Letters To The Editor: Briggs And Larson Criticized

ECB Staff on November 30, 2023

Editors note: the opinions expressed in “Letters to the Editor” do not necessarily reflect the opinions of E-City Beat, our volunteer staff, or contributors. All letters to the editor are welcome and will be considered for publication. Please include your name and city of residence to ectitybeat@straymoose.com.

Good morning,

I strongly oppose County Ordinance 23-01 because this Ordinance improperly serves only the personal agenda of Commissioners Briggs and Larson. It does NOTHING to serve the interests of the residents of Cascade County.

I have no doubt that this Ordinance was proposed in bad faith only to “punish” Commissioner Grulkowski for the outstanding performance of her duties (both as a Commissioner and as Chair of the Commission), despite the obvious and increasing hostility expressed toward her by her Co-Commissioners and their self-serving supporters (and donors?). It is clear that she is doing her best to make the Commissioners (herself included) more accountable to We the Pepole. Apparently, Commissioners Briggs and Larson do not believe they should be held accountable to ANYONE outside of their Chambers.

This Ordinance is nothing more than an invalid and thinly veiled attempt to prevent Commissioner Grulkowski from doing her DUTY as Chair of the Commission to ensure that the Commission performs its duties LAWFULLY and TRANSPARENTLY. 

As a resident and elector and of Cascade County, I believe that Commissioners Briggs and Larson are (at the very least) in breach of the public trust by their deliberate undermining of Commissioner Grulkowski in their attempt to remove her from her chairmanship, apparently BECAUSE she insists that the Commission conduct the business of Cascade County lawfully, transparently, and in the best interests of their constituents. Judging from the recent Canvass, Commissioners Briggs and Larson view Montana law as an UNWELCOME inconvenience that neither is willing to read, much less FOLLOW.

I urge you to retain Chairman Grulkowski for another year and vote NO on Ordinance 23-01.

Respectfully,

Dena Burnham Johnson
Great Falls, MT 59404

________________________________________________________________________

Dear News Media,

I am alerting you this morning to the injustice and manipulative tactics of County Commissioner Joe Briggs and County Commissioner Jim Larson in their attempts to silence newly elected County Commissioner, Rae Grulkowski!  These  men are trying to silence Rae Grulkowski’s input and influence by removing her from her current position as Chair!  Their excuse is a false accusation of Rae’s ability to conduct meetings properly.  Rae has had many years of experience in conducting meetings as she is a local business owner and has been involved in conducting many business meetings.  I, personally, have sat in County Commissioner meetings and have witnessed her level headed ability to conduct their meetings properly.

In the past, there was an automatic rotation procedure that was an equal and fair representation of all three County  Commissioners.  Rae has stepped into a position that currently has the privilege of being the chair.  These two other Commissioners have lost their control and are attempting to regain their domination of the current procedure that is taking place right now.  This needs to be stopped! 

Joe Briggs has been in his position for 19 years!  We need new blood and fresh ideas to come into Cascade County!

Rae needs to have the freedom and liberty to conduct her Chair duties  without harassment from disgruntled “old guard” County Commissioners.

I am trusting you to get this very important information out to the people of Cascade County.  Thank you!

Sharon Thompson,
Great Falls, MT  59404

The Letter That Speaks Volumes

Jeni Dodd on September 23, 2023

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 are writing on behalf of Great Falls Public Schools to formally request the duties of Cascade County Elections Office be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Cascade County Commissioners.” (Emphasis added)

What does this mean exactly? I am awaiting a response from Superintendent Moore. The specific questions I asked him:

1. On what date did GFPS Board of Trustees vote to approve and send this letter?

I asked this because I could find no record in a search of GFPS school board minutes that this letter was approved by the full school board. There’s also no disclaimer on the letter that these three district officials were acting on their own volition to send this letter. In fact, the letter claims to be written on behalf of the school district.

It’s particularly troubling that Johnson signed this letter as board chair, because it implies school board approval when apparently that did not happen.

2. What is the legal justification for GFPS officials and the GFPS Board of Trustees to make such a request?

In other words, where is the authority through the Montana Code Annotated for public school officials to request that a duly elected county official be stripped of part of her duties?

I could find no such authority. Instead, I’d like to know whether the three district officials authoring and sending this letter violated any part of Montana Code Annotated §2-2 Standards of Conduct, specifically §2-2-121. Rules of Conduct for Public Officers and Public Employees, which provides restrictions on public officers and employees political activities on public’s time and dollar. Might this letter be considered a political activity?

3. County commissioners supervise the official conduct of all county officials, but they aren’t election administrators. What does GFPS specifically hope to accomplish through this letter?

It seems possible that Moore, Patrick and Johnson wish to subvert the will of the voters of Cascade County, who elected merchant as Clerk, Recorder AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR and are asking the commissioners to appoint another person to serve as election administrator separate from the county clerk and recorder’s office.

Yes, Montana Code Annotated makes this a possibly, in MCA § 13-1-301.Election administrator.

(1) The county clerk and recorder of each county is the election administrator UNLESS THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE COUNTY DESIGNATES ANOTHER OFFICIAL OR APPOINTS AN ELECTION ADMINISTRATOR. (EMPHASIS ADDED)

So though it appears legal for county commissioners to do what GFPS is requesting — is it just? We all know that when Merchant was elected, election administration was part of the job. How can these GFPS officials think their request is more valid than the will of Cascade County voters?

There is an opportunity for the public to express their opinions on this action by school officials. The next GFPS school board meeting is 5:30 pm, September 25 in the Aspen Meeting Room at the District Office Building. The District Office Building is located at 1100 4th Street South.

The county commissioners haven’t yet taken action on this request and comments can be shared with them through email or by phone:

Commissioner Briggs: jbriggs@cascadecountymt.gov
(406) 454-6815

Commissioner Larson: jlarson@cascadecountymt.gov
(406) 454-6816

Commissioner Grulkowski: rgrulkowski@cascadecountymt.gov
(406) 454-681

Since When Do The Losers Make The Rules?

Philip M. Faccenda on June 5, 2023

The Election Protection Committee (aka Pete Fontana, Jane Weber, Jasmine Cassandra Taylor, Sharon Patton-Griffin, et al) is busy instructing the public on Facebook to NOT CONTACT THE ELECTIONS OFFICE if they have an issue or alternately, if they come into the office, to request court-appointed monitor Lynne DeRoche be present while speaking with election office personnel. 

Posted in their Facebook group by Sharon Patton-Griffin: 

“If you have a question or concern regarding an election, please do not call the Elections Office, instead, email the address below. 

Likewise, if you go to the Elections Office, please do not speak to any employee there without first having Lynne DeRoche, Election Office court-appointed monitor, join you at the counter.”

The “address below” is the Election Protection Committee’s email. The post also tells the public to call Jane Weber if they want to speak with someone with the EPC.

None of these people are current elected officials. In fact they are just a group of self-appointed ‘sour grapes’ former or wannabe elected officials who resigned or lost past elections, or the relatives of said losers. They have no official designation or authority.

The big question is  —  why is the Election Protection Committee acting like it’s an official entity for collecting and disseminating complaints and information?

ELECTION PROTECTION OR PARTISAN DEFLECTION?

Jeni Dodd on May 12, 2023

The Election Protection Committee, headed up by former Cascade County
Commissioner Jane Weber and Pete Fontana, brother to former Cascade County
Clerk and Recorder Rina Fontana-Moore, has created a media maelstrom over their
claims against the Cascade County Elections Office. The office is currently run by
republican Sandra Merchant who took over this year after winning against
Fontana-Moore in the November 2022 election.

What’s most confounding is the Election Protection Committee seemingly dons
their blinders for the time when democrat Rina Fontana-Moore was in charge of
elections.

For one, they are up in arms over reports that duplicate ballots were sent out during
this election. I’m not going to dispute or confirm that here. But I merely want to
point out that ballot delivery mistakes are nothing new. Let’s look at the West Side
Flood Control and Drainage District election in 2021, shall we?

District Court Judge Elizabeth Best declared that election invalid after the Cascade
County Elections Office, run by Fontana-Moore, sent ballots to every voter in that
district, not just landowners as is the law. Media at that time reported some 830
ballots were mailed out when only 519 ballots should have been sent. Judge invalidates drainage district election, county will redo election for that seat | The Electric (theelectricgf.com)

Flood District commissioners serve three-year terms. This Flood District election
certainly wasn’t Fontana-Moore’s first rodeo. One wonders how the experienced
Fontana-Moore, who had headed up Cascade County elections for fourteen years at
that point, could make that kind of mistake. Where was outrage at that election
debacle from Election Protection Committee folks and their ilk? Did it perhaps not
matter to them because a democrat was in charge?

On the May 3 during Montana News Right Now, a reporter read a quote from
Jasmine Taylor, a member of the Election Protection Committee, complaining that
the Elections Office at the annex was closed and locked on Election Day morning,
so folks couldn’t pick up ballots. Is she not aware that when Fontana-Moore ran
the elections office, it had become standard practice to move the elections office to
the fairgrounds about a week in advance of the elections and that voters had to go
to the fairground to pick up ballots? Or does Taylor think we would forget that
fact?

Here’s the text from the Cascade County Elections Office webpage from
November 2022 as an example:


“We will move our office to Exhibition Hall at Montana Expo Park on Monday,
October 31st, 2022 through election day on November 8th, 2022. If you would
like receive your ballot during this time period, you will need to come over to the
fairgrounds.”

Further, folks that attended election judge training in 2022 claim that Fontana-Moore’s son worked in the elections office while she was in charge. A son hired to work for his mother? Isn’t that nepotism? But not one word about that from folks that are now involved with the Election Protection Committee.

Seems to me this Election Protection Committee has a “rules for thee but not for
me” attitude.

The Election Protection Committee mentioned to the media that they filed an
ethics complaint against Merchant. Pete Fontana filed the complaint with the
Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (MT COPP), and it was received by
the agency on April 20 (Fontana v Grulkowski, Merchant, and Biddick.pdf). The
complaint was rejected.

To summarize the contents, I’d opine that it contains some of the most ridiculous
allegations I have ever seen.

It seems the Election Protection Committee has an issue with freedom of speech
and expression. Regarding Cascade County Election Office volunteers, Fontana
wrote:

“Several of these individuals provided controversial and vial [?] testimony at the
Great Falls City Commission meeting against the Great Falls Library Levy.”

“Several of the volunteers’ cars display the VOTE NO ON THE LIBRARY
LEVY.”

“A number of these individuals signed a petition to the Cascade County
Commissioners requesting the County eliminate the mail ballot process….”

“Moreover, witnesses have also reported that this group of volunteers and the
County Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, begin each day with a prayer. That is
highly inappropriate in a public office or county property.”

It appears the Election Protection Committee expects people to give up their First
Amendment rights if they volunteer in the elections office under Merchant. If your
car has a sticker they don’t agree with; if you signed a petition limiting mail-in
ballots to overseas military, disabled or other qualified persons; if you provided
comment at a city commission meeting against the library levy; if you prayed at
your job — then the Election Protection Committee thinks that’s fodder for an
ethics complaint. That’s ludicrous!

Someone needs to remind the Election Protection Committee that what folks chose
to support or oppose on their own time and their own dollar, certainly don’t equate
to ethics violations — ditto for prayer amongst coworkers, which when I last
checked, is legal as long as it was voluntary, and is protected by the Constitution.

Oh wait someone did. Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Chris Gallus
wrote in the rejection letter (MT COPP letter-Fontana.pdf):

“Your complaint does not detail or otherwise describe any specific alleged
violations committed by a named public employee for me to consider. I would
point out that the statute applies specifically and exclusively to public employees,
and does not include elected officials of a local government. Similarly the statute
does not “restrict the right of a public employee…to express personal political
views,” including placement of campaign bumper stickers or related material on a
personal vehicle.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg and I encourage all to read the complaint and the
MT COPP response letter.

Related to all of this is another interesting event.

On April 3 of this year, “Liberty and Values Project,” a group opposing the library
levy, was registered with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices as an
independent political committee. This is necessary once a group makes political
expenditures or receives political donations on a ballot issue.

But the next day Jasmine Taylor registered that same name, “Liberty and Values
Project” as a business name with the Montana Secretary of State. She then sent a
cease and desist letter to the Liberty and Values Project committee. This is
documented it on her What the Funk blog – https://wtf406.com/2023/04/wtf406-
forces-anti-library-group-to-change-its-name/

Although a case can be made for the committee’s prior use of the name “Liberty
and Values Project,” the organizer told me it wasn’t worth the fight. The committee
simply added “MT” to their name and registered that with both the MT COPP and
the Secretary of State—problem solved.

Draw your own conclusions, but I have my doubts that Taylor has any interest in
using “Liberty and Values Project” as a business name. Seems instead like she saw
an opportunity to harass a committee she opposes; one that had actually established
prior use of that name.

The “progressive” left seems to know no bounds when it comes to attacks and if
you think we are immune to their antics here in Great Falls, Montana, I’m hoping
the examples given here will open your eyes.

Cascade County Dems Crushed Again

ECB Staff on November 16, 2022

On Election Day in November of 2020 Cascade County Republican candidates for the state legislature defeated every one of their Democrat opponents on the ballot, including several incumbent legislators.

It was an unprecedented red wave in Great Falls/Cascade County.

This year it was even worse for local Dems. It was a red tsunami.

Democrats lost every single contested race on the ballot.

Not only did all of the GOP incumbents retain their seats in the state legislature, even the remaining Dem incumbents went down to defeat:

  • Longtime local Democrat and incumbent state Senator Tom Jacobson was booted out by voters, losing to relatively unknown newcomer to local politics, Daniel Emrich.
  • For 16 years the Cascade County Clerk and Recorder position was held by Democrat incumbent Rina Fontana-Moore. Voters replaced Moore with yet another political GOP newcomer, Sandra Merchant.
  • Democrat stalwart Don Ryan, incumbent Cascade County Commissioner, lost his race to Rae Grulkowski.

Great Falls/Cascade County, once a blue stronghold, at least for now is a deep, ruby red.

GF Dems Krotkov, Bessette, Smith Hoping Voters Have Short Memories

Philip M. Faccenda on October 25, 2022

If you want to know what politicians really think then you have to be reminded of what they say when they think voters aren’t listening or watching very closely.

E-City Beat has been keeping track of what the most ‘progressive’ local Democrats running for state legislature were Tweeting when they thought voters weren’t paying attention.

And it’s quite different from the image they’re trying to put forward now that it’s election season.

So here’s a brief rundown of what Jasmine Krotkov, Barbara Bessette, and Melissa Smith actually believe – which is not the feel-good, ‘moderate’ happy talk they’re trying to palm off on Great Falls/Cascade County voters now.

Jasmine Krotkov, Candidate for HD25

Looks like we know where Krotkov stands on teaching critical race theory in our public schools.

Employees who lost jobs for refusing vaccine mandates, take note.

Trickle down economics is a ‘killer’? Pure garbage from Krotkov!

Barbara Bessette, Candidate HD24

Is Bessette running to represent all of us – or just ‘the resistance’?

Oh, it ‘sounds like’ our Lt. Governor is a racist, huh? What a dangerous and bigoted presumption by Bessette, a candidate for state legislature.

Unacceptable, nasty, and hateful Tweet from Bessette.

Melissa Smith, Candidate HD23

Nice reminder of Smith’s priorities for our community.

Do we really want someone like Melissa Smith in public office deciding who should and ‘should not have money’?

Wait, ‘we could just stop burning fossil fuels’? You mean like in my car that takes me to work in the morning and in my home this winter?

There’s more, lots more, but I think you get the basic idea here.

Krotkov, Bessette, and Smith are nowhere near ‘moderate’. They are far left ideologues with an agenda that they intend to push if elected.

Don’t let them succeed in pulling the wool over your eyes.

Sandra Merchant: GOP Candidate For Cascade County Clerk & Recorder

ECB Staff on September 22, 2022

My name is Sandra Merchant and I am running for Cascade County Clerk & Recorder. I believe I can use my private sector experience to make this office more efficient, accountable, secure, and customer friendly.

With my experience being outside of government office, I can bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to make improvements to the operation and hope to engage the people.  I believe our country was designed for citizens to be active and involved in their local government, and elected officials are there to serve them.

I have many years of working with customers, organizing groups and events, as well as keeping and submitting records for those groups. I am currently in Civil Air Patrol, teaching Character Development to the cadets.

I am originally from upstate NY where I had a horse business. I still have a horse and like to ride; I also enjoy many outdoor sports, especially on the water.

I have been a Medical Coder for about 10 years, handling private information and a variety of projects. I have to be flexible and able to move from project to project, sometimes more than once in a day. I have to know and adjust to different rules for each individual project.

My son attends a local high school and his 4 siblings are grown and have their own homes and lives. I enjoy visiting and doing things with them as much as possible.

The people of Cascade County will always be welcome in my office; that’s what we are there for. I will do all I can to be sure that any questions are answered and that their voices are heard. I will make public records available and encourage active participation in local government offices.

Election security is a big topic right now. I will do all I can to be sure we have fair, accessible, honest, and accountable elections. I will recruit and be sure people are thoroughly trained to assist with elections, including workers from all parties represented.

The goal of the County Clerk office will be honesty, efficiency, and customer service, with the good of the citizens and the county at the center. I plan to be a public servant, not a politician!

Slaughter Crushes Groskreutz: Three Reasons

Rick Tryon on June 8, 2022

I’ve been asked to put on my amateur political analyst hat here for a little minute to talk about Tuesday’s primary election results in the Cascade County Sheriff’s race between incumbent Republican Jesse Slaughter and challenger Jay Groskreutz.

This race wasn’t even close. Groskreutz got ‘slaughtered’ in a 70% to 30% landslide. That’s 9,248 votes for Jesse and 3,925 for Jay.

So why was it such a drubbing? Well, I can think of three reasons:

Reason One

Groskreutz didn’t have a coherent, convincing platform. His radio ads featured his plan to fight the drug crisis in our community by educating kids. ‘Just Say No’ sounds nice but folks here understand it’s just not enough, not by a long shot.

Education is a part of the solution but I think citizens prefer a sheriff who focusses on declaring war on local drug dealers and aggressively going after and arresting them.

Reason Two

Groskreutz said and did nothing about the slimy, personal, unfair and untrue smears against Slaughter by the far left and their lapdogs in local ‘news’ media and blogs, painting Slaughter as a white supremacist, militia kook, and worse.

The problem with those kinds of outright lies is that folks in this community have known Jesse and Undersheriff Reeves personally for a long time and they understand the absurdity contained in the kind of tripe being pushed by the Great Falls Tribune and others.

Groskreutz should have and could have repudiated that sewage, which he knew to be lies, and still run an honorable and vigorous campaign. I think someone gave him bad advice.

Reason Three

Goskreutz readily accepted the endorsement of the local Democrat machine. When a Republican is the Democrat’s favorite and handpicked candidate on the GOP primary ballot no one should be surprised when the vast majority of Republican voters filling out that ballot take note and vote against the Democrat’s pick.

Sheriff Slaughter deserved the win because he’s done an outstanding job for four years as Cascade County Sheriff and because he campaigned hard and with honor in this primary. Congratulations to him and Cory Reeves.

Local Dems Urge Fellow Dems To Vote GOP Ballot

Philip M. Faccenda on May 24, 2022

Apparently the Cascade County Democrat party is still furious that Sheriff Jesse Slaughter broke up with them last year.

Now local Democrats and their pals in the media are coordinating a smear campaign against Sheriff Slaughter, coughing up their hairballs of hate and rage just as ballots are being sent out to voters for the June primary election.

More on that in a bit, but back to The Breakup for a minute: Should anyone really be surprised that a lifelong law enforcement officer like Slaughter would choose to disassociate himself from a political movement that engaged in the ‘Defund The Police’, anti-law enforcement hate, hysteria, and histrionics that characterized the Democrat Party, including the local branch, starting in 2020?

As Slaughter said then, “I didn’t leave the Democrats, they left me.”

So here we are today and the local Democrats’ need for revenge is strong. So strong that they are urging Democrat voters to vote the GOP primary ballot.

Here’s an excerpt from a document being circulated locally among D voters via email and other means, including an email blast from former Cascade County Commissioner Jane Weber:

“You may never have imagined Democrats encouraging citizens to vote the GOP
primary ballot, but it’s imperative if we want to deny Slaughter another four years as Cascade County Sheriff…WHY REPUBLICAN in JUNE? Sadly, no Democrat candidate filed for the sheriff’s race, so the sheriff election will be determined in the June primary…”

This document is the exact same garbage and nonsense about Sheriff Slaughter recently printed in the Great Falls Tribune. It’s straight ahead, far left Democrat propaganda against Slaughter from the partisan hacks at an extremist liberal advocacy group called MHRAN, whose “research”, objectivity, and credibility is a pathetic joke.

But the local Democrats are desperate because they know what’s coming in November, nationally and in Cascade County. It’s why they have no candidate for Sheriff here.

Keith Duncan, a local concerned citizen and conservative activist, said it well in an email alert recently sent to E-City Beat:

‘Gutter politics is alive and well in Cascade County! This past week our “friends” in the Democrat party unleashed an all-out assault on Sheriff Jesse Slaughter. This political assassination attempt has to be one of the most underhanded efforts to sway an election in memory…Someone needs to remind candidate Groskreutz of the old saying, “By your silence you give consent!” ‘

I agree. I’m a Republican. I voted on the Republican ballot.

I voted for Sheriff Jesse Slaughter.