LR-130: Montana ‘Rubes’ Answer To Gun Control ‘Transplants’

ECB Staff on August 26, 2020

Editors note – the following is an letter from Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Shooting Sports Association.

An open letter to the city councilors of Billings, Helena, Bozeman, and other Montana communities.

Dear Councillors,

As the November election approaches, you may have some thoughts about LR-130, the legislative referendum to restrain local governments from enacting and enforcing a patchwork of gun control across Montana.

If you want to blame someone for LR-130, blame the California transplants on the Missoula City Council for trying to impose their California ideas on Montana. And, blame them also for listening to the gun control advocacy of Michael Bloomberg of New York City. We warned them that their run at local gun control was a really bad idea. We tried to steer them off, but to no avail.

They had the bit firmly in their teeth and were determined to show us rubes in Montana a better way – the California way and New York way. That led to LR- 130 as surely as fall leads to winter.

Since our dismissed warning to Missoula led to LR-130, allow me to offer another caution in hopes it will head off further possible trouble.

In thinking about what may be done about LR-130, there may arise a suggestion or temptation to appropriate public funds to advertise or foster opposition. Please be advised that use of public resources to take sides in an election is absolutely forbidden, in several different ways.

In addition to forbidding state laws, federal courts have identified two relevant principles:

1. Equal stake doctrine. Both the proponents and opponents of an issue to be decided by the electorate at a ballot have an equal stake in any public funds used to advertise that issue. Therefore any public funds used for that purpose must be done in a way that is neutral or balanced. Public funds may not be used to take one side.

2. Lack of authority. It can be no proper part of the authority of a legislative body, such as a city council or county commission, to appropriate public funds to take sides in an election. Therefore, any such use of public funds amounts to simple theft from the public treasury.

The federal courts feel strongly about these principles. A school superintendent in Colorado used school resources to campaign against a ballot issue there. A lawsuit was filed in federal court over that transgression. Ultimately, a federal judge ordered school and city officials to reimburse the public treasury for funds used illegally to take sides in an election. (Campbell v. Araphoe County School. Dist. No. 6, subsequently affirmed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals).

Please note that it was not the taxpayers who ultimately paid this bill, the reimbursement of the public treasury, but the individual officials who made the decision to illegally use public funds to take sides in an election.

We hope that foreknowledge will help you if the suggestion comes up to use any public funds or public resources to oppose (or even support) LR-130.

So, if you think LR-130 is problematic, thank members of the Missoula City Council for kicking that particular hornet’s nest, against Montana advice. And, please remember the caution against use of any public resources to take sides in elections.

Sincerely,
Gary Marbut,
President Montana Shooting Sports Association
Author, Gun Laws of Montana

BREAKING: Steve Bullock Accused Of Sexual Assault

ECB Staff on August 18, 2020

Montana Governor and U.S. Senate hopeful, Steve Bullock, is facing a fresh allegation of sexual assault.


Apparently, Bullock (a Democrat) got a little “handsy” with a young co-ed.

Remind us, Democrats: how does this work again? Oh, we should believe all women, right?

If so, this should certainly disqualify Bullock — the embodiment of a typical, careerist, office-seeking politician — from the Senate.

Biden Taps Kamala: Brilliant, Pandering, Or Irrelevant Pick?

ECB Staff on August 11, 2020

Joe Biden has selected California Democratic Senator, and former rival for the party’s POTUS nomination, Kamala Harris as his running mate.

After the announcement Harris tweeted, “I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.”

What do you think? Take our poll.

[poll id=”26″]

Does Bullock Think The 2nd Amendment Is About Hunting?

Philip M. Faccenda on August 10, 2020

When Steve Bullock ran for the Democratic nomination for President he made it clear that he would support a ban on some semi-automatic firearms. Here’s what he said, according to an AP article from August, 2018:

“Gov. Steve Bullock’s comments came in response Sunday to a question posed to him on CNN’s State of The Union.

Host Jake Tapper asked Bullock if he would support an “assault weapons ban, a ban on some forms of semiautomatic weapons.”

Bullock answered, ‘You know, I would, Jake.’ “

During Saturday’s debate, Senator Daines said the following:

“I protected the Second Amendment and have been endorsed by the NRA with an A-plus plus rating. He wants more gun control, and the NRA just gave him an ‘F’ rating.”

Bullock’s comment Saturday night on the Second Amendment was vague and non-committal, saying something about how he supports the Second Amendment because he’s a ‘hunter’. That fits with what Bullock’s spokeswoman said in the same AP article referenced above:

“Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel says Bullock is a gun owner and a hunter who doesn’t see the need for certain kinds of firearms for hunting or personal safety.”

So I have to ask – does Governor Bullock really believe that our Second Amendment was written with deer hunters in mind?

It’s possible he’ll ‘evolve’ on the issue before November 3, Election Day. After all, it didn’t take him long to ‘evolve’ from repeatedly saying ‘I’m not going to run for Senate’, to eagerly jumping in with both feet after visits and talks with Chuck Shumer and former President Obama.

That brings me to our poll question today:

[poll id=”25″]

E-City Beat Invites Candidates To Make Their Pitch

ECB Staff on August 7, 2020

Here’s the list of candidates in Cascade County/Great Falls who will be on the ballot in November competing for seats in the Montana State Legislature, followed by E-City Beat’s invitation for each candidate to answer some questions for voters. We encourage our readers to contact the candidates and encourage them to respond so that voters can be more informed come Election Day.

SD 10
Steve Fitzpatrick (R) is running unopposed. – fitzpatricks@bresnan.net

HD 19
Wendy McKamey (R) – wsgmckamey@gmail.com
George Shultz (L) – starhealth@charter.net

HD 20
Melissa Smith (D) – melissasmith4hd20@gmail.com
Fred Anderson (R) – professorchevy@hotmail.com

HD 21
Jaime Horn (D) – officialjaimehorn@gmail.com
Ed Buttrey (R) – ed@buttreyrealty.com

HD 22
Jasmine Taylor (D) – jasmineforgf@gmail.com
Lola Sheldron-Galloway (R) – lola4montana@yahoo.com

HD 23
Brad Hamlett (D) – senatorhamlett@gmail.com
Scot Kerns (R) – ElectKerns@gmail.com

HD 24
Barbara Bassette (D) – bessette4montana@gmail.com
Steve Galloway (R) – galloway4mt@gmail.com

HD 25
Jasmine Krotkov (D) – jasminekrotkov4mt@gmail.com
Steve Gist (R) – giststeve@gmail.com

HD 26
Helena Lovick (D) – electhelenalovick@gmail.com
Jeremy Trebas (R) – trebasformthouse@gmail.com

“Greetings,

The E-City Beat (https://ecitybeat1.wpengine.com/) blog is coordinating a legislative candidate project.

E-City Beat wants to help make sure local Great Falls/Cascade County area voters have as much information as possible going into the 2020 elections and we’re going to be publishing regular candidate updates etc.

This is an opportunity for you to make your pitch to the voters directly by submitting a piece written in your own words, 600 words max, answering the following questions:

Talk a little bit about your background, family, work, and hobbies/interests.

Why are you running for the office?

Why are you running as a Democrat, Libertarian or Republican?

What are a couple of issues in the state legislature that you could work on to help Great Falls and Cascade County grow and prosper?

What makes you the best candidate in the race?

Your response will be published in full and unedited, but please address the questions above and keep your answer at 600 words or less, total, not per question.

E-City Beat has a substantial local readership and following and will publish your responses on the blog and promote them on social media.

We will publish responses from candidates together by district – i.e. returned responses from candidates in HD21 will be published in the same post at the same time etc.

The deadline to return your response is Monday, August 24. We will begin publishing responses starting the following week.

You can send your responses to info@ecitybeat.com, we prefer MS Word format but PDF is acceptable. And please include a picture of your smiling face if you would like that included.

Thank you for running for public office and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me any time.

Philip Faccenda
Editor/Publisher
E-City Beat”

Former Montana Chamber Of Commerce Chair Endorses Rosendale Plan

ECB Staff on August 5, 2020

Donald J. Sterhan is the President and CEO of Mountain Plains Equity Group. He has previously served as Chairman of the Montana Chamber of Commerce, President of the Montana Chamber Foundation, on the White House Conference on Small Business, and as a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

Rosendale’s plan will get Montana’s economy back on track

By Donald J. Sterhan

There’s no question that we’re facing unprecedented challenges in today’s economy.  From job losses and disruptions in education, to deferred payments, business closures and even bankruptcies, it’s clear we have a lagging economy that is stumbling along in uncertainty.  On that much, I think most all of us can agree.   But where we seem to disagree is in identifying the steps needed to set a new course and get us back on the pathway to economic recovery and growth. 

As a lifelong Montanan with a business career spanning over 35 years in the Treasure state, I must admit that I often see the health and welfare of our local business community as a good barometer of the opportunities available to our citizens.  If we are to achieve growth in our economy and stimulate tax revenues to fuel our schools and public services, then we must rely on a vibrant business community that promotes more jobs, better wages, and the spirit of entrepreneurship.  This result doesn’t happen by chance – it only happens with leadership. 

It is for this reason that I was pleased to see Matt Rosendale step forward this past week in a very public way to take the initiative and offer leadership in this debate over the next best steps.   Last week I participated in a roundtable discussion that Rosendale hosted with business leaders from around Montana, with a variety of industries represented including retail, construction, agriculture, healthcare, financial services, and tourism.  Rosendale convened the roundtable to listen to specific issues affecting each of our industries as a result of COVID-19, and to discuss any ways that we felt the federal government could make it easier on businesses during these challenging times.

Over the course of the conversation, it became clear to me that Rosendale draws on his own experience as a businessman, with much success to his credit in growing his family’s small business, creating jobs, and signing both sides of a paycheck.  But even more impressive is his willingness to listen – and it’s a refreshing quality.

This quality is evident in Matt Rosendale’s “Plan to Reignite Our Economy”.  I’ve reviewed this plan and believe it’s right on the mark. 

The plan that he released addresses many of the concerns we shared with him at the roundtable, from liability protections for businessowners, to incentivizing employees to return to work, to rolling back crushing federal regulations and taxes.  It’s apparent to me that Rosendale and his team have worked overtime to consolidate the various business issues and recommendations into an organized and bold plan to rebuild our economy, unleash growth, foster job creation, and promote innovation in Montana.  

Now that’s leadership.  Especially in these uncertain times, that’s the brand of leadership from our public officials that is critically important.   In Congress, in the legislature, and in local municipalities, we need leaders with a clear understanding of the challenges facing businesses.  Matt Rosendale has demonstrated to me that he is indeed that type of leader.

How To Follow The Money Given To Local Political Candidates

ECB Staff on July 9, 2020

In the coming weeks E-City Beat will be posting campaign contribution information for all candidates in Cascade County/Great Falls contested races for the Montana State Legislature.

The information is all available online on the Commissioner of Political Practices web site via a searchable form.

You can find the portal here: https://appecm.mt.gov/PerceptiveCPPCampaignReports/#!

It looks like this:

Click on which reports you want, either Candidate or Committee, and it will take you to the search form where you can narrow your search to find exactly who you’re looking for. The search form is self explanatory and looks like this:

There’s lots of good information on the CPP site.

Stay tuned for lot’s of our own good information coming up about your local candidates and their political leanings and associations…and their campaign $$$.

First Look At Great Falls’ Local Candidates On November Ballot

ECB Staff on June 18, 2020

Following the June 2 primary the field is now narrowed to the candidates who will appear on your November 2020 ballot less than 5 months from now.

E-City Beat will be sending all of the local candidates questions and requests for profiles and will be publishing the information for our readers.

In addition we will be doing a deep dive into the backgrounds, ideologies, and political activities of each of the candidates and reporting out what we find.

We’ll also be taking a hard look at the candidates campaign contributions and publishing the names of donors and amounts given from individuals as well as Political Action Committees.

So stay tuned for all of the information you need to become a fully informed Great Falls voter.

Here’s a first look at your candidates.

House and Senate Districts:

SD 10
Steve Fitzpatrick (R) is running unopposed.

HD 19
Wendy McKamey (R)
George Shultz (L)

HD 20
Melissa Smith (D)
Fred Anderson (R)

HD 21
Jaime Horn (D)
Ed Buttrey (R)

HD 22
Jasmine Taylor (D)
Lola Sheldron-Galloway (R)

HD 23
Brad Hamlett (D)
Scot Kerns (R)

HD 24
Barbara Bassette (D)
Steve Galloway (R)

HD 25
Jasmine Krotkov (D)
Steve Gist (R)

HD 26
Helena Lovick (D)
Jeremy Trebas (R)

County Offices

Cascade County Commission

Jim Larson (R): 11,827
Jim Stone (D): 8,972

Cascade County Clerk of Court

Tina Henry (D) running unopposed

Biden Tells Black Americans, Vote For Him Or “You Ain’t Black”

ECB Staff on May 22, 2020

“Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”

Those remarks were made Friday by Democratic Presidential candidate and former VP Joe Biden in an interview with popular African-American radio show host Charlamagne tha God on his radio program “The Breakfast Club.”

Here’s a link to the interview.

Predictably, the hashtags #youaintblack and #JoeBidenIsARacist blew up on Twitter.

After the enormous backlash Biden later tried to do some clean up saying, “I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy. I shouldn’t have been so cavalier.”

But many comments on social media called Biden out saying his walk-back was too little, too late and that his original “you ain’t black” comments revealed his true colors.

So that brings us to our poll question:

[poll id=”23″]

Legal Weed Under The Big Sky?

ECB Staff on May 20, 2020

Signature gatherers wearing face masks have been spotted around Great Falls trying to get local citizens to sign on to their petition to put the legalization of recreational marijuana on the Montana ballot this November.

The group sponsoring the petition drive is called New Approach Montana and here’s their mission statement:

“New Approach Montana is a political campaign based in Helena, MT. We are working to pass two complementary ballot initiatives to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and older in Montana. Through the passage of two 2020 ballot initiatives, we envision a Montana in which adults are no longer arrested for responsibly consuming marijuana and where tax proceeds from marijuana sales are invested in veterans services, conservation programs, substance abuse treatment, long-term health care, and municipal services.”

So here’s our poll question:

[poll id=”22″]