulnerable. Holland Lake harbors a “disjunct” core area population of bull trout meaning that bull trout spawn in Holland Creek and mature in Holland Lake rather than migrating to Swan Lake like most bull trout in the Swan watershed. In 2010, the US Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Holland Lake core area as critical habitat because it contains the features essential for bull trout conservation. They have very specific habitat requirements such as clean water with very little fine sediment in...
Hunting season has arrived! As hunters flock to the hills in pursuit of Montana’s treasured big game species, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the good work that was done in this spring’s legislative session for hunters, landowners, and conservationists alike. Wildlife issues have frequently been overcome with intense division in previous legislative sessions. 2023 was different. Various stakeholders that are often in sharp disagreement on wildlife and land management policies managed to set aside their differences and work col...
Every other year for the past several years the Seeley Lake Lions Club has produced and distributed free of charge to the community members a regional phone book as a fund-raising endeavor. Funds are raised through the sale of advertisements. This phone book covers Seeley Lake, Condon, Ovando, Helmville, and Potomac and includes the local phone numbers of residents. Over the past month the Seeley Lake Lions Club Phone Book Committee has been diligently working to verify our list of advertisers through emails followed up by personal contact....
Volunteers are the heartbeat of America! Throughout the history of our great country, volunteers have led the way to a better tomorrow. People who give, such as the founders of our country, giving hands in natural disasters or social injustices, to local people taking part in PTA, volunteers have left a legacy for the benefit of others. Never has there been a more critical time for good caring people to pitch in and help have influence on the values and conditions that affect you, your family, community, country, and world. Remember, all it...
The Legislature’s major zoning reforms to increase the supply of affordable housing in Montana have made a lot of news, but there was also another significant pillar of our pro-housing work during the session: cutting red tape. Excessive government regulations have been one of the barriers to meeting demand for housing. Every regulation also increases costs, making what homes do get built more expensive than they otherwise would be. The Legislature’s regulatory reforms touched on every economic class, from families with existing property, to...
There’s a lot of back-and-forth across the state right now about who is responsible for the property tax crisis that’s hitting homeowners in the wallet and making housing more expensive for all of us. Regardless of whether you own your home or rent it, sky rocketing property values in Montana are making it hard for all of us to find a place to live and afford to stay there. We’ve known that for a while now, and Governor Gianforte and the Republican supermajority in the state Legislature knew it too. They failed to act, plain and simple. Now,...
There have been dozens of news articles celebrating the historic pro-housing reforms passed in the 2023 Legislature. Many of those national stories call the package of legislation “the Montana Miracle.” While “miracle” may be a bit generous at this early stage of implementation, as the sponsors of two of the biggest zoning reforms, we’re happy to see Montana’s transformative approach to housing being recognized. Housing is one of our state’s most urgent and pressing needs. Home prices have escalated beyond the reach of average Montanans in...
I want to thank the Missoula County Commissioners and their staff for coming to Seeley Lake on Sept. 18 to talk about the future of this town and our “vision for the community.” The Seeley Lake Community Hall was packed, and County Commissioners heard from almost 100 residents that they care about the future of this place and valley and want to keep it clean, safe and community oriented. Commissioners and staff sat at tables to hear the concerns and dreams of residents for this place, and, at least, at my table, the most recurring theme was...
