by Ken Toole | Jan 23, 2024 | Elections, Energy/Utilities
Here’s a video of Matt Rosendale standing in front of Judith Gap wind mills not turning during Montana’s recent extreme weather event. Matt wants us to know that windmills don’t generate power when there is no wind (duh!). He explains that is why we can’t rely on wind power to meet our energy needs. Rosendale and his ilk make the same point about solar power. https://twitter.com/i/status/1746208420871688233
What Rosendale left out of his propaganda pitch is the fact that the coal plants at Colstrip were “curtailed” during the same severe weather event, producing about half of their capacity for a week before he posted his video. He also failed to mention that a natural gas hub in Washington State also went off the line at the same time. https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/18/montana-could-be-a-leader-in-energy-but-weve-fallen-behind/
The reality is that the more different kinds of power generation we have feeding the grid the less likely outages are. But far-right officials like Rosendale can’t be saying that, because it would be supporting DIVERSITY, and we can’t have that can we?
by Ken Toole | Jan 23, 2024 | Elections, Energy/Utilities
Public Service Commission Chair, James Brown, announced that he is running for State Auditor in the 2024 election cycle. Last cycle he ran unsuccessfully for the Supreme Court in one of the sleaziest campaigns in recent memory. In that race, Brown was dogged by allegations that he repeatedly violated the rules prohibiting partisan endorsements in judicial races. https://montanafreepress.org/2022/05/25/republican-support-stacks-up-in-montana-supreme-court-race/
The court race was not the first time Brown played fast and loose with campaign law. When he ran for PSC in 2020, there were questions raised about his claiming residence in Dillon. Specifically, Brown owned a home and operated a law practice in Helena, which is outside his PSC district. But in his candidate filing, he used a Dillon post office box. In Brown’s candidate filing, he lists a Dillon post office box as his mailing address. In his corporate filing for his law practice, he wrote that his home address was in Helena. He argued that he lived in a house in Dillon with his cousin. But when asked how much time he spent in Dillon by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, he refused to answer, saying it was not “relevant.”
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/complaint-filed-against-psc-candidate-disputing-residency/article_b905ad5d-c43e-56b7-b117-115b300681db.html
After winning election to the PSC and being chosen as PSC chair, Brown was caught up in a scandal regarding audit exceptions found at the PSC by legislative auditors. While the allegations in the audit report occurred before Brown was on the commission, he was called to legislative committee hearings to respond to questions from legislators about what was going on at the PSC. He initially refused to provide the name of a fellow commissioner who had booked a $1,400 first class plane ticket to Washington DC. He later identified the commissioner, former chairman Brad Johnson. (Johnson is currently running for US Senate.) https://montanafreepress.org/2021/06/08/psc-rebuked-for-legislative-audit/
In addition to Brown’s adventures in the electoral arena, he has a long history of activity in the world of dark money in politics. He was the attorney for a group called the Western Tradition Partnership. The activities of this group came to light when a box of documents were found in a meth house in Colorado, which detailed a laundry list of political dirty tricks in Montana and was the subject for a PBS documentary titled Dark Money. Brown also served as the lawyer for the Montana Republican Party from 2009 to 2015. (https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/darkmoney/
https://www.propublica.org/article/documents-found-in-meth-house-bare-inner-workings-of-dark-money-group)
For those who think these kinds of things are just politics as usual consider this. Brown was the chair of the Public Service Commission when it approved a 28% rate increase for consumers, siding with NorthWestern Energy over numerous public interest organizations. He now wants the State Auditor’s job regulating the insurance industry in Montana. Elections really do matter.
by WTF 406 Staff | Jan 16, 2024 | Elections
By Ken Toole
Greg Gianforte’s selection of Republican Legislator Paul Green to lead the Department of Commerce is being questioned by a long-time Democratic political leader. In a letter to the Daily Montanan and Montana Free Press, the former Chair of the Public Service Commission and Democratic Senator from Chinook Greg Jergeson wrote, “I believe that appointment violates Article 5, Section 9 of the Montana Constitution. Section 9. Disqualification. No member of the Legislature shall, during the term for which he shall have been elected, be appointed to any civil office under the state; and no member of congress, or other person holding an office (except notary public, or the militia) under the United States or this state, shall be a member of the legislature during his continuance in office.”
Green was appointed to fill the Commerce position when previous director, Scott Osterman, abruptly left. He was forced to resign after an internal review found he had violated state expense policy by billing the state for vehicle and lodging expenses related to traveling to the state capital in Helena from his home in Kalispell.
Green, who is a rancher and businessman from Hardin, was elected for the first time in 2022 to a seat representing a majority Native district which includes reservation communities in southeast Montana. Green is not a tribal member nor Native American. His legislative district includes much of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and likely will favor Democratic candidates in the coming election cycle.
In his letter pointing out the constitutional issue, Jerrgeson said, “I had conversations with the Constitutional Convention Delegates with whom I served in the legislature about this particular provision (especially the first part), and they told me the convention adopted this provision in order to prevent some future governor from securing the vote on a matter before the Legislature by offering to appoint that person to a position that is much better compensated than the relatively minor compensation that is afforded to Legislators.”
It remains to be seen whether the governor will address this situation and this apparent legal conflict. Given this administration’s consistent disregard for legal limitations, it seems doubtful.
by Jasmine Taylor | Jan 10, 2024 | E-City Beat Watch
This past November, the city of Great Falls voted on numerous elected positions as well as a public safety levy and public safety bond. Amid a property tax crisis, it was no surprise that the public safety levy failed. The proposed level would have required a massive property tax increase, a burden the levy’s biggest proponent, Commissioner Rick Tryon, continuously tried to downplay. Despite Tryon’s attempts to minimize the enormity of the ask, the public safety levy ultimately failed. 9,095 voters said “No” to the public safety levy. Only 5,620 voters said “yes” to the levy. Both the bond and levy failed.
Apparently Commissioner Tryon either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care how such levies work. Voters get to decide if they are willing to pay additional monies for these fundings requests. The voters resoundingly said “no.”
During the January 2, 2024 work session, Tryon suggested taking funds from the Great Falls Public Library and diverting that money to public safety. Such a suggestion entirely ignores the will of the voters. We already declined to provide even more money to public safety, and we did so just two months ago.
As with the public safety levy, the library itself relied on the voters to say “yes” or “no” to their levy. The voters spoke, and the library levy passed. Great Falls wants a fully funded library. Now Tryon is threatening to go back on a longstanding library management agreement, which provides seven mills for the library.
Tryon’s attacks on the library are undoubtedly politically motivated. In fact, Tryon was a key vote in ignoring the library’s recommendations for appointing a board member. Rather than rely on the expertise of the Board, Tryon decided to follow the party line. Despite not even attending interviews of the applicants, Tryon and Commissioner Joe McKenney both voted to appoint Noelle Johnson, an individual who was not recommended and who has significant extremist ties.
Perhaps Commissioner Tryon needs reminding that the voters have already responded to his request for public safety funding. They said “No.” Now its time to honor that response and explore real options that don’t involve stripping the library of necessary funding. Tryon may not value public libraries, but the people of Great Falls have already spoken, and we want our library funded.
by Jasmine Taylor | Jan 10, 2024 | Militia and Hate Groups
The Nazi propaganda that has plagued Great Falls over the past year turned up in Bozeman earlier this week. Montana State University has confirmed that NeoNazi stickers were placed throughout the campus, but their response leaves a lot to be desired. MSU did not take any steps to notify students of the event and seemingly did not put any measures in place to provide safety for affected students, claiming that no safety risk was identified. I can’t help but wonder if Jewish students at MSU share this view.
You can read the full story about MSU here: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/05/montana-state-university-hit-with-white-supremacist-nationalist-stickers-and-posters/
The Big Sky Active Club has seemingly taken credit for the propaganda at MSU. This group is closely affiliated with White Lives Matter, with a handful of pathetic White dudes participating in both groups. White Lives Matter is the NeoNazi group that has been distributing similar materials in Great Falls.
Most recently, White Lives Matter shared a video of themselves placing White supremacist materials in Great Falls Public Library materials. Great Falls’ response to this event was far stronger, more supportive, and more effective than what we’re seeing from MSU. GFPL and the YWCA launched the “Hate Has No Home Here” campaign, making signs available at both locations. Although Great Falls is not out of the woods yet, there have been no reports of further propaganda since the campaign was launched.
Read more about the campaign here: https://www.montanarightnow.com/great-falls/local-library-launches-hate-has-no-home-here-campaign/article_71df091c-9577-11ee-9156-8f14c6a8c61f.html
While we remain hopeful that a strong community response will prevent further incidents, we also want folks to know what to do should they encounter these materials. Check out this article from last year to learn how to remove Nazi propaganda:
https://wtf406.com/2023/08/neonazis-vandalize-downtown-great-falls/
So remember, Great Falls friends, don’t be like MSU. If YOU see Nazi propaganda, don’t stay silent. Stand up for our neighbors and speak out against hate. We’re a better community when we look out for each other.
