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The Public Service Commission (PSC) is not widely understood, but it is very important, because it sets the rates that we pay for utilities, like electricity, etc. The current Commission takes its marching orders from the utilities which they are supposed to regulate, and they do it with no regard for us, the end customers. MONICA TRANEL is one of the most extraordinary people I have met. Competing twice in the Olympics, Monica won a World Championship Gold for the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team, taking three Silvers and picking up a Bronze. She i...
Here is how I am voting: Judges, Propositions and Public Service Commission: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot-part1.pdf Five candidates: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot-part2.pdf My ballot: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot2020.pdf U.S. Senator: STEVE BULLOCK has done an outstanding job in difficult times. He expanded healthcare to 90,000 Montanans and kept rural hospitals open, balanced the budget and saved $60 million in our rainy day fund. His opponent takes credit for legislation he opposed, which passed anyway. He consistently votes against Montanans...
Here is how I am voting: Last week’s letter dealt with Propositions, Judges and the Public Service Commission. You can view it here: http://kvs.org/vote/ballot-part1.pdf MT House Rep, HD 92: TOM BROWDER is a native Montanan, who lives in the district. He is thoughtful and pragmatic, headed for the legislature to focus on a rational tax system with lower taxes for poor people. He supports affordable housing, so that we can accommodate a variety of incomes in Seeley Lake. He advocates for quality education from pre-K to college, trade and tech s...
By next week, your ballots will have arrived in the mail. For whatever it’s worth, here is how I am voting. You can view a sample of my ballot at http://kvs.org/vote/ballot2020.pdf I will start out with the parts that baffle many people. Propositions and Initiatives: Initiative # 118: would allow adults to possess marijuana (more below). I am voting YES Referendum # 130: Would prohibit local governments from establishing firearm restrictions. “It repeals local governments’ authority to prevent the possession of firearms by convicted felons, adj...
One of the most important votes you will cast this year is for Montana Supreme Court. Most people ignore judicial contests, so your vote will carry extra weight. Mike Black is by far the superior candidate. Black, a fourth generation Montanan, was raised at Havre in a railroad family. He enjoys the support of all seven of the retired Supreme Court Judges. The incumbent whom he is running to replace was backed in her election by a dark-money group, the Montana Growth Network, and is essentially a puppet for the Koch organization. Consequently,...
Raph Graybill is one of the most talented lawyers I have met. A fifth generation Montanan he currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Bullock. He has work experience as both an attorney and a police officer. He has practiced before the US Supreme Court and also won a landmark decision before the Montana Supreme Court to protect public lands. He sued the IRS successfully preventing dark out-of-state money to invade Montana elections. His opponent intends to join a lawsuit that would terminate the Affordable Care Act. It would rip...
It’s time for Senator Steve Daines to get with the program and be a real champion for Montana’s public lands. Daines likes to talk about how supportive he is of our outdoor way of life but we see right through it when he refuses to support common-sense measures like the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act. This made-in-Montana solution would protect nearly 80,000 acres of beautiful Montana wilderness while boosting access to recreation areas and creating jobs. A bipartisan group of stakeholders from all around Montana -- from sportsmen to ran...
For whatever it’s worth, this is for whom I’m voting in selected Democratic Primary races and why. One of the most important votes you will cast is for Montana Supreme Court (at the end of the ballot). Most people ignore it, so your vote will carry extra weight. Mike Black is by far the superior candidate. He enjoys the support of six of the retired Supreme Court Judges (out of seven). The incumbent is essentially a puppet for the Koch organization. State Auditor (really the Insurance and Securities Commissioner): Shane Morigeau. Shane is a v...
Monica Tranel is a highly skilled lawyer who specializes in utility law and has practiced in front of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and in the courtroom defending consumers. She is full of energy. A two-time competitor in the Olympics, Tranel won a World Championship Gold for the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team. She will be the first Commissioner in years representing Montanans and not the giant corporations who shamelessly extort Montana’s utility customers with totally unwarranted rate hikes. Tranel will also be a powerful advocate for ren...
I strongly support Shannon O’Brien, who is running as a Democrat for the Montana State Senate, District 46, which stretches from Condon to Bonner, includes half of downtown Missoula and part of the University district. Shannon’s resume is highly impressive. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Montana and served as Dean of Missoula College. While there she prioritized the statewide apprenticeship program, increasing the number of rural healthcare workers by hundreds. Shannon served as policy advisor to Gov...
Senator Steve Daines and Representative Greg Gianforte, according to press reports, are in Montana for the August congressional recess (or “state work period”). They are holding invite only roundtables and discussions (like Daines’ guest speaking slot at the RSVP-only, pay-to-get-in Missoula City Club luncheon) and other private events, but not public, open town halls. In other words, Daines and Gianforte are continuing to hide from their constituents instead of meeting with them in public. Senator Jon Tester, on the other hand, is the only...
I was surprised and shocked to read Mike Hopkins’ letter to the editor in the last issue. I know Mike as friendly with a sense of humor, not shrill and hysterical. I can only assume that somebody else wrote the letter and Mike signed it without reading it carefully. It is curious that the letter quotes extreme behavior by left-wing radicals in D.C., when the Republican Party and its adherents have plenty of extreme crazies of their own, even a Republican “mainstream” vice-presidential candidate encouraging the assassination of Congr...
For whatever it’s worth, this is how I will vote when the mail ballots arrive in a couple of days: Jon Tester for the U.S. Senate. Jon is a dirt farmer and a real Montanan. His opponent is a real estate developer from back east, who moved here recently and calls himself a rancher, although he doesn’t own any livestock. Jon Tester is the real thing. Kathleen Williams for the U.S. House. She has worked tirelessly in the state legislature for healthcare and she keeps traveling across Montana to get input from constituents. Her opponent has voted a...
Lee is an extraordinarily talented and unconventional person. She was the first women to be admitted to the Sheet Metal Workers Union and the devices she builds are not only useful but also in high demand. Politically, Lee has an astonishing talent to connect to people of all stripes. I am convinced that she will be able to reach across the aisle once she is serving in the legislature and she will help construct the practical compromises that make government effective. Lee is down-to-earth, with a strong personality and firm convictions. Her...
I strongly support Alex Beal for Justice of the Peace. Not only is he highly qualified but his opponent, the current judge, is an embarrassment to the judiciary. Alex has been a prosecutor, public defender and attorney in private practice for 13 years. He serves as an assistant Municipal Court Judge in Missoula and has proven that he can keep a court functioning efficiently, handling a high volume docket with minimal wait. His opponent has made a mess of her court. She is frequently unexpectedly absent, throwing the court calendar into chaos. T...
There are three contested statewide races on the ballot this year: US Senate, US Congress and a third one that receives little public attention, Clerk of the MT Supreme Court. While the office is obscure to most people, it fulfills an important role. The Clerk is charged by state statute with managing files and cases, overseeing the appellate process and keeping the Court’s records. The Clerk also licenses Montana’s attorneys, issues writs and certificates and protects public access to court records. Rex Renk has been part of this office for...
SEELEY LAKE - Most of you know that a petition has been circulated at a number of businesses that aims to have the Forest Service remove our current Ranger Rachel Feigley. Without mentioning her by name and in no specific terms, Rachel is being accused of incompetence, negligence and acting in ways that are detrimental to the health and well-being of Seeley Lake. Some storeowners, when asked, were not sure who the Ranger was and what he/she did to warrant the petition, and it is obvious that many people signed the petition without a clear...
For those of you who vote by mail you should have received your ballot by now. The actual primary at the polls is on June 5. For whatever it’s worth, here is for whom I am going to vote. Grant Kier for US House. Despite two worthy opponents, Grant is my clear choice. During his thoughtful and highly astute five years of leadership, Five Valleys Land Trust expanded exponentially, protecting many thousands of acres, most after difficult but highly collaborative negotiations. He would bring a solid and wide-ranging grounding in science to a C...
MISSOULA - We are in the rare and fortunate position to choose between two highly qualified and thoughtful candidates for County Commissioner. Josh Slotnik brings a welcome new face to public life. However, Jean Curtiss’ experience is unmatched. During Jean’s 17 years of service, the population of Missoula County and its economic output increased dramatically. Moreover, Jean knows every corner of our county and many of her constituents on a first-name basis. She grew up in the Swan Valley and has always been supportive of Seeley Lake when we...
I have known and admired Cecil for almost 20 years. His has been an amazing personal journey, starting with growing up in an Amish community in Ohio, where he was forced to quit school after eighth grade to work on the family farm. At the age of 18, he left and set out for the west to seek a wider world and determined to enrich his education. He settled in Montana where he worked as a guide for two outfitters, while earning his GED, then getting two BA’s – in history and English. He will graduate this spring with a Master’s Degree in Educa...
SEELEY LAKE - There is not enough space in this column to list all the accomplishments and dedication to our community of these five outstanding people, which have already been documented on these pages last week. Suffice it to say that they all have devoted many hours, days and years in their respective offices skillfully and that there is no substitute for solid long-term experience and knowledge. Add that we would be throwing away about $8 million in federal grants if we were to elect the wrong people to the Sewer Board and the decision...
SEELEY LAKE - A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is just that: a possible event which offers enormous gain but will never be re-offered and if not seized will leave decades of regret in its wake. The federal government, whose purse strings are rapidly closing, is offering Seeley Lake a $8,000,000 (!) grant, the largest award ever to any community, to construct a sewer system. This will solve a problem that threatens the very economy and way-of-life of Seeley Lake: ancient septic systems are contaminating our ground water and polluting our beloved...
Seventy thousand Montanans would lose their health insurance, more than 20 million nationwide. The bill would be a disaster - especially for rural areas. Hospitals would not be able to recover the costs of emergency treatments for people without insurance and some may have to close. Many services that insurance companies are required to fund like maternal care, prescription coverage, annual physicals, etc. will face elimination from insurance plans. You won’t be able to change jobs if you’re sick, because insurance companies will no longer hav...
A lot (perhaps too much) has been said, written and broadcast about the upcoming special race for Montana’s lone Congressional seat on May 25. While I disagree with some of Rob Quist’s positions, and even more so with Gianforte’s views, the race comes down to a single issue in my opinion. Rob Quist is a true Montanan, who has lived among us all his life and encountered many of the difficulties and challenges that the average Montanan faces. Gianforte, on the other hand, is a billionaire, moved from New Jersey, who is now on his second attem...
SEELEY LAKE - It was with dismay that I learned last week that the Pathfinder was attacked for your coverage of the sewer vote. As you know, I am not an uncritical reader, but I have never seen any hint of bias or slant in your paper. In fact, I continue to applaud the rigorous impartiality with which you have been writing about controversial topics for years now. And the persistence with which you drill into the depth of complex issues is on par with the best investigative reporting anywhere. I can think of several reasons why the sewer vote...
