Sorted by date Results 806 - 830 of 1183
I read Mr. Doug Anderson’s letter concerning the proposed Swan Mountain subdivision and the fact that its location preempts its inclusion in Missoula County’s permit system. If I understand him correctly, this fact will cause great harm to first responders in the future, due to shoddy construction. Mr. Anderson states that after 2006, when the building permit system was implemented countywide, thanks to this much needed program, buildings are safer and the result is less demand on first responders. That may or may not be true. We have a ten...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake is very fortunate to have three new people who are interested in running for the Sewer Board. They are Beth Hutchinson, Troy Spence and Juli Cole. The top priority for these three candidates is not to immediately reject the sewer. Their key focus will be on reevaluating all wastewater treatment options and greatly improving communications with the district. There are several issues that they will address if elected to the board. One of their main concerns is that many of the constituents in Phase I will be forced into...
Dear Citizens of House District 92, You can count on Duane “Cecil” Schlabach to be a representative who will pour his heart and soul into his duties. He has integrity, humor, a solid work ethic, a caring heart for Montana and its people and a wealth of knowledge and experience. I hope you take time to vote for him in the upcoming primary election June 5th. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Cecil at Seeley Lake Elementary since 2011, when he became the junior high civics, history and English teacher. He has excellent rapport with...
When we first came to Seeley Lake in the late 1990’s, there was much discussion about the sewer system. We were interested in the future planning for this community and went to the Missoula County Office and obtained a Seeley Lake Comprehensive Plan Amendment. This was adopted by the County Board of Commissioners and the Seeley Lake Community Council on May 10, 1989. This amendment, “was an effort by the people of the Seeley Lake Area to outline the direction in which they wish their community to go and to set specific goals for acc...
SEELEY LAKE - The more the sewer is the topic, the more false information is surfacing. First of all, regarding Joann Wallenburn’s letter in the April 19 issue of the Pathfinder. I would like to ask her to support her facts on the Placid Lake algae bloom. How is that possibly caused by Seeley Lake septic systems? And in reference to Wallenburn’s comment on the Salmon Lake algae bloom, since Placid Lake is upstream from Salmon Lake, wouldn’t it be logical to say maybe Placid has leaking septics or some DNRC lots on the Clearwater have issue...
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 - Finally, after more than two decades of effort by many members of the sewer board and managers, we now have a solid plan and funding in place for a sewer system in Seeley Lake. I can only express my heartfelt thanks to all who have tirelessly pursued the goal of bringing this to pass. The board has done a great job and, in my opinion, there are NO better or more cost-effective systems. These have all been considered and found wanting. Now is NOT the time to change hands on the board, exchanging knowledge, understanding and...
SEELEY LAKE - When long-term, costly decisions are being made, you— the voters— deserve to be given reliable information. Getting such information from the current Seeley Lake Sewer Trustees has been and continues to be virtually impossible. When incumbents spoke at the candidates’ forum, they continued to demonstrate their inability to serve us well. Asked about what might be reasonable sewer rates, they each waffled in different directions. According to earlier, formal board and general manager-released figures for debt (+/- $55) and opera...
Most data is obtained legally, with your consent. But many times you don’t recognize when you are providing your information. There are many steps you can take to help protect your privacy. Here are a few more that are driven by the upcoming election cycle: • Stop filling out political surveys you get in the mail or over the phone. No matter what they say or imply, those surveys are not directing the actions of any organization. Organizations have boards, funders or founders that determine organizational goals. • Stop taking online quizz...
SEELEY LAKE - Last week Seeley Lake hosted two candidate forums at our Community Hall. The Seeley Lake Community Council offered a great service for the community and they did it very professionally. One of Klaus von Stutterheim’s super powers is acting as MC for these events. It’s a lot of work to orchestrate such an event, with much contact back and forth between here and the candidates to coordinate. Then there is the setup and breakdown of the hall for the events. I understand that all but four of the candidates accepted the invitation to...
Current Seeley Lake Sewer Board: Males - 100%, Females - 0%, Business Owners - 100%, Wage Earners - 0%, Fixed Income/Retired - 0%, High Value Property Ownership - 100%, Apparent Need for Sewer - 100%, Relevant Training/Background - 40% Flexibility in Problem-solving - 0-20% Sewer Board with Three New Members: Males - 60%, Females - 40%, Business Owners - 40%, Wage Earners - 40%, Fixed Income/Retired - 20%, High Value Property Ownership - 40%, Apparent Need for Sewer - 50-50%, Relevant Training/Background - 50%, Flexibility in Problem-solving -...
SEELEY LAKE - First, thank you to all our VOLUNTEERS for their time in training and responding to the needs of the community! I am honored to support the incumbents for Fire District Board of Trustees. I have known both Gary Lewis and Connie Clark since the early 90’s, and have the highest regard for them. These individuals are outstanding incumbents dedicated to the community. They have indisputable reputation, solid character, honesty and integrity. They both have combined over 60 years serving this fire district. Additionally, Mr. Lewis h...
I am running for Missoula County Commissioner because my experience and common sense leadership are needed now more than ever. I have a passion for Missoula County. I was born in Missoula and raised on a farm in the Swan. I graduated from Seeley-Swan High School. When I say I am going ‘up home’ - I am coming to this valley. When I drop down the hill to Salmon Lake, I am home. Seeley Lake is unique as it is unincorporated and yet has a sewer board, water board, fire board, cemetery board, hospital district and a volunteer fire department. I wor...
MISSOULA - We are writing to support Josh Slotnick’s bid for County Commissioner. Thirty-five years ago, we were transplants to Montana. We came initially for the reasons many do: easy access to unadulterated wilderness and the beauty of incredible landscapes. Over time, however, we’ve come to value other less immediately obvious things: the exceptional ingenuity and entrepreneurship of people who want to choose their own way of living rather than follow the mainstream; the care for community and concern about thoughtful development. Josh embod...
SEELEY LAKE - We chose to move to Seeley Lake for the beauty of the mountains, the lakes and streams, the critters, the snow…The small town. Back then, the sewer, “to be or not to be,” was a topic of discussion – and it still is 16 years later and already had been for 10. No one can accuse the sewer board of acting too quickly! I paid attention from a distance reading newspaper articles and attending public meetings. What I have paid close attention to are our lakes and streams. With the decline of the timber industry, Seeley Lake has relied...
SEELEY LAKE - Dr. Stephen Covey, author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," accurately stated about the profession of law enforcement, "Service, justice and fundamental fairness - these are the foundational principles in which every police action must be grounded." I attended a recent forum in Seeley with my two opponents. When I arrived, signs posted on the outside of the Community Hall building greeted us. I later learned that similar signs had also been posted near the main...
My re-election campaign for Sheriff is committed to fair and ethical campaigns and behaviors. We are firmly opposed to the type of behavior Mr. Wafstet has indicated in his emails, by any supporter of any candidate running for any political office. I’m not aware of any candidate from any political party that has the ability to control those who attend political events and for whatever reason decide to participate in this type of conduct. Therefore, it would be unfair to insinuate or try to link any candidate or somehow the operation of the S...
In my role as Executive Director of BREDD, a regional economic development organization, I had the privilege of working alongside of Commissioner Jean Curtiss for 10 years on economic development issues facing Missoula County. During this time, Jean led us through a transition in our economic base, which required listening, out of the box thinking, collaboration, and vision. A county commissioner’s job requires leadership and a broad spectrum of knowledge ranging from community healthcare concerns to economic development and so much in b...
MISSOULA - I design projects to restore degraded ecosystems and often catch myself asking, “What were they thinking?” Short-sighted needs for economic growth blinded previous generations to the long-term consequences their actions would have on the land and resources we rely on, causing boom and bust economies throughout Montana. In designing restoration projects, my goal is to set the right conditions for ecosystems to thrive on their own. With a similar mindset, Josh Slotnick has been sowing the seeds for the long-term sustainability of Mis...
China has been funding Confucius Institutes (CI) language programs under the communist regime's Ministry of Education since 2004, in which it forms partnerships with American universities. There are currently 103 branches on campuses across the U.S. The question that needs to be addressed is does the communist regime just want to promote Chinese culture or is there something more unethical about its intentions? In an in-depth report just issued by the National Association of Scholars (NAS) www.nas.org/projects/confucius_institutes it reported...
I have been following the purposed 61-unit Swan Mountain Estates subdivision in Powell County, just outside Seeley Lake. I have some concerns that I don’t believe are adequately addressed. While I don’t have any problem with the subdivision in principle, the fact that these developers want to rely on the Seeley Lake’s first responders for emergency situations has some troubling ramifications. Seeley Lake has terrific first responders. I personally know a number of people who work with or for the fire department, search and rescue, the sheri...
SEELEY LAKE - As we all know, Seeley Lake is a small, rural, unincorporated community. For fire and medical emergencies, we are served by a volunteer fire department. Our property taxes pay to outfit the department with equipment and gear, pay for employee salaries, volunteer recruitment, training and supervision. There are typically three paid employees: the chief, an office worker and a maintenance worker. Volunteer ranks are usually between three and four dozen. The volunteers are the heart and soul of the department. Let’s face it, if t...
After the recent school shooting the usual cries for gun “safety” went out. Stephen Smith who lost his mother in a school shooting wrote a great pro-gun guest editorial which pretty much reflects my views on the subject. Democrats and other liberals are always in favor of “common sense gun safety laws” as a way to save lives. They want to modify the second amendment to restrict what kind of gun you can own and how old an adult must be to buy a gun. These are the same people who believe convicted, violent, illegal immigrants must be protected fr...
My grandfather’s generation fought in WWI, my father’s in WWII and mine in the many conflicts which followed. Each generation of Americans valiantly stood against the evil of their day as we must also do. Today’s battlegrounds, unlike Iwo Jima or Normandy, reveal enemies wielding drugs, abortion, pornography, etc. launched against our families, friends and children by gangs, murderers and abusers. We must understand that, just like our ancestors, WE are the ONLY soldiers on this diabolical battlefield. This is OUR turn to champion our value...
SEELEY LAKE - The story “Snowmobiler Rescued Near Marshall Lake” that ran in the Pathfinder’s March 8 issue about my snowmobile wreck near Marshall Lake March 1 has a lot of things wrong. My riding partner Dave McDonald, also from Frenchtown, did get me out from under snowmobile by himself. He drug me up the creek and got me out of the water by putting me under a big boulder (pictured with the story) on top of a rock and ice. Then he gave me stuff to start fire with and he rode out to get help. At the trailhead he called search and rescu...
