by Ken Toole | Feb 19, 2024 | Elections
Last Friday, the Election Protection Committee delivered the following letter to the Cascade County Commission.
“Commissioners,
We were surprised and disappointed to see that you offered the election administrator position to Terry Thompson. We have already notified you via a letter from Mike Meloy, this selection process is flawed and violates County Ordinance 23-62. Specifically, the ordinance states,
“WHEREAS, appointing an Election Administrator to serve at the direction of the Board of Cascade County Commissioners will eliminate the appearance of impropriety as any single Commissioner whose seat appears on the ballot in a given calendar years shall be required to abstain from all decisions concerning the operation and management of the election office during that calendar year until such time as the election for said office is finalized; and”
Clearly, this language applies to Commissioner Grulkowski. Despite the fact that we notified you and the County Attorney that Grulkowski’s continued involvement in the election decision violates Resolution 23-62, no action has been taken to enforce the above provisions of the resolution.
Though it is disturbing enough that Commissioner Grulkowski seems to believe that the rules and law simply do not apply to her, the fact that the County has allowed her to operate with impunity is highly inappropriate. Frankly, it is hard to understand why the County Attorney’s office has allowed this situation to persist.
Now it seems our greatest fears have been realized. Commissioner Grulkowski has not only participated in numerous discussions, debate, and decisions regarding operation of county elections, she also participated in the interview process and the hiring decision for the administration of elections in Cascade County. Moreover, Commissioner Briggs admitted during yesterday’s recorded Zoom session where the candidates were evaluated, that he and Commissioner Larson both rated Rina Moore as their top candidate. We can only infer from his comment that Commissioner Grulkowski is the only Commissioner who ranked any candidate above Rina Moore.
Those of us who watched the interviews were shocked at the final decision to offer the position to Ms. Thompson. Rina Moore clearly had more experience and answered the interview questions more thoroughly and accurately than any other candidate. We also saw that Commissioner Grulkowski was allowed to leave the interview room carrying all of her notes immediately following Ms. Moore’s interview and before the other applicants were interviewed. This action clearly calls the integrity of the selection process into question. We have encouraged Ms. Moore to seek appropriate remedy through the legal system. We are confident she will prevail in that arena.
Our primary concern is that Cascade County’s elections are run efficiently and effectively. Unfortunately, any legal remedy Ms. Moore, or any other applicant may be entitled to, is likely to occur after Ms.Thompson is instated as election administrator and would preclude an opportunity to offer the position to Ms. Moore.
We are writing to insist you retract your offer of employment to Terry Thompson, subtract Commissioner Grulkowski’s scores from the cumulative totals, and make the offer of employment to the applicant who scores the most points based on the ratings of Commissioners Larson and Briggs. Once Ms. Thompson is offered the position, the county will have crossed a line which is likely to result in significant time and expense. We encourage you to act responsibly and avoid this unnecessary liability.”
Stay tuned for updates on this issue.
by Helena Lovick | Feb 27, 2025 | Elections
This month, several Republican Montana Legislators voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 7 (HJ 7), a resolution congratulating Donald Trump on his 2024 victory. In a disturbing, but not surprising twist, HJ 7 contains numerous clauses emphasizing how in sync and how sycophantic the Montana Republican Party is with Trump fascism. HJ 7 is still winding its way through the Montana legislature after it passed the House. You can read the full resolution here. Yay votes from Great Falls legislators included Ed Buttrey (R, HD-21), Eric Tilleman (R, HD-23), Steve Fitzpatrick (R, HD-24), and Steve Gist (R, HD-25). It’s noteworthy that no Montana Democrats voted for it, and there sure is a reason for that.
Here’s a sampling of the clauses in the resolution that highlight the Montana GOP’s embrace of fascism
“[D]uring his campaign, President Trump faced and triumphed over baseless, politically motivated charges and relentless attacks orchestrated by partisan adversaries.”
Oh you mean the part where he was found guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in his hush money efforts during his 2016 campaign?
“…the Montana Legislature overwhelmingly acknowledges and wholeheartedly supports President Trump’s unwavering commitment to strengthening the United States of America through sound governance, a robust economy, and the promotion of unity among its citizens.”
Sound governance? Where he fired thousands of Forest Service employees based solely on if they were in a probationary period? Promotion of unity????????? The man that insults private citizens like Taylor Swift, because she endorsed his opponent. That promotion of unity?
“…Montana vigorously supports and encourages President Trump in his relentless efforts to combat the insidious ‘woke’ agenda.”
Oh more unity? Give me a fucking break.
“…the people of Montana and the Montana Legislature urge President Trump to continue his valiant fight against the radical left, specifically targeting individuals and groups such as “The Squad” and Senator Bernie Sanders”.
Don’t speak for me or the people of Montana, you fascists.
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of State transmit a copy of this resolute resolution to the President of the United States Donald J. Trump, to the Vice President of the United States J.D. Vance, and to each esteemed member of the Montana Congressional Delegation. THE DISTRIBUTED COPY MUST INCLUDE A LIST OF FULL FIRST AND LAST NAMES AND TITLES OF ALL OF THE LEGISLATORS WHO COSPONSORED AND VOTED YES ON THIS RESOLUTION.”
Of course, they need to highlight how much they are sucking up to their corrupt leader. These legislators are a joke, and they make a mockery of their role as public servants.
by Ken Toole | Jan 5, 2025 | Elections
During the Cascade County election canvas meeting in November, the county’s new election administrator, Terry Thompson, provided a scathing criticism of local election deniers. Usually watching a vote canvas is like watching paint dry. So, when Terry Thompson said she wanted to take it as an opportunity to respond to accusations about her office, people paid attention. Thompson began her remarks:
“I’m going to make some public comments, because I never get to make public comments. I get to sit here and listen to the public accuse me and the election office of various things. I’ve been privy to an email that was sent out from the 5 for 5 group that tends to come in here and do public comments.”
Ever Hear Of 5 For 5?
If you’re not familiar with 5 For 5, you are not alone. An email sent out by the group says 5 for 5 is “Connecting the Citizens of Cascade County.” The email included a disclaimer, “5 for 5 does not endorse any candidate or guest speaker.” WTF 406 has not been able to find anyone locally who had ever heard of the group.
The Montana Secretary of State’s website listed a limited liability corporation in Kalispell called 5 For 5 Capitol. The United Church of Christ has a special offering program called 5 For 5. WTF406 contacted church officials who said they had no idea what this group is. WTF406 sent a message to the email address listed on their correspondence. No response.
Email From WTF406.com To 5 For 5
====================
Greetings,
We are in possession of your correspondence urging people to attend the 11-20 county commission meeting. Though the email said it was from 5 for 5, an organization we are not aware of, the entire email was written in first person. We are curious about both your organization 5 For 5 and who the writer is.
It’s ironic that you send an anonymous email while demanding integrity and making unsupported claims and innuendos about private individuals and public employees. Before publishing a piece on your activities we would like more information about the goals and leadership of your organization. Specifically:
What are the goals and objectives of 5 for 5?
Who are your leaders/officers?
Please respond by December 27th. Thank you.
WTF406blog.
===END===
Just How Angry Was Terry Thompson? Pretty Angry
Below we provide selected quotes to give readers a feeling for Thompson’s anger and frustration dealing with this group. If nothing else it is entertaining. (WTF406.com cleaned up some of the errors from the county’s automatic transcript program)
“I’m not a politician, so I’m going to fight back when people talk about what I’m doing, the job I’m doing, the people that I hire, the people that I work with.”
“I did call Rena Moore. I am not a fool. I’m an intelligent woman with many leadership skills. And I am going to reach out to the people that did this job for 16 years. I did my job for 16 years at the Realtor Association, and I get contacted all the time.”
“But she (Rae Grulkowski) had to ask me the other day, why didn’t I call Sandra instead of Rina? Well, let me tell you, Sandra never ran a Presidential election first of all, so I don’t think she could give me very good advice.”
“There was a group of observers, supposedly observers, that went to the lines and were taking their poll watchers. They were supposed to be poll watchers, but they got themselves involved in obstructing our election. They went to the lines and started telling people, oh, just go to the precinct, and you can vote.Well. Can you imagine the mess that we’ve had?”
“Let’s talk about the staff. I inherited a staff that was hired by Sandra Merchant, and several of those people are their friends that hung out together at the Pachyderm [Club].”
“But here’s the problem.You see, because I was supposedly raised a girl, I could be puppeteered like Sandra was puppeteered. But it’s not happening with me. And so now the attacks are coming, because I’m not letting them infiltrate the election office. I am keeping it as nonpartisan as possible.”
“Was that a setup? I think maybe that it was a setup. Maybe I was being sabotaged by Sandra Merchant and Rae Grulkowski.”
“There’s a lot of of mudslinging going on about what I didn’t do and what I did do, and I’m here to say I’m sick and tired of being under the shadow of Sandra Merchant. I’m tired of this group coming in here and bashing you (county commissioners.”
“I get sick and tired of hearing that I should do things like Sandra. I get text messages. You should be working for Sandra. She should have her job back.”
“I’m not going to have this crap going on and being said about this office… They were calling judges when they were working in there [at the polling place], asking them what we’re doing. Those people would come and tell me, ‘Oh, Julie Bass called me. I don’t want her calling me.’ Stop taking her call. It would be pretty simple. People [were] giving me their communications, because they see that this is [a] personal attack.”
Here is the link to the video of the canvas meeting. Terry Thompson’s relevant comments begin at 1:49:00
https://us02web.zo
om.us/rec/play/5JLHpjTWKDdJ9X9SvOpOy5QpDHdKJC-AOJH-pMtdNpdZGsuQaR77yO_ZaFd_hi6W-tjXY9-acgRrrzNV.iOxAu13KbfjEl9cZ?canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2Fd2gXSBeQ7EZ0CyX8azLQYxsodSnEbRZLDjU4PSDggNUOub_orDr4oXj0rnrpN1c.qtYd71PziTI9Gk8v
Just More Of The Same Old Crap
WTF406.com has commented extensively on the process which was used in hiring Terry Thompson. Commissioner Rae Grulkowski clearly skewed the process to assure that Rina Moore would not be hired. Moore subsequently filed a political belief discrimination suit, and the county ended up paying her $52,500 to settle the complaint.
https://wtf406.com/2024/03/grulkowski-plays-dirty-did-we-really-expect-anything-else/
https://wtf406.com/2024/09/rea-grulkowski-you-cant-make-this-stuff-up/
Good For Terry Thompson
Thompson’s comments in this meeting are a rare example of a public employee defending themselves, their employees, and their supervisors against unwarranted attacks for doing their job in a conscientious manner. She has performed her duties in an objective and professional manner in very difficult circumstances. The sad truth is that election deniers are setting out to destroy free and fair elections in Montana. People like Terry Thompson, and Rina Moore before her, are all that stand between us and the chaos offered by the far right wing.
Below Is Copy of 5 For 5’s Email
===========================
Subject: TODAY! ELECTION ACTION ! Tune in Speak up! @2pm
From: 5 for 5 <[email protected]>
Date IL/2O/2O24, 11.:L6 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Folks the “show” continues as our County Commissioners Jim Larson and Joe Briggs continue to create a story to explain away their incompetence of our elections once. Remember they stole your right to vote for EA and removed Merchant from her duly elected position.
Yesterday, EA Thompson (their hire) explained that the numbers in the election were off, and she opened (by herself) the sealed signature envelope boxes and found several ballots left in envelopes. Changing the election results.
I requested the BP34 forms on 11l9l24. They are used to reconcile all received absentee ballots.
She refused to print them and gave multiple excuses – I already knew we were off.
How? I have been working with the MT Data team which purchased voter roll history and information from the secretary of state office it is updated daily. We knew the election was off.
The primary was also off but became aware to late and then person loss interfered with timeline.
The EA’s numbers still are off the machine was NEVER correctly tested.
Election protocols were not followed. I was told Rina Moore (who just got a 52k pay out from the Briggs and Larson on the backs of the taxpayers) was the consultant on this election.
Was this a setup?
I believe it to be a CONTINUATION of a SHOW that the entitled commissioners have played at the EXPENSE of the taxpayers.
Briggs and Larson’s decision to create Resolution 23-62 has cost the taxpayers well over 150K ,
the annual salary of the position and their (Briggs and Larson) incompetence has burdened us electors
What can you do?
Demand this election is voided and redone. We are not the only county with problems
Hundreds of electors did not get to vote on 11l5. Terry Thompson said the error happened due to short staff. Staffing for an election is a requirement of the commissioners. I spoke to this weeks before the election in a commissioner meeting once again making me wonder is this just a setup. Maybe to bring back Rina Moore or her crony Lynn Deroche.
TODAY DURING PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE COUNTY WORK SESSION DEMAND RESOLUTION 23-62 be RESCINDED. BRIGGS AND LARSON to RESIGN
(WTF 406 has deleted the final few sentences of the email to conserve space)
==End==
by Ken Toole | Nov 20, 2024 | City, Elections, Taxes
The successful attempt by Rick Tryon to take money from the library and give it to public safety in Great Falls has less to do with protecting the public and more to do with the attack on public libraries here in Montana and across the country. Let’s recap the attack on our local library.
Remember The Library Mill Levy
In February of 2023, the city commission voted unanimously to place a levy on the ballot to increase funding for the library. The proposed levy would raise $1.5 million. In April, anti-library activists, including members of the Pachyderm Club and other loosely affiliated individuals, formed a political action committee to raise money and oppose the levy. They ran a very nasty and aggressive campaign with lots of misinformation and false allegations. Sandra Merchant’s administration of the election was so suspect that a judge appointed a special monitor to assure that the election was conducted properly. The election was held on June 6th. The proposed increase in mills was approved by voters.
Tryon and McKenney Seek Revenge in Board Appointments
The first indication that Tryon and his supporters were going to “get even” with the library came in July with the next appointments to the library board. Based on recommendations from the library board, Jerry Hopkins, a current librarian for the school district, and current board member Anne Bulger came before the city commission for appointment. All of a sudden Tryon, accompanied by Joe McKenney, raised concerns about the “process” used to appoint board members. They wanted to see the positions advertised, something that had not been required in the past. In fact, both Tryon and McKenney had voted to reappoint two members of the Business Improvement District just two weeks before. Neither raised any concerns about the “process” in making those appointments. https://wtf406.com/2023/08/city-commission-changes-the-rules-for-library-board-appointments/
The library went through the new selection exercise, advertising the openings, conducting public interviews, and came back with a recommendation to appoint Bulger and Hopkins to the library board. Rather than accepting the library board’s recommendation, Tryon, McKenney and Eric Hinebauch voted to appoint Noelle Johnson without interviewing any of the applicants. Johnson had pointed out in her application that she had opposed the library levy. After forcing the library board to jump through the hoops of advertising and interviewing 11 applicants and then ignoring their recommendations, the Electric reported that Tryon said of his vote that he wasn’t basing it on technical qualifications.
Tryon’s $30 Million Safety Levy Failed Popular Vote
Now let’s take a look at Tryon’s failure to pass a safety levy. In January of 2021, Tryon floated the idea of putting together a task force to examine the needs and costs for improving public safety in Great Falls. In March, Tryon presented a draft resolution to implement the study process to the full commission. The city commission approved setting up the task force. In November, the task force recommendations were presented to the commissioners. The recommendations from the task force presented a long (and expensive) list. In spring and early summer of 2023, the commision authorized placing a $21.17 million public safety infrastructure bond, and a separate $10.7 million public safety operations levy, on the ballot. In November, the public safety levy and accompanying bond both failed by wide margins.
Library Funding Cut Has Little to Do With Public Safety
To recap, the identified need for public safety in Great Falls was estimated by the city to be a little over $31 million. The total raised by the library mill levy passed by voters was $1.5 million. If the city takes back its portion (the library serves the city and county) of the approved mill levy for public safety, it will cost the library $842,800, which is 27% of its total budget. That means reducing hours, services and staff. The library board has proposed giving $301,000 to the city as a compromise. The library believes the compromise will still allow it to meet the goals it advertised in the mill campaign, which was approved by voters.
Cutting through all the crap, Tryon and McKenney have dished out about needing the money, the truth is that taking the small amount available from the library budget does almost nothing to alleviate the $31 million needed for public safety. But it does provide a nifty pretext for siding with the far right in their effort to censor our public library.
by Ken Toole | Oct 25, 2024 | Elections
If you’ve been following the Grulkowski scandal in the discrimination case Rina Moore filed, you already know that the county has paid more than $50,000 for Moore’s claim. In addition, the county provided an attorney to represent Grulkowski in the matter. That is above and beyond the private attorney the county hired.
State Law Provides “Indemnification” for Government Employees
This happened because state law requires it. 2305 (2) MCA states, “In any noncriminal action brought against any employee of a state, county, city, town, or other governmental entity for a negligent act, error, or omission, including alleged violations of civil rights pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983, or other actionable conduct of the employee committed while acting within the course and scope of the employee’s office or employment, the governmental entity employer, except as provided in subsection (6), shall defend the action on behalf of the employee and indemnify the employee.”
But Not For Actions Beyond The Scope of Their Duties
At the very end of that section providing for the defense and indemnification of an employee, there is an exception. It reads, “In a noncriminal action in which a governmental entity employee is a party defendant, the employee may not be defended or indemnified by the employer for any money judgments or legal expenses, including attorney fees, to which the employee may be subject as a result of the suit if a judicial determination is made that:
(a) the conduct upon which the claim is based constitutes oppression, fraud, or malice or for any other reason does not arise out of the course and scope of the employee’s employment;
Grulkowski’s Action Was Clearly Beyond The Scope of Her Duties
If the county allowed the case to be litigated, it would not be responsible to provide a lawyer for Grulkowski, because her participation in the hiring decision which resulted in the discrimination claim did not, “arise out of the course and scope of the employee’s employment.” That’s because the commission adopted a resolution which moved the elections office from the clerk and recorder’s office to the county commission. The county included the following language:
“WHEREAS, appointing an Election Administrator to serve at the direction of the Board of Cascade County Commissioners will eliminate the appearance of impropriety as any single Commissioner whose seat appears on the ballot in a given calendar years shall be required to abstain from all decisions concerning the operation and management of the election office during that calendar year until such time as the election for said office is finalized;”
This language clearly prohibited Rae Grulkowski from participating in all decisions concerning the elections office. Grulkowski ignored the resolution and county officials failed to make her comply. Read our blog post here, https://wtf406.com/?s=Resolution
We Are Paying Because The County Failed To Enforce It’s Own Rules
Here we are eight months later providing a personal attorney for Grulkowski for illegal acts which were clearly beyond the scope of her employment. The fact of the matter is that our elected county officials failed us in this matter and now the final insult is that we all pay for independent counsel for Grulkowski. Anyone who thinks Republicans are fiscal conservatives hasn’t been watching Cascade County.
