by Ken Toole | Jun 15, 2025 | City, Protests, Rallies
 |
By jcolemanmoore on June 15, 2025
|
|
|
More than one thousand people turned out on The Central Avenue Bridge here in Great Falls to protest the Trump administration. While The Donald sat in the drizzling rain watching his lackluster birthday parade, people across the country attended huge rallies to confront the policies of his administration. Over twenty protests were held in Montana in larger cities and in smaller towns from Glendive in the east to Eureka in the west.
NO Kings protest in Great Falls, MT June 14, 2025
Drive by of the NO Kings Protest in Great Falls, MT on June 14, 2025
by Ken Toole | Jun 11, 2025 | City, Elections
City elections are usually pretty boring affairs. But this year we have two very different candidates for mayor, and three commission candidates running for two vacant seats. Add the poison pen of Commissioner Rick Tryon, who has something to say . . .about everything . . . and you get the makings of a fairly negative campaign season. Let’s start with the mayor’s race.
Reeves Doubles Down, Issues Anti-Pride Statement
On June 10th, Reeves issued a statement revisiting his decision last year not to issue a city proclamation for Pride Month. The statement was apparently not in response to a request from anyone for a proclamation. He just wanted to remind people that he doesn’t support LGBTQ people being visible in the community. His statement reads, “Since some in the community are asking me again, here are my thoughts…. As mayor, I’ve made it clear that I believe government does not belong in personal relationships. Love who you want to love, no one needs government validation for that. That’s why I’ve chosen again not to issue a Pride proclamation. It’s not because I don’t care, but because I don’t believe it’s the government’s role to affirm personal matters. Apparently, in Reeves’ view, LGBTQ people are okay . . .as long as they stay in the closet. Please see our previous posts https://wtf406.com/2024/06/great-falls-mayor-cory-reeves-refuses-to-issue-pride-proclamation/
https://wtf406.com/2025/06/mayors-denial-of-pride-proclamation-one-year-later/
Reeves Refuses to Debate Taylor In Mayor’s Race
In a Facebook post, Jasmine Taylor challenged Reeves to debate the issues the City of Great Falls is facing. For example, what is Reeves doing about public safety besides taking a small amount of money from voter approved funds from the library? What is he doing about the Calumet Refineries’ repeated appeals of their property taxes which results in higher property taxes for residences? What about looming rate increases for public utilities here in Great Falls? Seems like there is a lot to talk about. To see Taylor’s challenge to Reeves on Facebook, follow this link. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1XeJ7ooARV/
Not surprisingly, Reeves declined. Taking a page out of the right-wing playbook by refusing to participate in public forums or candidate debates, Reeves explained why he would not debate. He said that he prefers to stand on his record of accomplishments. He did not say what those accomplishments were. He concluded his refusal with a prediction that he will win the mayor’s race with 70 percent of the vote. Arrogant much, Mr. Mayor?
Tryon On City Council Candidate’s Attendance at A Veteran’s Rally
Over at MAGA Central, AKA E-City Beat✔, Tryon posted that city commission candidate Matt Pipinich had held a sign at a Veterans’ rally on June 6th which had the word “fuck” on it.In his usual style, Tryon holds forth about the sign being inappropriate, promoting hate, etc. etc.
We would be remiss if we did not point out that E-City Beat✔ ran a post back in June dealing with the use of the word “fuck” in public settings. WTF406.com had posted this photo taken at the Pelican Point boat launch. In our post, we pointed out that this kind of display (both the word and the sentiment) was not appropriate in a campground with lots of families and kids around. We stand by that opinion. Check out the post at this link. https://wtf406.com/2024/06/nice-afternoon-with-my-grandson/
Our post caught the attention of E-City Beat✔. Phil Faccenda, who writes for that blog occasionally, along with Tryon, compiled a list of all the posts on WTF406.com that had the word fuck in them. In typical E-City Beat✔ style, the post dripped both sarcasm and insult. We don’t make a practice of linking to E-City Beat, but if you really want to read their post, you can find it on their site.
What’s The Real Problem Rick?
So now comes Commissioner Tryon, righteously indignant about a sign at a protest and saying that it is promoting hate. He concludes, “‘F**K ICE and assaulting kids’ eyeballs with the ‘F’ word on our streets is not who we are in Great Falls.” Funny he didn’t have the same reaction to the photo from the Pelican Point campground. Probably because the real point of his indignation is not the sign, but the fact that Pipinich is a candidate for City commission. The last thing Tryon wants to see is Pipinich sitting next to him in city commission meetings.
Jackie (Mike) Brown, who runs The Western Word blog put it this way, “Tryon said one of the people holding the signs was a candidate for the City Commission. The Mayor of Great Falls also chimed in about that candidate. I don’t know if the person was a candidate or not, but if he is, then that was probably the main reason for the post. The tax and spend commissioners and mayor want to keep the band together for a few more years so they can hit us with more 27% rate increases.”
https://thewesternword.com/2025/06/11/the-wednesday-read-300/#more-22569
by Ken Toole | Jun 6, 2025 | City, Corporations
This photo of a potential equipment issue at the Calumet Refinery appeared on the social media platform, Next Door in late May. Local news station KRTV contacted Calumet after hearing about concerns from local citizens. This is what KRTV reported, “A spokesperson for Calumet responded to the concerns, noting that the photo shows a piece of equipment that is simply releasing steam, and that there are many steam release points in the refinery.”
Another person was told that the refinery was replacing insulation in the affected area but there was no release or leaks to be concerned about. We don’t have an engineering department at WTF406.com so we have no idea what’s happening here but the “discoloration” looks as if it was caused by heat and this creates the appearance, if not the reality, of a breach in the metal. Clearly more is going on here than a normal release of steam.
We’re interested in your opinion. Please comment and let us know what you think.
What The Funk 406
by Ken Toole | Jun 4, 2025 | City, LGBTQ+ Issues
June is Pride Month. This is a good time to revisit the whole issue of local government proclamations given Mayor Cory Reeves’ refusal to issue a proclamation supporting Pride Month one year ago. See our previous blog post here https://wtf406.com/?s=Pride+proclamation+
Some of my best friends are. . .
Here is Reeves’ explanation of his reason for refusing to issue a Pride proclamation last year. “While I firmly believe in equality for all individuals, I also believe that the government should not be involved in matters concerning personal and private relationships, whether they involve straight individuals or members of the LGBTQ+ community. My goal is to ensure that all citizens are treated with equal respect and dignity, without government interference in personal matters. The government should never condemn nor celebrate who should love who; those are personal life choices that the government should not interfere with.”
Reeves’ couching his action in the language of equality is nothing new. The same approach has been used to justify bigotry against African Americans, Jews, Native people, and others for years. In our current political environment, bigotry is the stock and trade of the right wing. Unfortunately, pandering to intolerance is just good politics these days. Reading through social media posts following Reeves’ announcement makes clear that his action was very popular among his supporters.
What The Hell Does That Even Mean?
Following the controversy over Reeves’ denial of a Pride Proclamation, the City of Great Falls adopted guidance for future proclamations. Effective July 1, 2024, proclamations are issued solely at the mayor’s discretion and are considered on a case-by-case basis. But the really outrageous thing is the description of the guidelines for proclamations that will not be granted. NonStop Local reported, “the city has outlined specific guidelines, stating that proclamations will not be issued for matters of political or religious nature, personal life choices, or topics with potential political controversy.”
Since the change in the process, the mayor has issued 25 proclamations, several of which arguably violate the guidelines. To be clear WTF406.com does not object to these proclamations. The issue is that the proclamation guidelines are extremely subjective and are left to only one person making the decision, Mayor Cory Reeves. The proclamations approved by the mayor under the new guidelines include “matters of political or religious nature.” Unfortunately, the Trump administration and its supporters have made all of these things “topics with potential political controversy.” The proclamations he’s issued include:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day [January 20, 2025], National Catholic Schools Week [January 26-February 1, 2025], Black History Month [February 2025], Juneteenth [June 2025], and Earth Day [April 22, 2025].
Mayor Reeves Action Will Not Keep People In The Closet
Obviously, a city proclamation is a small piece of the struggle for equality for LGBTQI people. The Great Falls LGBTQ Center has been sponsoring numerous events for Pride Month. Communities across the state are doing the same. They have all been well received, but, unfortunately, these celebrations have also generated harassment from those who want to keep people in the closet. History tells us that the struggle for equality among oppressed groups is long and difficult. So, support the LGBTQ Center here in Great Falls, and let the politicians who promote exclusion and condemnation know you don’t support them.
by Ken Toole | May 16, 2025 | Appraisal, Corporations, Taxes
In this post we are focusing on the games large corporations play on property taxes and “appraised values.” We’ve already written about Calumet’s shenanigans in receiving reductions in property taxes with the help and support of local Republican legislator Steve Fitzpatrick and Attorney Kim Beatty, wife of the Director of the Department of Revenue. https://wtf406.com/2025/04/calumets-got-lawyers-and-politicians/
The Goal of All Property Appraisal is to Establish the Market Value Of The Property
The first step in determining how much you will owe in property taxes is determined by the appraised value of your home, land, business, or rental. That value is determined by the Montana Department of Revenue’s appraisal process. The most common way the Department of Revenue determines the value of your home is to identify comparable property in your area that has sold. It is determining the “market value” by looking at sales of similar property.
Three Methods of Appraisal to Determine How Much a Property Is Worth
It is harder to find “comparable sales” for large industrial facilities like Calumet, because they do not sell as often and there are far fewer of them to use as comparisons. There are other ways to establish the market value. In addition to the comparable sales method, there is also the “cost approach” which adds the cost of land, buildings and other improvements and adjusts for condition of facilities to determine the total value. The third method is the “income approach.” In this system the appraiser looks at the income and expenses generated by the property. Calumet and other refineries are generally appraised using the “cost approach.”
Here’s The Game They Play. . .
If a property owner does not agree with the Department of Revenue’s appraisal, there is an appeal process through the Montana Tax Appeals Board. That process allows the Department of Revenue and the appellant (say, Calumet) to negotiate a voluntary settlement. Calumet and other refineries in Montana routinely appeal their valuations and routinely enter settlements with the Department of Revenue which result in lowering their taxes. None of the negotiation meetings are public. And when their taxes are lowered, your taxes go up. For a complete explanation of how this works, follow the link below. https://dailymontanan.com/2023/07/26/big-corporations-get-tax-benefits-while-montana-resident-get-higher-property-taxes/
2012 Showdown In A Legislative Committee
Dan Bucks, the Department of Revenue Director under former Governor Brian Schweitzer, refused to play this game. Instead, he defended the appraised values by the Department of Revenue rather than entering settlements. Not surprisingly, big corporate taxpayers, like refineries, didn’t like Buck’s approach. In September 2012, three refineries attempted to set him up in front of the legislative interim committee on Revenue and Transportation in a failed attempt to apply political pressure.
At the same time, Connacher Oil and Gas Limited, the previous owners of the Great Falls refinery, reached a deal with Calumet to sell the refinery for $120 million. That purchase established the actual market value of the refinery. The Department of Revenue had appraised the value of the refinery at $70 million, and Connacher Oil had appealed that appraisal, arguing it was too high even though it was $50 million below the actual purchase price paid by Calumet. Below is an audio clip of Bucks explaining the issue to the legislative committee.
https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00309/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20120914/-1/20693?startposition=20120914072325&mediaEndTime=20120914072507&viewMode=3&globalStreamId=4
Our Local Elected Officials Need to Represent Us, not Big Corporations
Too often local elected officials pander to these big corporations. Beware of politicians who talk about the economic benefits of “industrial development.” Too often we get taxes shifting more and more to residential and small business and underfunded public services. We need more people in government like Dan Bucks. We won’t get them if we (the public) don’t demand that the tax system is equitable and transparent and companies like Calumet pay their fair share.
