The library mil election is over and the library won. That’s a good thing. Now Merchant’s supporters and some in the media are saying that it shows she is getting better at running elections. Don’t buy it.
Truth is the supporters of the library went to court because of their concerns about errors Merchant made in the month before the election. Some of the errors in the May school election included:
-Absentee ballots not being sent to certain voters in the school election.
-Failing to verify signatures before separating secrecy envelopes and ballots
-Turning voters away because voting registers were not available
-Ballots were folded improperly and didn’t fit in return envelopes
-Voters receiving absentee ballots which were not sealed
The library levy supporters went to court arguing that a similar pattern was emerging in the library levy election and asked the court to appoint a monitor to assure the library election was run correctly. The district court judge agreed and appointed Lynn Deroche, a former election department supervisor, to monitor Merchant and her employees and make regular reports to the court. Merchant and Cascade County resisted the appointment and had outside counsel to represent them in the proceeding, Then the county’s lawyer objected to correspondence from the library’s lawyers requiring another hearing before the judge. The court denied the objection.
When election day came, we did not see the same screw ups that characterized the school election and the special district elections which are now heading into litigation. Truth is the library election would not have gone as smoothly as it did had the monitor not been in the clerk and recorder’s office every day to make sure the rules and the law were followed. Not exactly what we consider a smooth election.
By Ken Toole:
NorthWestern Energy customers are about to get shocked with a huge increase in their electric rates if the Public Service Commission grants NorthWestern Energy’s request to increase residential rates. The public hearings are over and final legal briefs are being submitted. But, like a cancer waiting to metastasize, it has not gone away, and it will wreak havoc on the very people who can least afford it.
Don’t be fooled by efforts to minimize the impact of this rate case. Residential customers are facing a 28% increase in their rates compared to a year ago. And thanks to a “negotiated settlement” reached by the big guys (the utility, the state, and large customers) large users won’t see any increase at all. Bottom line this increase falls unfairly on small customers like you and me.
The average residential customer will have to come up with an additional $284 annually or more. Some people may be able to afford it. Some folks can go out and find another job to make ends meet but lots of people can’t do that…particularly Montana seniors. They will be choosing between paying their power bill, buying food, paying rent or purchasing medicine.
While we are waiting to hear how much residential rates will increase, large investors are buying up NorthWestern stock. On May 15 Market Beat reported that six “institutional investors” are increasing their holdings of NorthWestern stock. They are watching this rate case and they like what they see — for stockholders.
The corporate largesse doesn’t end with investors’ stock purchases. In 2022 NorthWestern CEO, Bob Rowe, received over $3.3 million in total compensation. Rowe, now retired, has been replaced by the former Chief Operations Officer, Brian Bird. In 2022 Bird made over $2.6 million. For comparison, Mark Johnson, the manager of the state’s largest electric co-op, makes a little over $450 thousand per year.
Why are these men smiling?
If you’ve been to any of the recent meetings about election problems in Sandra Merchant’s office, you may have noticed a tall woman with shoulder-length, blond hair domineering discussions, even interrupting Sandra Merchant to “help explain and clarify” the Clerk and Recorder’s responses to questions. At the April 25 test of the vote counting equipment, she was confronted by a person in the audience who asked, “Who are you?” She responded that she is an election judge. . .as though that makes her an expert on Montana election law.
Well, her name is Julie Bass. She is not a lawyer, though she appears to think she is. She has no direct experience administering elections in Montana, though that doesn’t stop her from telling you the rules. Her experience as an election judge does not qualify or differentiate her from the dozens of other election judges in the county. Her only expertise in elections, as far as we can tell, comes from her attendance at and participation in local election denier groups. And now, it seems, she thinks she is running the Clerk and Recorder’s office.
Bass was one of the lead organizers of the election denier group that spent a year harassing Rina Fontana Moore and her staff. Their unhinged behavior included following staff to their vehicles and taking pictures of them. However, when confronted with members of the public peacefully observing Merchant and her volunteers, Bass claims folks are being unkind.
At Merchant’s notoriously pedestrian public presentation, Bass defended Merchant and condemned local citizens demanding accountability. Bass and her ilk now claim the Election Protection Committee is engaging in the same type of intimidation tactics and election denial her group promoted in 2022.
Bass, Merchant, and County Commissioner Rae Grulkowski believed wholeheartedly in the claims that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen. They blindly accepted the Fox News lies about election security. Some of them attended training by election conspiracy ring-leader Mike Lindell.
And now the facts about the election deniers conspiracy theories are in. Fox News took a major hit when Dominion won their defamation lawsuit in court. Fox has since had to admit their election fraud claims were lies. They’re paying for those lies to the tune of $787.5 million. Unfortunately for Great Falls, none of that matters to Bass, Grukowlski, and the far-right Pachyderm Club. They continue promoting wacky conspiracy theories and probably will continue to do so until the day they die. They used these lies to elect Sandra Merchant, whose incompetence is already costing Cascade County.
Whereas Bass’s inane conspiracy theories have been proven to be based purely in fiction, the Election Protection Committee’s claims are supported by truth and fact.
Fact: Superintendent Tom Moore reported receiving two different totals for the May 2, 2023 school board election. The difference between the numbers provided by the Election Administrator and those provided by the County Attorney were 75 votes.
Fact: Voters reported receiving MULTIPLE ballots for the School Board Election. Two precincts with over 400 voters didn’t receive absentee ballots whatsoever. On election day, voters were turned away because Sandra Merchant opened the polls late.
Fact: Merchant’s glaring errors were significant enough to convince a judge to appoint an Election Monitor to protect the integrity of the library levy.
Fact: Voters in both the Fort Shaw Irrigation District and West Great Falls Flood and Drainage Control District have file a lawsuit due to Merchant’s errors. Their attorney described the election as “a complete failure.” Read excerpts from his scathing letter here:
https://theelectricgf.com/2023/05/18/local-attorney-asks-county-not-to-certify-results-of-may-2-special-district-elections/
So as Julie Bass continues to hold court at any meeting regarding elections, we wonder, is she also assuming responsibility for these numerous errors? Bass is neither a county employee nor an elected official, though she has certainly inserted herself as a public figure. Why, then, is she being allowed to speak on behalf of Merchant? Why are members of the public having their questions for Merchant intercepted by an election denier with no authorization to speak on behalf of the county? And at what point do Cascade County officials have an obligation to stop the takeover of the Elections office by a fringe group of conspiracy theorists?
Earlier this week, Senator Jeremy Trebas went on an unhinged Twitter rant, using slurs and intentionally misgendering Representative Zooey Zephyr. Trebas is known for his extremely bizarre views, ranging from his claims that the polio vaccine wasn’t necessary to his argument that hunters shouldn’t have to wear blaze orange.
Now, amidst international spotlight on Montana’s Legislative session, Trebas is doubling down on his extreme anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Trebas’ actions seem especially dubious given the Montana GOP’s censuring of Representative Zephyr under the guise of maintaining “decorum.”
After Trebas’ tweets were shared by an NBC reporter, citizens contacted WTF406 to ask if the Great Falls Rescue Mission is aware of Trebas’ online behavior. A look at their website shows Trebas is the Operations Director. We reached out to the Great Falls Rescue Mission.
“We are a local blog covering relevant political happenings. Today, Senator Jeremy Trebas’s tweets were shared by a reporter with NBC. We’ve included screenshots which show Mr. Trebas misgendering Representative Zoey Zephyr and using a slur. We’ve received questions from citizens regarding Mr. Trebas’s affiliation with your organization. Upon examining your website, we see that Mr. Trebas is listed as the Operations Director.
We’d like to give you an opportunity to respond to these questions.
We thank you for your time and prompt attention to this inquiry. Please note that we intend to report on this issue within the next 24 hours.
Sincerely,
What The Funk 406 Blog”
And here is the response we received:
“Thank you for reaching out to us, and giving us an opportunity to share our thoughts with you
To answer your questions;
1.Is the Rescue Mission aware of Mr. Trebas’s online activities? If so, do they endorse his comments?
Response; No, We were not aware of this thread of social media. Mr. Trebas has been duly elected by the people of his district, and has a right to have his own opinions.
Great Falls Rescue Mission does not align with his comments or the way he chooses to communicate them.
2. Does the Rescue Mission provide services to members of the LGBTQ+ community?
Response; Yes, The Great Falls Rescue Mission strives to provide services for all those seeking refuge and are in need of temporary shelter. We ask all entering our facilities to adhere to our policies to provide safety, security and respect for every person staying with us, while maintaining our Statement of Faith and Christian Values.The Great Falls Rescue Mission is a non profit Christian Organization committed to serving the hungry, hurting and homeless through Jesus Christ love.”
So, dear readers, now we ask you.
Can LGBTQ+ people feel safe accessing services at the Great Falls Rescue Mission? We’d like to hear what you think. Let us know in the comments.
“When Fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross”
This quote is often attributed to Sinclair Lewis, author of numerous classic American novels, including It Can’t Happen Here in 1935 about a fascist takeover in the United States. You may not have noticed on the lower right hand corner of the anti-library billboards around town there is a small photo. Most people probably don’t even see it. Even if they do, most people don’t know what it is supposed to mean. But for travelers in the “Christian Nationalist” movement, it is a powerful symbol of their belief in forcing the rest of us to follow their rules. Ironically the only other place you commonly see this symbol is on the lapel pins of far-right legislators in the Montana Legislature.
Separation of Church and State? This anti-library group wants just the opposite.
These potentially libelous signs are up on two main streets in Great Falls.