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…
_______________________________________________________________________ Earlier today I saw the following meme/comment on a popular Great Falls public Facebook page, Remember Great Falls When… What I found particularly interesting were the comments posted by local citizens and employers. You can click here to see all of the comments, but I’ve copied a few excerpts here that are very revealing…
_______________________________________________________________________ In my most recent article here on E-City Beat I said I would be doing a series of articles focusing on what we can do to build a better Great Falls by looking at what other Montana cities are doing to grow and develop while we struggle to remain stagnant. In other words, what…
_______________________________________________________________________ Someone sent me a link the other day to a very interesting news piece from KBZK in Bozeman, MT. – ‘Bozeman ranks #1 for strongest micropolitan economy’. That’s the strongest micropolitan economy in the nation, not just the state. As the report explains: “According to Policom, an Economics research firm, Bozeman is ranked number…