Section 4. Qualifications. A candidate for the legislature shall be a resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election. For six months next preceding the general election, he shall be a resident of the county if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county. The Montana Constitution
Steve Gist is currently serving as the Representative for HD 25 in Great Falls. Gist’s filing with the Commissioner of Political Practices lists his residence as an address in the town of Cascade. He doesn’t live in the district he represents. Nothing unusual about that. State law allows any resident of Cascade County to run in a district which is entirely within the boundaries of the county. And, it is pretty common that individuals from a given county run in districts they don’t live in.
But this whole residency thing gets more complicated when you look into public records. True enough, Gist owns a couple residences in Cascade. He also owns one in Whitefish. The company he owns is a firefighting contracting company, Gist Enterprises LLC. The registered agent for that company is his spouse, Virginia Gist. The address of the company is in Whitefish. Interestingly, Steve Gist is registered to vote at his address in Cascade but has his absentee ballot sent to his Whitefish address. His wife Virginia (Ginny) is also registered to vote at the Whitefish address, and her Facebook page says she lives in Whitefish. In addition, the bank for his campaign is First Interstate Bank in Whitefish. So, let’s see, his wife lives in Whitefish, his business is located in Whitefish, he has his absentee ballot sent from Cascade County to Whitefish so he can vote. But for purposes of getting elected he says he lives in Cascade County? Hmmmm.
Aside from the ethical implications of skirting the law, let us tell you why this may be a bigger deal than you might think. Gist’s business is contracting to fight forest fires. That requires equipment. And, in fact, if you go to the Gist Enterprises Facebook page, you see pictures of guys fighting fires and numerous vehicles with Gist Enterprises signs on the doors. Presumably those vehicles are registered in the county where the business is located. That would be Flathead County. So, while he represents Great Falls in the Legislature, the county share of the tax revenue from his vehicles likely flows to Flathead County. Maybe he ought to run there. After all, that is where his spouse and business are located, and he owns a nice house there.
If Gist wins the election his qualification to serve should be investigated. If it is found that he has violated the constitutional residency requirement for legislators, he should be removed from office.
You may not have heard much about Sandra Merchant, Republican candidate for Clerk and Recorder in Cascade County. But you probably have noticed that Trump cult members across the country are focusing on local election offices to advance their conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen from Trump. So the question we have is, does Sandra Merchant buy into that mythology or does she not?
So we looked around to see what she had to say about her reasons for running for office. First stop, of course, are her campaign materials. Her web site is https://merchantforcountyclerk.com. Not a lot of content here, but that is not unusual in a campaign. Though you don’t always see scrolling advertisements for gun shows on a candidate website as you will on hers. She also lets readers know that she organized a homeschooling group “in her community.” Hard to say where or when that was. Of course neither of these things have a hell of a lot to do with local election integrity.
So, on to her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/smerchant4cascadecountyclerk. Not a lot here either. Nice photo of Ronald Reagan and nice photo of her and a saddle horse. Always interesting to look at “friends” on these pages. Her friends list has some people from the right flank of the local Republican Party including local legislators, Jeremy Trebas, Steven Galloway, and Steven Gist. Far right county commission candidate Rae Grulkowski is also a friend. Interestingly the Clerk and Recorder’s office reported that Grulkowski accompanied Merchant into their office to file for office, introducing her to the staff saying Merchant had come to file for the Clerk and Recorder position.
Perhaps the more interesting thing about her friends list is that none of the “moderate” local Republican officials (like Fitzpatrick, McKamey and Buttrey) are on her friends list. Desma Meissner, who ran from the right against Wendy McKamey in the Republican primary, is on her friends list. Last but not least, the wackiest Republicans in Great Falls . . . Public Service Commissioner Randy Pinocci and Sheriff Jesse Slaughter are also on her list of friends. With that said, we don’t think many of us would want to be judged by the list of people on our Facebook friends list.
Next up, public statements in the media. Unfortunately local politics are simply not covered in the Great Falls Tribune, which is now a shadow of its former self. The Great Falls Electric is good but doesn’t cover local political campaigns. Neither of these papers provide for local editorial comment which is where most campaigns will put out pieces on issues of the day. This is a big problem in Great Falls and perhaps a topic for another day. For the purposes of this article, there is just nothing there.
So, what to do? Well, check the local right-wing rag. . .the E-City Beat. Interestingly E-City started this election cycle with bold proclamations about doing tough candidate “surveys” for their readers but backed off when Republican activists pointed out to them that it might damage Republican candidates. So now they are just taking puff pieces from candidates. . .all Republican. And, of course, they still publish hit pieces on local Democrats. . .particularly female Democratic candidates.
Bingo! E-City Beat has a piece by Sandra Merchant. Unfortunately not a lot here. The only thing we could find about the election fraud mythology was this statement, “Election security is a big topic right now. I will do all I can to be sure we have fair, accessible, honest, and accountable elections.” Meh.
OK, let’s try looking at her campaign’s contributor list. Some of the activists from the Great Falls election fraud promoter crowd appear here. See our post https://wtf406.com/2022/09/the-big-lie-in-cascade-county Lola and Steven Galloway ($500), Rita and Ron Staley ($800), Jan Wenass ($50), Desma Meisner ($50) to name a few. But hey, you can’t just assume that candidates share the views of their contributors. . .completely.
After looking through all of this stuff all we can really tell is that she doesn’t have any experience or education for serving as Clerk and Recorder. It appears she lived in New York and had a “horse business” there but nothing about how or why she came to Montana. She also worked as a medical coder for ten years and served in the Civil Air Patrol. None of that indicates any knowledge of the duties of the Clerk and Recorder. But probably most important her materials ignore the “elephant in the room,” election fraud.
So, we reached out to Sandra Merchant and just asked for her position on the election fraud myth. Here’s the email we sent:
Dear Ms Merchant,
We are preparing an article on your candidacy for Cascade County Clerk and Recorder. Unfortunately we have been unable to find much information on your positions on specific issues. In particular, we would like to know your position on whether or not significant election fraud occurred in the 2020 election and specifically whether you believe that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. We look forward to your reply. Thank you.
Let’s start with the easy stuff. Matt Rosendale is a bigot and a liar. His race baiting statement in opposing the Juneteenth Holiday was a blatant racist dog whistle. His stomping around the state in a cowboy hat and big belt buckle calling himself a rancher when he owned no cattle and didn’t even have a registered brand was and is a bold-faced lie. Just two examples. I will support whoever I think will really go after him . That person is Gary Buchanan.
I am a lifelong liberal Democrat having run twice successfully for the Montana Senate and once for the Montana Public Service Commission. I served as a local Democratic Central Committee Chair and did a stint on the State Executive Board. When I was in the State Senate, I also served as one of four board members of the Montana Legislative Campaign Committee. This is the first time in my life I have supported an independent candidate for anything.
In my career in politics, I learned how to look at the numbers of past elections. The simple fact is that it would take a truly extraordinary democrat to win in the Eastern Congressional District. At a minimum, that person would have to have name recognition across the district and connections beyond the usual Democratic constituent groups. More importantly, that person would have to be able to raise enough money to be a serious contender against Rosendale’s bank roll provided by the far right. Looking at the field of Democrats in the primary I simply didn’t see anyone who met these basic criteria.
I’ve supported plenty of Democrats over the years who were unlikely to win. To me it’s about more than that. To beat Rosendale, we need someone who will aggressively and effectively go after his record in Montana and in congress. Win or lose Gary Buchanan will do that. I know it from personal experience.
The electric deregulation mess is fading into the past. Just remember that it is the worst economic disaster in our history. When the bill passed in 1997, I was amazed at the broad support it received from politicians, big business, and even organized labor. The opponents at the time were seniors, low-income advocates, and environmentalists. It was a lop-sided political battle, but Buchanan didn’t care. He saw the economic folly of the proposal and got active. I watched him give testimony, read his editorials, and had numerous discussions with him about deregulation and its politics. He was fearless and forceful. He did not give a damn about partisan politics or who he might offend.
I don’t agree with Buchanan on lots of things. I’m not impressed that he has worked for both Republican and Democratic administrations. I’m not enamored with his profile as a serious businessperson or the support he is receiving from so-called moderate Republicans. I’m not persuaded by those who argue that he will split the Democratic vote and be responsible for Rosendale’s re-election. A traditional Democratic campaign, underfunded and over matched, has almost no chance of winning anyway.
I know that Buchanan will say what he means and do what he says. He’s not going to play a bunch of political games to get elected. He understands that Matt Rosendale is an embarrassment to Montana. He has the character, experience, and personality to call Rosendale out.
Why I’m supporting Penny Ronning for Montana’s Eastern Congressional District
Montana’s newly created Eastern Congressional District is a three-way race between Republican Matt Rosendale, Independent Gary Buchanan, and Democrat Penny Ronning. You likely have heard why Matt Rosendale sucks – he celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election on January 6th, and there’s a lot more ugliness where that came from. Rosendale is largely absent from Montana with a reputation for avoiding meetings with his constituents. But you might have noticed that Independent Gary Buchanan and Democrat Penny Ronning have supporters within typically Democratic circles in Great Falls. What the Funk wanted to provide our readers two comparison opinion pieces of why some people are supporting Gary Buchanan and why others support Penny Ronning. You can check out our guest contributor post about Gary Buchanan on the blog.
But for me, I’m voting for Penny Ronning for Congress.
The first time I met Penny Ronning was at a meet and greet event in Great Falls. I wasn’t sure who I was supporting in the Democratic primary, and I wanted to make sure that the candidate I voted for was a true advocate for LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, working people, and the environment. Penny did not let me down. She spoke strongly to the heart of why those issues are important and how she will fight for them.
Penny Ronning is a force for change.
Ronning effectively served on the Billings City Council, led community organizations to develop economies, and co-founded the Yellowstone County Area Human Trafficking Task Force. She has been a long-time advocate for victims of human trafficking and has participated in national committees developing policy and authoring legislation to combat this devastating issue. Penny Ronning has traveled all over our Congressional district to meet voters where they are and listen. Since the first time I met her in Great Falls, she has made the consistent effort to return again and again. Penny Ronning is working hard to be a voice for everyday Montanans.
Penny Ronning has a proven track record of support for human rights that are currently under attack in our country. I know that she will stand up for LGBTQ rights, because she already has. I know that she will stand up for reproductive rights, because she already has (numerous times, see here too!).
When I vote for Penny Ronning, I know what I am getting. A fighter for me. For us. For Montana. Penny Ronning has been consistent and honest about her stance on the issues since day one. We deserve someone brave and willing to put in the work day in and day out. We deserve Penny Ronning in Congress.
President Biden’s recent announcement prompts us to take another look at the marijuana issue here in Great Falls. But first, for those who may have missed Biden’s announcement on marijauana, here are the salient points.
Offers pardons to 6500 people with convictions for simple possession of marijuana
Directs the Department of Justice to review whether marijuana belongs on Federal Schedule 1 of dangerous drugs along with fentanyl, heroin and other drugs
Encourages states to make similar moves on marijuana policy
Let’s review some of the facts about people’s attitudes toward marijuana here in Great Falls. Remember that numerous attempts to liberalize marijuana laws in Montana have failed numerous times in the Republican dominated legislature. Advocates of legalizing marijuana finally decided to take it directly to the people through the initiative process, gathering signatures for two ballot measures. One was a statutory measure (which theoretically could be repealed or amended by a simple majority of the legislature), and the other amended the state constitution to allow legal marijuana in Montana (much harder for the legislature to change.) So, after gathering the required signatures across the state, both measures qualified and appeared on the ballot in the 2020 election. You remember that one. Trumpers swept the Montana elections, carrying “conservatives” into office up and down the ballot. But despite that, both ballot measures passed by wide margins.
Despite overwhelming public support, Republican legislators in 2021 still supported bills to restrict and limit marijuana in Montana. So here’s a table with some relevant numbers.
Please note that some of the incumbents are not running in the same district they represented in 2021.
House District
% for Initiative 190
% for CI 118
Republican Legislator 2021 session
Democratic Challenger 2022
21
56.56%
56.84%
Ed Buttrey
Lela Graham
22
61.41%
60.14%
Lola Sheldon-Galloway
Nick Henry
23
59.26%
58.66%
Scot Kerns
Melissa Smith
24
57.21%
58.18%
Stephen Galloway
Barbara Bessette
25
61.17%
59.59%
Steve Gist
Jasmine Krotkov
26
63.19%
60.20%
Jeremy Trebas
Casey Schreiner
But the story doesn’t end there. After the election and the legislative session ended, local governments weighed in. Here in Great Falls the City Commission flubbed it. To make a long and painful story short, the city commission basically bent to a small, vocal group of people who wanted to prohibit marijuana sales in the city.
Historically, cultivation and sale of marijuana has been prohibited by city zoning code. After the new law was passed making marijuana legal in Montana, the City Commission could have (and we believe should have) simply repealed the old zoning code and adopted a code which allowed marijuana sales in city limits. Instead, the Commissioners took the easy way out and referred the question to the ballot. Only one commissioner, Eric Hienbaugh, voted against the referral to the ballot. Unfortunately the ballot wording is confusing, because a “For” vote means you want to prohibit marijuana sales in the city. So, if you want to allow marijuana sales in the City of Great Falls, you should vote “Against,” which means you support marijuana sales in the city..
This has been a long and tortured process involving petitions, lawsuits, numerous hearings, and public meetings. Hopefully the measure will pass on the ballot making it legal to buy marijuana in city limits, and we can move forward as the voters in Montana intended in the first place.
