Seeley Swan Pathfinder -

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...

Have you noticed the political foes who spread rhetoric accusing me of supposedly horrible things never provide any evidence? If I had actually advocated the outlandish things they claim, where is the quote? Afterall, I’ve made hundreds of social m...

For those voters who worry about Montana becoming a socialist state, you’re too late. Montana already IS a welfare state. We get more back in federal payments than we pay out to the federal government in taxes. The Medicaid, Medicare, Social...

In my early twenties, I worked for a non-profit for survivors of relationship violence and their families. Each survivor I worked with taught me something new about relationship violence and the journey to freedom from violence. In honor of all...

Wow! A record 16 inches of snow and -19 degrees in October. We must be in Montana! Wildfires are now far from our thoughts as we bundle up after still being in tee shirts only a couple of weeks ago. With our climate extremes, we know that another...

President Russell M. Nelson issued the challenge to “think deeply and often about this key question: How do you hear Him?” He then promised, “When we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance....

In this time of political division, pandemic and economic stress, we need something upon which we can all agree. Montanans all agree that we love our last best place. We all want to keep it that way. To that end, supporting our economy and keeping ou...

As I wrap up my eight years on the Public Service Commission, I ask myself, “What are the qualifications of a good commissioner?” As a life-long Republican, my answer may surprise you, because the stuff that makes for a great PSC commissioner is...

We hear again about the availability of the public lands for use by the owners of that land ––the PUBLIC. Both candidates for Montana Senate seat indicate they feel public lands need to be open to the public. Who exactly are they talking about?...

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...

It is the harvest season, and a lot of living things, especially grizzly bears, have their minds on food. In the case of grizzly bears, the only thing they think about right now is food. While they think about food, I think about garbage. I work for...

I found the letter to the Pathfinder titled “Vote like life depends on it” interesting and I thank the Pathfinder for printing the varied views of the community. I do have several concerns about the view expressed. First, the author’s view is...

If you got a mailer attacking my opponent, for the record that is not from me, and I disavow it. I do not do attack mailers, never have and never will. The interest earned off the current principle of the Coal Tax Trust Fund currently funds over 15 d...

On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Missoulian endorsed me with the big bold headline: “Fielder is who PSC needs now”. Among other things, the well-reasoned endorsement acknowledged my “willingness to stand up to powerful interests.” Indeed, I have...

2020 REAL ESTATE SALES IN THE VALLEY WILL BREAK RECORDS As we all started to hear a little bit, then a lot about COVID-19 in March and April. The US economy appeared to be in for a big fall. When local state and county - imposed lockdowns began to oc...

We are currently going through Senate Confirmation Hearings for a Supreme Court Nominee. In recent decades this questioning has often focused on the candidate’s view of privacy. This was a veiled (recently, not so veiled) way to ask the candidate...

As former wildland firefighters, we learned what’s required to take on complex and difficult, tasks. We learned that when the going gets tough, there’s no substitute for hard work, experience and clear thinking. We know that excellent leaders...

Over the last four years, our Secretary of State’s office has become plagued with incompetence and corruption under the leadership of Corey Stapleton and Christi Jacobsen. Under their mismanagement we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of taxpayer...

My wife and I moved to Seeley Lake in 2019 from the Flathead Valley, seeking to simplify and reconnect with nature and a smaller community. We quickly met many residents who made us feel welcome and provided great examples of community love and...

Mike Hopkins is asking to be re-elected to the Montana Legislature as the representative from the Seeley-Swan -Potomac-Bonner-Clinton area. Here’s a fact to consider in your decision to vote or NOT VOTE for him. Seeley residents have been...

When you campaign across our beautiful state, as we both have had the opportunity to do, you learn a thing or two about what it means to be a Montanan. You learn that while there are unique issues in each of our 56 counties, we all share many of the...

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...

The summer before I turned 17 was the worst fire season in Montana history. The Rice Ridge fire outside of Seeley Lake grew 60,000 acres in a single day, filling the beautiful Blackfoot Valley, where I’ve lived my entire life, with smoke and...

I’m writing this letter in support of Tom Browder, as he is a man of character and diligence. I met Tom about three years ago as a volunteer on his Parks and Recreation committee, which he led and continues to lead at this time. I continue to...