by Ken Toole | Jul 15, 2025 | City, E-City Beat Watch, Mayor, Public Library, Republicans
Mayor Cory Reeves is responding to criticism that he, and the City Commission, reduced funding for the library after the public voted to increase its budget. He wants us to buy his spin about his support for the decision to take funding from the library.
He starts his explanation with the following, “At no point did the City Commission “remove” any voter-approved library mills. That’s simply not true.” Then he explains, at great length, that the city simply renegotiated a reduction to an existing contract with the library. While denying that it had anything to do with the library mill levy which voters approved. Nor did he say much about the fact that money taken from the library was channeled to “public safety” after the voters failed to approve a much larger public safety mill levy request.
A remarkable bit of bureaucratic double speak. The library’s over-all budget, which included mills approved by the voters, was reduced. Funding from an existing contract with the city, which had been in place since 1993, was taken from the library and given to public safety activity, which had been rejected by the voters. Reeves’ effort to split hairs about the source of funds whether voted mills or existing contract is simply a ploy to avoid accountability now that he is running for re-election.
Put simply, the voters approved additional funding for the library. The voters rejected additional funding for public safety. The City Commission and Reeve’s then reduced the library’s funding and gave it to public safety.
But that’s not the whole story. As is often the case, when far-right culture warriors enter the electoral arena facts disappear and wild conspiracies theories take their place. This is especially true when libraries are involved. The library mill levy election was so contentious a judge ordered a special monitor to oversee the election to assure it was run competently and fairly. Thanks to the hard work of dedicated supporters of libraries the mill request passed. The opponents of the library temporarily retreated to their Freedom Caucus and Pachyderm Club meetings and focused on the internal fighting among Cascade County Republicans.
But here is the rub, unfortunately the majority of the city commission, including Mayor Reeves, is more aligned with the opponents of the library. And they used their power to take a pound of flesh out of the library. Ironically Reeves ended his spin about reducing the library’s budget with the following, “As mayor, I will always prioritize facts over spin, and I’ll continue to protect core services, public safety chief among them.”
The reduction to library funding smacked of political retribution and the “renegotiation” of the existing contract was a done deal before the parties even sat down at the table.
The Electric has provided an excellent time line about the library and public safety levies here. https://theelectricgf.com/2024/09/24/timeline-library-public-safety-levies/
by Ken Toole | Jun 20, 2025 | Award, City
Jane Weber has been selected to receive the Paris Gibson Award for her years of service and commitment to bettering Great Falls and the surrounding area. Specifically, this award honors Weber’s work in establishing and administering the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, one of the highlights of any visit to Great Falls. Weber was the first administrator of the Center, serving in that role until retiring in 2010. During her tenure there she implemented interpretive programs for visitors, supervised staff and raised funds to sustain the organization.
After retiring Weber served two terms on the Cascade County Commission. She continued her passion for promoting Cascade County in that position. She was heavily involved in the formation of the Big Sky Country National Heritage Area. In 2022, she was elected to serve in the Montana House of Representatives and became well known for her tireless commitment to Great Falls and work on behalf of the community.
Thanks to The Electric for its reporting on this award. The Electric
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.
