_______________________________________________________________________ For those Great Falls citizens who don’t attend city commission meetings, I thought it would be enlightening to provide a little window into the May 7 meeting along with some of my own observations. First up is Mayor Kelly explaining why it’s just business as usual for city commissioners like Moe and Robinson to…
_______________________________________________________________________ If we really want to change the ‘negative narrative’ about Great Falls then we need to address the actual reasons for that narrative. There’s no better place to start than the ethics and conflicts of interest problems that have plagued the Great Falls city commission for a long time. Let’s do a quick review…
_______________________________________________________________________ Whenever the topic concerning the lack of growth, development, and good jobs in Great Falls comes up, the discussion often goes something like this: Mr. Wannaknow: “Why can’t we seem to prosper and grow like other Montana communities?” Mr. Knowitall: “Well, obviously it’s because we aren’t on a east-west interstate and we don’t have…
Last week the U.S. Census Bureau report revealed some surprising information about county population growth in Montana between 2010 and 2018. It’s not only surprising, but for Cascade County it’s troubling. Looking at this data I’m reminded of the story of the Three Bears. TOO HOT! – Gallatin County (Bozeman/Belgrade area) grew by 22,363 people,…
_______________________________________________________________________ In an article I wrote last week called ‘Mr. Narrative Comes To Great Falls’ I discussed the bogus notion that a ‘negative narrative’ is the reason that Great Falls continues to struggle to remain stagnant. In that piece I referenced the local Future of the Falls young professionals group and their upcoming event, BaseCamp….
Heads up, Great Falls. There’s a new guy in town named Mr. Narrative. Here is an actual comment on the BaseCamp Great Falls Facebook page from city Commissioner Mary Moe: “A group of young professionals in Great Falls is tired of the negative narrative about this community and is determined to turn it around.” So,…
_______________________________________________________________________ There’s really no other way to say it – Great Falls city commissioner Owen Robinson should not be voting on any issue regarding a proposed City of Great Falls partnership with the Maclean Cameron Animal Adoption Center. But he did anyway. Robinson’s actions as a city commissioner stink to high heaven and anyone who…
_______________________________________________________________________ In a previous article, “A Development Process Advisory Board For Great Falls Makes Sense”, I explored some of the ways a DPARB could be beneficial for growth and development in Great Falls, as it has been in Billings. Today I want to look at what I consider to be the most important thing our…
_______________________________________________________________________ As most local folks in Cascade County are now aware, former Cascade County Sheriff’s Office undersheriff John Stevens has been charged with felony theft related to public property, firearms, he allegedly absconded from the sheriffs office and traded for a four wheeler. Of course Stevens is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. I would like…
_______________________________________________________________________ In the introduction to my series, “Ideas For A Greater Great Falls”, under the category of Creating an environment for more jobs, higher wages and a vibrant, growing community, the second bullet point is the following: Create a Development Process and Advisory Review Board along the lines of the Billings model. The Billings Development…