Editors note, the following is an opinion piece by Jeni Dodd. Jasmine Taylor of the blog WTF 406 apparently has issues with the facts. Taylor opined that E-City Beat✓’s recent article, “Library Director And Library Board Chair Spouses/Partners Donated $130,000 To Levy Campaign Committee“, was an attack on philanthropy and that it showed ire against…
Cascade County Commissioners will conduct interviews on Tuesday with four candidates for election administrator, a newly-created county position. The candidates are Terry Thompson, Nancy Donovan, Lynn DeRoche and Rina Fontana-Moore. Details of the meeting, including a Zoom link, are found at: https://cascadecountymt.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02062024-643 Election duties in Cascade County were historically the responsibility of the clerk and…
Opinion by Jeni Dodd I grew up experiencing a local library as an enchanting place to discover literature, gatherinformation and explore ideas. A place for informing and educating but also a placewhere parents could be assured that their children were safe in that exploration —physically, mentally and spiritually. I’ve since learned that although a local…
Editors note: the following is a press release from Jeni Dodd. Sign the Petition for Referendum to Repeal Resolution 23-62! Cascade County Commissioners Briggs and Larson passed the resolution to remove election duties from the Clerk/Recorder, thereby negating the will of the voters who voted for a combined Clerk/Recorder AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR in November 2022….
Opinion by Jeni Dodd At the December 15 Cascade County Commissioner special meeting, we learned the latest Banana Republic move by the commission — one that should be memorialized in county history as ‘Bucketgate’. The special meeting’s agenda revolved around the commission’s previous 2-1 decision to pass Resolution 23-62 on December 13. That resolution removed…
Despite opposition that significantly outpaced support during six hours of public testimony, Cascade County Commissioners Joe Briggs and Jim Larson still voted to strip election duties from the Clerk and Recorders Office. Commissioner Rae Grulkowski was the lone no vote on Resolution 23-62, which passed 2-1. The proposed action didn’t sit well with the majority…
Great Falls Public School Trustee Paige Turoski confirmed at the Monday, September 25 school board meeting that she didn’t see the letter from the school district to the county commissioners requesting a transfer of election duties away from the elections office until a member of the public sent it to her a few days before…
A letter from Great Falls Public Schools to the Cascade County Commissioners regarding election administration was recently brought to my attention. The letter, dated September 7, 2023, is signed by Superintendent Tom Moore; Brian Patrick, Director of Business Operations; and Gordon Johnson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (GFPS school board). The letter states “We…
Opinion by Jeni Dodd There are a number of folks out there claiming that the Library Foundation, not the taxpayers, are paying for the library levy election. Not true — Great Falls taxpayers ARE footing the bill for this special election. I suspect the misconception stems from Library Director McIntyre stating that the library is…
Opinion by Jeni Dodd A policy change enacted last fall at the Great Falls Public Library thathas implications for the parental rights of minor library patrons seems tohave flown under the radar for many Great Falls parents. The library evidently had a policy in place until September 2022 thatthose under the age of 18 required…