MISSOULA - As the Clerk and Treasurer for Missoula County, I have had a front seat to the governing style of Missoula County Commissioner Stacy Rye. In her short time on the County Commission, Stacy has been a fierce advocate for open and transparent government. This hasn’t earned her any friends but it should earn her your vote.
Without meaningful public access to county government, public decisions are made in a vacuum. Ultimately, the citizens of Missoula County are the ones that are hurt.
To be clear, I don’t believe that anything nefarious is at work. Missoula County is simply behind the times in terms of making schedules, agendas and meeting minutes available to the public. Stacy has proposed having meetings recorded and minutes available online shortly thereafter. This would give Missoula County residents the opportunity to become involved, even if they aren’t able to attend every meeting. In turn, that makes it more likely that our elected officials will be able to understand the true impact of their decisions before those decisions are made.
Stacy is making progress at bringing the process into the open. If we cut her tenure short, I am afraid that we will simply return to the comforts of closed government. For this and a host of other reasons, I wholeheartedly and without reservation endorse Stacy Rye. I would encourage you to vote for her and let her finish the work that she started a mere seven months ago.
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