by Ken Toole | Jun 15, 2025 | City, Protests, Rallies
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By jcolemanmoore on June 15, 2025
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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 5, 2025 | City, Elections
Great Falls Republican Senator Jeremy Trebas has filed to run for the open District 1 Public Service Commission (PSC) seat currently held by Randy Pinocci. Pinocci is term limited and cannot run again.
PSC District One, An Open Seat For The Hi-Line and Beyond
District 1 covers north central and eastern Montana. The City of Great Falls and Havre are the largest cities in the district. Public Service Commissioners are among the highest paid state employees, drawing an entry salary over $114,000 per year plus full state benefits. Commissioners make more than the State Auditor, Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor. Check out this editorial from 2018 explaining PSC Commissioner Salaries. ( https://www.havredailynews.com/story/2018/09/07/opinion/time-to-stop-the-gravy-train-at-the-public-service-commission/520333.html )
Republican Control Of The PSC, A Three-Ring Circus
Under Republican leadership, the PSC has become a three-ring circus of malfeasance and incompetence. Commissioners have sued each other and the state in petty rivalries. Staff have quit and successfully sued the Commission. A legislative audit found numerous questionable transactions made by commissioners and staff. Far-right gadfly, Commissioner Randy Pinocci, attracted attention for his brushes with Cascade County law enforcement (see below). All of this while the commissioners have approved numerous rate increases for residential consumers. The largest recently was an increase of approximately 28% in the fall of 2023.
https://wtf406.com/2024/04/pinocci-dodges-two-felonies-still-a-corrupt-asshole/
https://wtf406.com/2023/10/more-republican-police-blotter-pinocci-arrested-again/
https://wtf406.com/2024/07/randy-randy-randy-what-now/
From The Color Purple To Ruby Red
Historically PSC District 1 has elected Republicans and Democrats. Pinocci held the seat for the last eight years. Before him, Chinook Democrat Greg Jergeson held the seat for eight years. When Jergeson was chair of the PSC, he guided the effort to rebuild Montana’s troubled electric system after the Republican Legislature and Governor Marc Racicot subjected the state to the failed electric deregulation experiment. The Republican deregulation legislation caused the bankruptcy of the Montana Power Company. It ushered in years of chaos and increasing power bills for electric customers in Montana. Montana still has the highest electric rates in our region after years of enjoying some of the lowest power rates in the nation.
Republican Gerrymandering, Successful Despite Litigation
In 2022 the Republican legislature changed the boundaries of the PSC districts, tipping them to favor Republican candidates while skewing the population distribution in each district. A federal district court judge found that the PSC districts violated the constitutional principle of “one person one vote.” He changed the boundaries for the 2022 election. Then, in 2023, the Republican legislature changed the district boundaries clearly favoring Republican candidates again. Another lawsuit was filed challenging their action, except this time it was in state court. Last February, Helena District Court Judge Christopher Abbott agreed that the new districts favored Republican candidates but said the evidence failed to demonstrate that it was intentionally done to disadvantage Democratic candidates. Those gerrymandered districts will stand for the 2026 election, unless there is another, successful, challenge.
Trebas Knows He Can’t Get Re-Elected to the Senate
And that brings us back to Jeremy Trebas running for the open District 1 seat in 2026. He currently serves in the Montana Senate representing Senate District 10 in Great Falls. He could run for another term in the senate. He is choosing to run for PSC instead.
Trebas apparently sees the writing on the wall. Trebas faces strong opposition if he ran for Great Falls Senate District 10. Statistically this district is the most Democratic of the Cascade County senate seats. On top of that, historically the party of the president (Trump/Republican) typically loses support in the first midterm election. Given the chaotic nature of Trump’s administration and the damage he is doing to the economy and public institutions, it is even more likely that Republicans will not do well in the midterm elections.
Trebas Has a History Of Self Dealing and Extremism in the Senate
But Trebas’ problems are deeper than the Democratic opposition. He is a legislator who is more focused on fighting culture wars and promoting his own pocket book than representing the people in his district. He has placed himself firmly in the far-right Freedom Caucus faction of the local Republican Party. In the last election, there were concerted efforts to challenge the “Freedom Caucus” members in the Republican primary by Republicans and Democrats alike. As a result, County Commissioner Rea Grulkowski and legislators Lola and Steven Galloway (all incumbents) were defeated in the Republican primary. There have already been rumors that Ed Buttrey is going to run for Trebas’ current senate seat. (5-16-25 update– Great Falls Republican Melissa Nikolakakas filed for this seat)
On the other hand, the District 1 PSC seat leans Republican. Moreover, PSC races are far less likely to attract the kind of controversy Trebas would face in a local legislative race. Then, of course, there is the $114,000 paycheck and associated state benefits package. It’s not surprising that he would opt for the PSC seat.
WTF406 has posted numerous pieces about Trebas. Here are links.
https://wtf406.com/2023/01/jeremy-trebas-the-self-dealing-senator/
https://wtf406.com/2023/04/the-continuing-saga-of-senator-trebas-dirty-real-estate-deal/
https://wtf406.com/2023/01/the-curious-case-of-jeremy-trebas-property-taxes/
https://wtf406.com/2023/07/senator-trebas-tax-scam-turns-into-an-albatross-around-his-neck/
https://wtf406.com/2023/12/trebas-fails-to-apologize-for-anti-semitic-tweet/
https://wtf406.com/2025/01/surprise-jeremy-i-hate-local-government-trebas-is-at-it-again/
by Ken Toole | Apr 26, 2025 | City, Elections
On April 18th Jasmine Taylor filed to run for mayor, challenging incumbent Cory Reeves. In addition to being one of the founders and frequent contributor to WTF406.com, she is a life long resident of Great Falls and has been active in a number of progressive issues here in the electric city.
Jasmine Taylor running for Great Falls mayor in 2025
For those who complain that politicians are all the same, take heart, it is hard to imagine two candidates who are more different than Taylor and Reeves. These two have dramatically different positions on many of the problems facing Great Falls. The filing deadline for the Mayor’s race is June 16.
Taylor will be taking a “leave” from the blog for the duration of the campaign. We will still write about the city elections and take positions on the issues but Jasmine won’t be writing posts. Thanks for reading.
