Whenever I get questions or concerns from folks in our community, if I don’t know the answer, I ask City staff to respond to the concern or question and then I pass it along to the person who asks. I’ve done this a lot over the several years I’ve served as your city commissioner, and…
Author: Rick Tryon
SB 266 Not Good For Great Falls
SB 266 has not yet been passed into law, but if it were to be passed this legislative session, here is a predictive scenario. Having a morning coffee with your neighbor, Fred, one day next year: Fred: I heard some out-of-state company bought some lots on our block and plan to put up a few…
A Porn Shop Next To An Elementary School?
Editors note – photo via Alan Mas, pexels.com ______________________________________________________________________ Protecting private property rights is a foundational American value. But when someone chooses to live in a community rather than on a patch of isolated ground away from them thar city folks then there is a mutually accepted set of standards that allows for some minimal…
‘Hell No’ To Senator Trebas’ SB266
Hey, Great Falls, do you want Big Brother Helena to control how citizens in Great Falls choose to budget, zone our community, and manage our resources? I say, “Hell no!” And why does Great Falls Senator Jeremy Trebas think that his SB266 is a good idea for our community? Here’s what SB266 will do in…
The Magic And Wonder Of Presidents Day
This is a special time of year for me and my family. Presidents Day holds so much meaning and so many great memories for me even now as an adult. Every year when I was a kid, my brothers and I, with barely contained excitement and anticipation, would count down the days until that third…
‘Montana Resistance’ Inciting Violence Online?
Editors note: Some of the following images and language is disturbing and inappropriate for children. There’s a FB page called ‘The Montana Resistance’ which, in my opinion, is inciting violence and hate against folks in our community. Here’s a few examples of memes posted on their page: A bayonet for wearing a MAGA hat? Please…
Memo To Great Falls State Legislative Delegation
To all of our state legislators from Great Falls and Cascade County serving in Helena during the 69th Session or the Montana State Legislature: First, thank you for your service to our state and community. It can’t be easy being away from the comforts of home to spend 90 days in a grueling, fast-paced political…
Changes And Upgrades For Great Falls
As we move into 2025 I want to take the opportunity to highlight a few of the changes, improvements, and opportunities coming to Great Falls in the coming year and on the near horizon. Thanks in large part to COVID relief and ARPA funding, both of which were one-time funding sources, the City of Great…
Is OpenAI A Liberal?
I saw an interesting comment on ‘X’ recently referring back to a 2023 article in Forbes citing research showing that ChatGPT has a left leaning bias. I use ChatGPT sometimes but never really paid much attention to its political/ideological tilt, but I think the following personal example of how AI can be skewed to one…
Will Great Falls Dems Learn Or Continue To Lose?
On October 10th I posted my predications for Election Day 2024 on my personal Facebook page, which you can read here. Here is a summary of those predictions with some added after-the-fact comments: “Montana remains ruby red with all statewide offices being won by the GOP, including Gianforte winning by a lot over Busse.” Both…