Author: ECB Staff

Last month E-City Beat invited all of the candidates for Great Falls city commission and mayor to submit their profiles, including their reasons for running and qualifications, for publication on this blog.

Bob Kelly and Susan Wolff sent in their profiles and we published them exactly as written and without editorial comment.

Last week we sent out seven questions to all of the candidates and asked that they respond with brief, concise answers.

Kelly and Wolff responded by declining to answer the specific questions, which you can read here.

Here is Kelly’s response:

“Thank you for the opportunity to participate but I will respectfully pass on these questions. Several of these  issues  are currently being discussed by the Commission and it would be inappropriate for me to comment due to my current position.

Thank you. Bob Kelly“

And here is Wolff’s response:

“Thank you for promoting the importance of our local city elections. Because I truly seek diverse voices on issues before forming my decisions, giving answers or opinions at this time, does not reflect how I “do” business. Again, thank you for the invitation. Susan“

We hope that the refusal to address voters specific concerns is not a pattern going forward for these two candidates.

Ballots will be mailed to Great Falls voters on October 18.

We will be publishing the other candidates’ responses starting next week and we are anticipating actual answers rather than excuses for not answering.

Editors note: This is the second of two profiles featuring candidates running for Mayor of Great Falls.

Fred Burow – 2021 Candidate for Mayor of Great Falls

• People of Great Falls deserve a choice
• Age – 72 years young
• Married to wife Helen for 52 yrs
• Have 4 Grown children,  8  Grand Children and  4 Great Grand Children
• Personal Priorities –Church, Family and friends

Education

• High school graduate
• World Wide College of Auctioneering graduate
• Professional Ring man course

Experience

• 20 yrs Farm builder
• 36 yrs Auction business
• 12 yrs Bus driver –Great Falls Transit
• 2 yrs  School bus driver
• 8 yrs Great Falls City Commission
• 72 yrs School of Hard Knocks

Member

• Faith Lutheran Church
• Skunk Wagon Antique Car Club
• NRA
• Treasure State Fly Wheelers

Hobbies

• Hunting, fishing and shooting
• Traveling
• Collecting antique tools, shop memorabilia/advertising,  and guns
• Collecting and restoring antique cars, trucks and Massey Harris tractors

Priorities

1. Public Safety – Support Police and Fire to make sure they have the tools they need to do their job.
2. Utilities – Continue providing clean water and dependable sewer at affordable rates.
3. Community Development –  Review policy and requirements for home and business construction.  Expansion and remodeling business plans to bring good paying jobs to the area.

Issues that Great Falls is facing

1. Crime – Personal property  theft and damages.  Drugs seem to be a major driving force for theft and violent crimes.
2. Deferred infrastructure maintenance – repairs of fire stations and other city buildings need to be addressed.  Applying for grants to cover some or all of the costs and possibly use some of the  Covid-19 monies to offset costs.
3. Air Force Missile upgrade – will increase affordable housing shortages.
4. Additional  Fire coverage – our city has grown to the point that we need to build and man at least one new fire station.
5. Additional Police Officers – additional officers are needed to stem the flow of theft,  illegal drugs, trafficking and other crimes.  

Editors note: This is the first of two profiles featuring candidates running for Mayor of Great Falls.

I am currently serving my 9th year in City Government in Great Falls. I was a City Commissioner for three years and am now in my sixth year as Mayor. My professional career was in municipal finance. I was a municipal bond trader and underwriter for more than 20 years before retiring in 2008 from  DA Davidson as a  Managing Director, Senior Vice President. I then served for nearly 2 years as Vice President of Sports Competition for Special Olympics Montana.

I have 2 grown children, both products of Great Falls Public Schools. My wife Sheila works full time and is active with River’s Edge Trail Foundation and KEY.

I hope to continue as Mayor as our community manages growth and works to solve some of its most challenging issues. Great Falls is beginning to ride a wave of success that has been mounting for several years. Our wages are up. Our downtown is alive with activity brought about by young (and not-so-young) entrepreneurs. We now have the resources to maintain and improve our parks, and we recently won a highly competitive grant to build a new Aquatic and Recreation Center. The Civic Center repair and renovation is underway – with no increase in taxes! The amount of new construction around town bears witness to the potential that builders, new businesses and current employers see in Great Falls.

Early in the pandemic, my role as Mayor was one of facilitator. Relying on my relationships with various networks of caring citizens in this amazing community, I connected people, agencies and services to address unprecedented needs.  Our gradual exit from the pandemic has created a new, welcome challenge: allocating substantial COVID-relief funding. My professional career and six years’ experience as Mayor give me an important perspective on how to maximize the impact of these funds for projects that are substantive, sustainable and transformational. Public Safety and First Responders can finally add assets they sorely need and currently lack. Funding affordable housing and workforce development can help Great Falls attract the good jobs and employment sectors every community is competing for. Long overdue capital projects can finally get underway with funds made available through the American Rescue Plan.

I also hope to continue my work with groups throughout the city to tackle some thorny challenges we still face. Our crime rates, domestic partner abuse and the consequent suffering of children cry out for better solutions. After a pandemic-induced delay, the community conversation on violent crime has intensified, with the new Crime Task Force seeking tangible, effective remedies and responses. The problem of drugs in Great Falls needs constant, vigilant attention. Meanwhile, the challenge to economic growth caused by the growing need for affordable housing and childcare needs immediate attention.

We’re working with builders around town to help them “get to yes” so we can all benefit from their vision and risk-taking. Streamlining and implementing best practices in our Planning and Community Development  Department is in progress, a direct result of City collaboration with the building trades.

Finally, I’m running for Mayor again because I truly enjoy the job. As Mayor I’m committed to being out in the community, listening, learning, and thanking the people who make this a great place to live.  It’s a privilege to represent Great Falls to visiting groups, to say “thank you” to local organizations that often go unrecognized for all they do, and to tell the story of this city’s greatest strength – a social fabric of concern, generosity and appreciation for our neighbors, institutions and beautiful setting on the banks of the Mighty Mo’. I’d appreciate your vote.

Editors note: This is the fourth in our series of profiles featuring candidates running for the two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission.

Recently retired as the CEO/dean of Great Falls College MSU, I came to Great Falls in 2012, continuing a career focused on education as a key driver for economic, workforce and community development. I will bring 45 years of leadership, management, budgeting and policy work to the City Commission. My service on various boards demonstrates my understanding of and responsibility for the role of governance and policy in providing direction of the work of the managers. I also owned my own business.

I am running for a seat on the Great Falls City Commission to continue supporting my community and the entities who work hard to grow Great Falls. I firmly believe Great Falls is an excellent place to do business, receive an education, raise a family, and recreate. Great Falls has it.

Serving on the volunteer boards of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, including the Ag and Military Affairs Committees; the Great Falls Development Authority; United Way of Cascade County, serving as chair of the board and as the vice chair of the annual campaign this fall; the Montana Chamber of Commerce; the Montana Workforce Board; the Montana Ambassadors; and the Mountain Pacific Patient and Family Advisory Council demonstrates I work hard to bring results for others. I was named the 2015 Mike Malone Educator of the Year for the state by the Montana Ambassadors and I am a Rotarian believing strongly in “service before self.”

I have experience working with the Executive and Legislative branches of the State of Montana and the state’s Congressional Delegation. Through building partnerships with businesses and elected officials, I have secured resources to build workforce and the economy in the areas in which I lived. Local and Montana examples include $4.25 million to build the new dental education building at Great Falls College MSU, $1.5 million to expand welding facilities at the college and a $25 million RevUp Montana grant to reduce the skill gap for jobs across Montana and increase work-based learning and apprenticeships.

Generations of my family have served their communities through their work, various elected and civic positions, and through volunteerism. They and I hold pride in our responsibilities to the communities in which we lived and currently live.

 I am a strong supporter of our military partners. My father was a pilot in the 7^th Ferrying Command at Gore Field during WWII having completed his last 18 months of service in the Army Transport Command flying supplies across the Burma Hump. He and my mother were married in Great Falls, my sister was born here, and my brother worked in Great Falls for 32 years. My son and his family are living and giving to the community as well.

My five, interconnected areas of focus are:  growing our community, workforce and economic development, affordable housing, quality/affordable child care, and robust, integrated safety services.  

Being adaptable is key to building a future. Our entrepreneurs and investors are revitalizing downtown along with all the Downtown agencies. The agriculture industry and medical communities are shining examples of having to innovate, take risks, and keep moving forward. We are Better Together through inclusion and collaboration

Editors note: This is the third in our series of profiles featuring candidates running for the two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission.

My name is Josh Copeland, and I am running for Great Falls City Commission.

I grew up on a small ranch in Arizona and joined the Air Force when I was 17 years old. I served a total of 12 years, my last two being here at Malmstrom AFB. Believe it or not, Malmstrom was on my “dream sheet” the entire time I was in! I wanted to come to Montana and live here. When I got out of the Air Force in 2012, I stayed here.

I love Great Falls and all it has to offer, particularly the small-town feel, the sense of community and pace of life. I enjoy living so close to outdoor recreation like hiking, hunting, boating, fishing and skiing just to name a few!

I have always taken a keen interest in politics. About two years ago I started having many friends suggest I become more involved and consider running for a city position. When this year the announcement was made that two seats were being vacated by their incumbents on the City Commission, I felt it was my duty to run. As a veteran I feel a deep sense of duty and obligation to use my skill set to continue to serve.

One area I will work to improve for the City of Great Falls is communication. Communication is a two-way street and I feel like that street has road blocks in both directions, from the Commission to the people and from the people to the Commission. Those road blocks include the City’s inability to reach the masses with news and information. A lot of great and exciting things are going on in Great Falls, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to anyone who lives here. Not everyone can or is going to sit in every neighborhood counsel, commission, or advisory board meeting – but it is important that we share the information from those meetings with the people, so they are informed and feel like they are a part of this community. Telling people “It’s on the City website” is often taken as condescending and frankly, the website is difficult to navigate.

Websites have been a dying source for information for nearly a decade now as more information is shared via social channels. Effective social media management is something I will bring to the City. The second half of this is that the Commission need to listen to the people of Great Falls, and we need a communication style that works for all demographics that make up our amazing city.

Second, we need housing, and we need it now. More people are moving here to fill jobs that have been created as we slowly grow. We have created our own little housing bubble and the people who are suffering are longtime residents and middle class and below income earners. The City of Great Falls has been painstakingly slow and overly methodical in allowing contactors in to build. The City lays financial, engineering, and architectural burdens on contractors that simply scare them away. We need to be an easy city to do business with. We need to do a 180 on our culture when it comes to building and construction in Great Falls. Instead of looking at every possible reason to kill a project, we need to institute a culture of helpfulness and find every reason to approve projects and help and incentivize contractors and investors.

If you would like to know more, follow me or message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @Josh4GF.

Editors note: This is the second in our series of profiles featuring candidates running for the two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission.

My name is Paige Turoski, I am a wife, a stay-at-home mother of two, and a candidate for City Commissioner.

I am a proud American and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment, as well as all personal freedoms.

I first moved to Great Falls in 2013 to finish my undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Great Falls, where I met my husband, though my ties to the Electric City are as old as I am. My grandfather was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in the late 1980’s and retired here in the early 90’s. That same year he bought the house he is still living in today. I have the best memories of family trips for the Fourth of July, and then again for the State Fair every year!

I graduated college in 2016 with a five-month-old and that is when my husband and I started to really think about where we wanted to raise our family. It didn’t take long to realize Montana was the only place for us. We settled down comfortably in Great Falls knowing we had the support of family right here when we needed it.

We have enjoyed living here, though like many others, we feel as though there are individuals in our local government who are no longer interested in representing the voters whose tax dollars they are paid with. This is by no means exclusive to local government, though locally is where these changes get made easiest.

This brings me to my first and most prominent reason for throwing my name into this race: I want to be a true representative of the residents of Great Falls. If elected, I would listen to everyone and value their opinion equally. I will not roll my eyes, I will not scoff, and I will not hold my personal opinions higher than those of any one else.

I am a believer that political discourse in this country does not have to be as volatile as it has become in the past decade.

Since moving here I have realized that the Great Falls of today is not the Great Falls of my childhood. Many of my most cherished memories happened at places that are not around anymore. As a mom, I want to see our city prosper and become a place my children want to raise their children. The only way that will happen is through economic development, and supporting our small businesses and our business owners.

I’ve had business owners reach out to me and express frustration over their interactions with various city entities and the red tape surrounding business ownership in Great Falls. As your Commissioner, I would seek to improve upon the process of business ownership by scaling back the red tape surrounding it, as well as ensuring every potential business owner is treated fairly.

Crime is another issue I am being asked about. Safety in our community is a priority to residents and as Commissioner I would with city/county officials to get them the resources they need to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The crime task force helmed by Commissioner Tryon is a great first step in the right direction, as it has brought many city/county officials together to come up with solutions to the crime issues our city faces.

I love hearing from residents! You can contact me and find out more about me at www.facebook.com/paigeturoskigf feel free to reach out at any time. I appreciate you reading this and hope I can earn your vote this November. Thank you,

Editors note: This is the first in our series of profiles featuring candidates running for the two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission.

_______________________________________________________

Hello E-CITY BEAT Readers:

I have been fortunate to call Great Falls my home for 40 years. Our community has excellent education opportunities, world class hunting and fishing, the River’s Edge Trail and seemingly unlimited year-round outdoor activities, not to mention some of the friendliest people in the world.

I served in the US Navy, was honorably discharged in 1980, and I have been an entrepreneur and active member of our community. I’ve owned six different local businesses starting in 1985. Since that time, I’ve employed hundreds of residents. One of my most satisfying accomplishments is providing employment and helping citizens of Great Falls support their families and community.

Entrepreneurship presents many challenges and not all businesses can be successful. One of my businesses received the high honor by Inc. Magazine as one of the “500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America.” Yes, that happened in Great Falls Montana.

Community service has always played an important role in my life. I’ve served on many local, state and national organizations. I also had the privilege of representing the people of Great Falls in the Montana House of Representatives for four consecutive terms.

Now you know part of my background. Why should you select me to serve Great Falls as a City Commissioner?

I am excited to do my part in moving Great Falls forward. My goals are simple but will not necessarily be easy to reach. It will take community teamwork to accomplish these ambitions.

1. Economic Development
2. Affordable Housing
3. Safe Neighborhoods

My primary goal is economic development, and I will encourage the City Commission to support recruitment and expansion of Primary Sector companies. These companies provide the type of employment that create products/services to out of area customers but bring jobs and payroll to Great Falls. Some examples are: Avmax, ADF, Centene as well as value added agriculture producers such as Pasta Montana, the Malt Plant, etc.  Primary sector jobs bring ‘”- new money – ‘” to Great Falls. This is one way to grow our economy, providing jobs, expand the service industry, and local tax base.

City Commissioners do not have all the answers, and the City Commission does not create jobs in the private sector. What the Commission can do, however, is remove oppressive red tape and onerous delays. We have many smart, motivated people in this community. Too often the Commissioners pat themselves on the back for being “business friendly” while those who are actually trying to open and operate businesses tell a contrary tale. Our local government does not need its finger in every pie, regulating (and adding expense) to many local businesses’ decisions.

But it is the Commission’s responsibility to provide the vision, leadership and build a team of talented like-minded persons, to create an environment and mindset for growth. And then get out of the way.

With a focus on less regulation more development will occur, which should increase the supply of housing and decrease costs. Growing communities are usually prosperous communities. With prosperity comes resources to shore up public safety such as police and fire departments. 

My background as a military veteran, entrepreneur and four-term lawmaker in the Montana House of Representatives will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Great Falls City Commission.

I look forward to serving our community.

Joe McKenney www.facebook.com/mckenneyforgreatfalls