Fearless. Whenever anyone asks me about Lela, this is how I start. Lela Graham is fearless. Her campaign literature will tell you she’s a veteran, but beyond that mere mention is a history of badassery. The jumping out of planes 47 times, fighting oversea, Military Intelligence Corps kind of badassery. She served from 1996 – 2002. But with those adrenaline-inducing missions comes a fair amount of pain, heartache and loss, the kind that can alter who we are at our very core.
Resilient. That’s the second word I use to describe Lela. After a long and successful military career, Lela faced a struggle that we in Great Falls know far too well- substance abuse. Around 1 in 10 veterans struggle with substance abuse. Ever one to beat the odds, Lela celebrates six years of recovery this month. Perhaps scarier than facing enemy forces and even our own demons, Graham has made substance use and recovery the platform of her campaign. She’s knocked thousands of doors in her district and has told every voter about her plans to provide substance use treatment to people in Great Falls and across Montana. Graham is also the only Jewish candidate in Great Falls. Soon after Lela kicked off her door-knocking campaign, her district was inundated with anti-Semitic fliers. Tough as ever, Lela remained undaunted by the hate speech and has since knocked every door in her district.
Originally from Great Falls, Lela’s career took her all over the world. When she returned home to Great Falls, Graham immediately jumped into community volunteer work. Since then, Lela has become a Master Trainer for Narcan (a medication that saves lives by reversing the effects of opioid overdose.) She’s starting a nonprofit to help others struggling with substance use, and she’s somehow found time to run against one of Great Falls’ most “untouchable” candidates, Ed Buttrey. However, Buttrey’s harsh anti-choice views may prove too radical for even his own base this time around. In contrast, Lela has vocally supported bodily autonomy, helping organize multiple pro-choice events throughout the summer.
Lela Graham is a profile in patriotism, resilience, and bravery. We can think of no one better to serve Great Falls.
Lela Graham (right) is a founder of Great Falls’ newest recovery organization.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Thomas Jefferson January 1,1802, Letter to the Danbury Baptists, Jan. 1. 1802.
Now we come to legislator Scot Kerns. Before getting into details, we need to think a little about that good old time religion. Most of us are aware there are lots of different flavors of “Christianity,” some ultra conservative and some more liberal. There is no consensus among Christian churches on much of anything. From gay rights to capital punishment, one will find Christian churches with differing positions on virtually any political issue.
Beginning in the 1970s, some conservative Christian leaders began partnering with conservative political activists to mobilize their followers to engage the political process with an overarching goal of incorporating their religious views into public policy. And all along the way, they pointed at anyone who does not ascribe to their interpretation of scripture, calling them anti-Christian.
That effort over the last 50 years has paid off. Today conservtive Christains dominate politics from the US Supreme Court to the halls of the Montana Capitol. Our Governor, Greg Gianforte, and junior US Senator Steve Daines both attended the same conservative church in Bozeman. Visit the halls of the Montana Legislature and count the lawmakers wearing lapel pins with a tiny American Flag and a cross. And they have no reservations about imposing their form of religion on the rest of us. Welcome to the world of Christian Nationalism.
Scot Kerns is clearly steeped in the beliefs of the current right-wing religious uprising we face. After attending a private military school, he went on to receive a BA in theology from Concordia University in Chicago and then a MA in divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After college he was a pastor at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Kansas. All of these are affiliated with Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
Without disappearing into the history of the Lutheran Church, here are a few of the positions of the Missouri Synod. Women cannot be ordained. Pro-capital punishment, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQI. . .you get the picture. For more information you can check this out https://www.lcms.org/about/beliefs/faqs/lcms-views.
Since leaving College, Kerns has been a pastor in Kansas. He has been a guest pastor for KUFO radio, a station owned by the Missouri Synod. He says he’s a former Captain in the Air Force but doesn’t provide any dates, positions held, or places served in the roster of current legislators. He says he is currently Christian clergy but doesn’t say where. He says he is also a member of the Civil Air Patrol but his name does not appear on the Montana Wing Staff Roster as of May 2021. The Civil Air Patrol does have different memberships, but Kerns does not list any specifics. You really can’t tell from public documents what he is doing for a living right now. And his campaign material is equally vague.
His campaign contributors have an interesting story to tell. He hasn’t gotten much support from Great Falls residents. A review of his last three campaign finance reports reveals that less than 40 percent of his donors live in Great Falls. Most of his out-of-town donors are heavy hitters in the Republican Party, including Greg Gianforte who gave him the maximum; Chuck Denowh, President of the lobbying firm, The Montana Group; and current and former legislators from across the state including far-right legislators Kenneth Bogner, Tom McGillvray, Keith Regier and Bob Keenan.
But at the end of the day, what really matters are his bills and how he votes. And here we see that he is clearly on the far-right of the Republican Party. Among the bills he sponsored are:
HB 436- Prohibiting local governments from restricting concealed weapons in publicly owned buildings. Failed
HJ 6- Resolution in opposition to a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students of the Montana University System. Failed
His votes on bills he did not sponsor basically track the votes of the Trump Cult members in the legislature. He’s wrong on reproductive freedom and abortion, wrong on guns, wrong on tax, wrong on education, wrong on energy, and wrong on the environment. Rather than going through the long litany of bad bills supported by Kerns, we’ll just quote from a recent blog post in the Western Word, which is dedicated to independent commentary about politics, sports, the media, and current events. Blogger Mike Brown worked for Republican Conrad Burns in the mid-1990s . In his blog about the race between Kerns and Melissa Smith, he wrote, “I plan on voting for Melissa Smith. I followed Kerns’ votes in the last legislative session, and he is a full-blown MAGA guy.”
I am 33 years old, and ever since I’ve been aware of local politics, I’ve been aware of Rina Fontana Moore. The times I’ve voted in person (cuz duh, you get a sticker that way) I’ve always had a quick and painless experience navigating the Expo Park super polling location. Like most people, I assumed running elections was Rina’s primary job, and frankly, one we all took for granted. But huge changes in our country have altered elections. Once friendly interactions with retired election officials have morphed into screaming maniacs threatening these elderly volunteers. Fontana Moore’s office has felt the brunt of the Big Lie. And although Rina is technically a Democrat, she notes that Republican Clerk and Recorders across the country have faced the same lies, harassment, and threats. As far as partisan politics go, Rina has always existed on the periphery of my awareness. I’ve seen her very occasionally at larger gatherings like the Democrats Fall dinner, but as to her personal politics, I had no idea.
So when Rina agreed to sit down and chat with me, my most pressing question was- Why the funk would you want to keep doing this job? Rina’s answer surprised me, and what I really learned was that my question was premature. What I should have asked is- How did you become the person that you are?
Throughout my 40-minute chat with Rina, the answer became quite clear. After going through the basic demographics, I asked Rina why she’d run for the office in the first place. The first place was 16 years ago, by the way. “I want to be just like my dad” Rina told me. When you do enough interviews, you learn to look for the questions that elicit a spark. Here, Rina’s eyes lit up in a way that showed happiness with a hint of grief lurking in the corners. “Tell me more about your dad” I urged, without knowing Rina’s father had passed away this past April. So she did. She told me about accompanying her dad on land surveys from the time she was in sixth grade. She told me about the business they ran together for over twenty years. About her 12-year process to become a licensed surveyor, just like her dad.
What I learned is that Rina’s whole life has been in service to Cascade County. Rina got her Bachelors in Construction with an emphasis in land surveying. After four years of experience, Rina was allowed to sit for the Land Surveyor in Training exam, which she passed. Another four years on, she sat for a final test to obtain her professional licenses as a Surveyor. Now, Rina and her father live in the annals of Great Falls history, with their names appearing on an estimated half of surveying documents filed with Cascade County.
Politics, too, started with her dad. From the age of 5, Rina would accompany him to hand out candidate literature. They’d go door-to-door together, talking to neighbors about community needs. That’s where Rina learned about doing what is best for your neighbors, a value she’s brought to work every day since she was first elected. To Rina, doing your best looks like 50-hour work weeks. It’s performing in-house land surveys so they don’t have to hire an outside contractor. It’s running an internal print shop which saves the county money every time a ballot gets mailed out. It’s literally cleaning the office to protect the security of all documents contained within. No seriously, Rina cleans the office herself and has for 16 years. I can’t think of many other places where the boss stays behind on Fridays to clean the building.
So what are Rina’s politics? I still don’t know, specifically. Why? Because as Rina explained, the Clerk and Recorder doesn’t make policy. They aren’t writing laws or statutes, and this isn’t the role for someone who wants to alter how elections are handled. That simply doesn’t happen at the level of Clerk and Recorder, and Rina is fearful that her opponent does not understand what the job actually is. When asked what would happen if Rina is not re-elected, her first fear is for her staff. Unlike many government employees, Rina has maintained the same small staff with almost no turnover.
So why the funk does Rina Fontana Moore still want to serve as our Clerk and Recorder? As Rina often says, I’ll give it to ya straight, and her answer is best quoted in its entirety.
“I think it’s a sacred process. I will fight to the dying end for this position because I believe in what we do in the office. I believe in my staff. I believe that I’m the best person for the job because of what I believe and the people that work for me believe.”
What I found with Rina are delightful contrasts. A woman whose family is the focus of her world. Who, as a successful woman in her own right, still strives to be just like her dad. A woman who is undaunted after literal years of threats, harassment, and intimidation. Lucky for Great Falls, I think we’ve found a woman who will not be intimidated.
E-City Beat decided not to seek replies to a candidate questionnaire they sent out because of concerns raised by Republicans that their answers would be used against them.
Apparently legislative candidate Fred Anderson didn’t get the memo. He responded and E-City Beat ran it. We certainly hope his response below hurts his chances of election.
Anderson’s response to the E-City Beat question on abortion was. . .
“Life begins at conception and abortion should not be legal at any time for any reason.”
Anderson went on to explain that he believes all life is precious and he anticipates there would be numerous bills on abortion in the next legislature but, of the options E-City Beat allowed in it’s questionnaire, the above statement best characterized his position.
Thanks to E-City Beat for letting us know just how extreme Republican legislators can be on the abortion issue.
By K.T. After our recent post on the support for legalization of recreational marijuana, https://wtf406.com/2022/10/great-falls-likes-pot/ a District Court in Great Falls handed down a decision on the lawsuit filed against the city by the owners of Green Creek Dispensary seeking to open a shop within the city limits of Great Falls. The city refused their application, and they filed a lawsuit.
On Tuesday, Judge David Grubich handed down a decision in the case, ordering the City of Great Falls to issue a permit which would enable the plaintiffs to open a shop. The Montana Free Press quoted from the decision, “the cultivation and sale of adult-use cannabis [are] authorized by state law within Cascade County, including within the City of Great Falls.”
Unfortunately the decision is probably a moot point. This comes just weeks before the vote on a local ballot measure to prohibit sales within Great Falls city limits. Voters should be aware that the ballot measure is very poorly written. A vote for the measure is a vote to prohibit marijuana sales. We hope the wording of the ballot measure is the result of incompetence rather than intent to confuse voters. If you SUPPORT recreational marijuana in Great Falls, you will want to VOTE AGAINST the ballot measure.
