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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...
When I looked out the window this morning, the fog was partially concealing our valley. As the sun rose, the fog lifted and I was staring in awe at the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows that greet us most mornings in the fall when you live in this magnificent valley. Since I was a boy in the 50’s, I have always greatly valued waking up to the ever-changing beauty of our vista at Placid Lake. I always knew that Placid Lake would someday be my home. Don’t we all value the beauty of the vistas we experience wherever we are in the See...
As a resident of East Missoula, I am writing to put my support behind Tom Browder for House District 92. I haven’t known Tom for a very long time but what I have seen is an honest, knowledgeable, generous, dedicated and helpful person. I was first introduced to Tom on a blisteringly hot summer day when he was manning a community food drive in the parking lot of Ole’s Conoco Station. The heat was melting the asphalt but there was Tom, smiling and laughing, under his sun umbrella. He was there all day and it was a LONG day. I next met Tom whe...
With the vitriol and enmity permeating politics on the national level it is easy to become jaded and disengage. It often seems that we are relegated to choosing the least onerous candidate. It is difficult to get enthused. Fortunately, for a change, we have a local (and Tip O’Neill said “All politics is local.”) candidate who generates excitement. Tom Browder is running for the Montana House District 92 seat. Browder’s experience in the business world required him to work collaboratively to successfully mitigate problems. Browder will not onl...
I have known Tom Browder for quite some time and have found him to be an interesting, energetic person. Now, he wants to serve the eastern area of Missoula County in the State Legislature. In my opinion, this is good for both this area and the state of Montana. Tom is a very thoughtful person who wants to help make a great place even better. People in the Seeley, Swan area know Tom as a person involved in the community and working for progress in the areas of: a strong public education system; quality healthcare; affordable housing and keeping...
Death and taxes, two realities of life. My opinion today comes from being in the insurance industry for 30 years as a broker, agency principle and insurance company board member. The politicians today are misrepresenting the fact about your health insurance. The facts are your health insurance is already controlled by federal and state regulations and has been for years. The Affordable Care Act did one major thing, the requirement that all pre-existing conditions be covered - probably the most defining moment for many of you. You no longer had...
I am not in the habit of writing to the paper. However, this week’s letter by Tim Adams upset me to no end. This vile and vicious attack on our current House Representative and the Chair of the Missoula Republican Party was not only full of lies and untruths, it was an ugly stain on our community where we pride ourselves on being civil, neighborly and caring, no matter what our political views are. It is bad enough that the climate on social media is unpleasant, aggressive and full of false information, let’s keep hate and viciousness out of...
I like Tom. He has roots in our neighborhood, worked in our woods in his younger days and had a successful business career. Not only is he a full time resident of our community, he is a full time participant in our community. As a lifelong Montanan from Missoula County, his business ventures in other parts of the country benefits us with fresh ideas. His opponent seems like a wannabe politician who only campaigns in this district because he failed to get elected in the district where he lives. I want to be represented in Helena by someone who...
As a resident of House District 92, I am pleased to be able to endorse our Representative Mike Hopkins for re-election. As our Representative, Mike has authored and passed legislation that has created jobs in our community and throughout the State, he fought to defeat more than $800 million in tax increases, to allow property owners to fight fires on their own property and to ensure freedom of speech on Montana college campuses. Mike’s colleagues call him a thoughtful and dedicated legislator who always puts his constituents first, and he is k...
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,...
It’s no secret that there is a diversity of opinion in our community. Politics has become something of a contentious, even nasty business nationally. Sometimes tensions can be high even within the State, counties and local communities. Some politicians seek to divide us or exploit any existing division for political gain. Some will adhere to party line even when it makes little sense with the issue at hand. And some will listen, seek common ground and work to build consensus. In my view the role of our elected representatives is to understand w...
As an elected official, you just have to get used to the fact that people will lie about you. Like it or not, its just a part of the way campaign seasons work currently. But I feel like lying about people’s families for political gain is a line in campaigning that we should not be crossing. It has got to be one of the lowest forms of campaigning ever. It’s also not going to work. Folks in House District 92 know me. They know that we have one of the most successful and independent records of any legislator in Helena. That we have secured bet...
I’ve lived in the Swan Valley for 40 years. I’ve worked locally, for Rustics, the Forest Service, DNRC and Swan Ecosystem Center. Currently I work with Living With Wildlife Foundation, helping to educate visitors to our public lands about camping and recreating and living responsibly in bear country. I’m also a small business owner and member of the Swan Valley Community Council. Sustaining a vibrant and healthy community is a top priority for me. This is why I will be voting for Tom Browder to represent HD 92. Tom and I share important value...
Our mission should always be to preserve the nobility of Americas character, One Nation Under God. A place where anybody’s dream can come true. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was the fulfillment of 1,000+ years of western civilization. Our Constitution is the product of centuries of tradition, wisdom and experience. No political document has done more to advance the human condition or propel the engine of progress. However today, a radical movement is demolishing this treasured and precious i...
Have you ever met a person that seems to shine - because they listen, smile, reflect and then actually respond directly to you? Have you been believing respect, being heard and part of the process in driving together toward a better way to reach and provide opportunities is not readily valued today? Do you believe that best decisions are made by those that live and invest their hearts and energy into this place we call home, not the dictates of party power strategies? Find stability and hope in Juanita Vero’s run for County Commissioner. A...
Since ballots will soon be in the mail, I have some concerns about our local elected representative, Mike Hopkins. If you’re not familiar, Mike moved here from California where his mommy was busy suing Danville, California for two years over his traffic tickets. She later also sued the moving company who brought her here to the house she bought for little Mikey in the South Hills. She even sued the local Republican Women’s group when they weren’t running the way she thought they should. Is Mike really a Republican? He talks a big game, but w...
In the late 1800’s my great, 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. My grandpa owned and operated a small sawmill, which paved the way for my father’s introduction to the wood products industry. When I was a child, my dad’s work took my family to various Montana locations including the community of Seeley Lake, which is just down the road from where I now live. As a native Montanan with...
When does PUBLIC LAND cease to belong to the public? Many years ago various entities decided that the general public was not entitled to use public land. What to do? They convinced the US government to turn some 70,000 acres of public land into a wilderness study area thusly removing it from public use until a study was made to determine wither it fulfilled the parameters to become part of a very special designation of WILDERNESS. Studies were done and it was determined qualifications were lacking. So here they are some 15 or 20 years later,...
As a County Commissioner, Juanita Vero continues to provide us with the dynamic and successful leadership necessary to lead Missoula County through these particularly challenging times. Her long-successful ranching business in the Greenough area has taught Commissioner Vero how to be a business owner, an employer and a taxpayer sensitive to the needs of rural communities and people across western Montana. In virtually every public meeting that I have attended where Ms. Vero has been present, she has been professional, colorful, respectful,...
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...
As a native Montanan, brought up by union workers and raising my son in a state that has consistently ranked one of the proudest nationwide, I ask you to look closer at a race you may not have considered important: Montana's Secretary of State. In this divisive time, I'm hopeful we can agree on the need for transparency in this position that, among other roles, oversees our elections. Bryce Bennett has a proven track record as a bipartisan advocate for Montanans' right to vote. One of his biggest passions in life is making sure that every...
Bryce Bennett is the person we need to elect for Secretary Of State. Bryce has done a lot of admirable, bipartisan work to protect our privacy, keep dark money out of our elections, protect access to public lands and extend and maintain health care protections. As a native of eastern Montana and a state senator, he has a clear view of what the office of Secretary Of State needs to do to improve and protect Montanans' lives, regardless of political affiliation. His focus on and dedication to keeping elections clean and accessible, as well as...
I am proud to endorse Bryce Bennett for the Office of Secretary of State (SOS). Bryce has worked diligently and effectively as the Representative for Montana House District 91 for the past four years. I look forward to seeing his energy and enthusiasm in the Secretary of State’s Office. I have first-hand experience with the SOS and have seen the results of four years of mismanagement by the incumbent whose chief deputy seeks to replace him. Slashes to staffing make it increasingly difficult and time-consuming to access essential business s...
I have learned a lot over the past few months. If you watch Fox news; Democrat run cities are experiencing riots by supposed protesters for racial justice. ABC, NBC and CNN portray this as “largely peaceful” patriots protesting racism while racist police and white supremist provoke them into burning down buildings, stealing flat screen TVs and designer tennis shoes. Based on Democrat politician’s claims that this country is overwhelmingly and systemically racist; I fully expected hundreds of thousands of racists to descend on the prote...
Over fifteen years ago, folks from Seeley Lake and Ovando sat at the conference table at Pyramid Mountain Lumber with three goals: support local timber jobs and healthy forests, increase recreational use in the Lolo National Forest, and permanently conserve some of the wildest places in Montana. What resulted from that meeting and countless gatherings after it is the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project, which Senator Tester introduced as legislation in June 2019. We’ve held many public meetings and have honed the Blackfoot Clearwater S...
