Cascade County Libertarians Respond To Jasmine Taylor’s Attacks

ECB Staff on April 24, 2024

Editors note: The following is a press release sent out by the Cascade County Libertarian Party. The press release doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of E-City Beat or any of our contributors and it is not a campaign endorsement for Tony Rosales.

Leatherbarrow Invites Taylor for an Honest Conversation about Local Family Business

GREAT FALLS, MT, April 24, 2024 – On April 23, 2024, Jasmine Taylor released a video claiming that Kevin Leatherbarrow, co-owner of Go & Grow Education Services, LLC, was using Tony Rosales’ campaign to funnel business from Great Falls Public Schools to Go & Grow. Taylor never reached out to Leatherbarrow or anyone else at Go & Grow to verify these accusations. It is shocking, and frankly sad, that anybody would attack a local family-owned business based on weak political attacks and motives. To Leatherbarrow’s knowledge, Taylor lacks any true understanding of the relationship between Go & Grow and GFPS.

Taylor’s accusations are defamatory in nature and assume that Go & Grow would use a political campaign to gain any advantage. In fact, Leatherbarrow has publicly stated during an Autism Task Force that he would work pro bono with students who were lacking services if asked. The Task Force was formed by Lola Galloway – a Republican representative – where Leatherbarrow – representing Go & Grow – was invited among other community leaders including GFPS administration and nonprofit employees.

Taylor is mistaken in her accusation that there is any intention to vilify GFPS or its employees. Leatherbarrow and Rosales are consistently transparent about their involvement as Libertarian candidates, and officers of the Cascade County Libertarian Party, which are protected expressions of speech under the first amendment. Both have a passionate interest in education and the fiscal responsibility and transparency of the Great Falls Public School District, the Board, and the administration, as they are both residents within the district. None of those have any relation to the operations of Go & Grow Education Services.

Leatherbarrow would like to invite Taylor to contact him if she would like more accurate information for her political reporting endeavors. Any other community members who may have questions are also invited to reach out to Leatherbarrow.

About the CCLP

The Libertarian Party is the people’s representative in American politics. It is the only political organization which respects people as unique and competent individuals.

The Cascade County and Montana Libertarian Parties are the real choice for less government, lower taxes, and a freer future. The CCLP believes in both economic and personal freedom. We believe people should be free to make their own choices, provided they don’t infringe on the equal right of others to do the same. Government’s role should be to protect an individual’s right to make their own choices in life, so they can reap the rewards of their successes and bear personal responsibility for their decisions.

Contact Us

For questions, please contact the CCLP Chair:
Anthony Rosales, PhD
trrosales@gmail.com

Great Falls School Board Candidate Profile: Tony Rosales

ECB Staff on April 22, 2024

Editors note: Earlier this month E-City Beat sent an email to the three GFPS School Board candidates requesting a candidate profile and their reasons for seeking the position of School Board Trustee. We will publish the replies without edits or editorial comment as we receive them.

Tony Rosales

Personal Bio:

Born and raised in Great Falls, I graduated from Great Falls High and attended Carroll College, where I gained a never-ending passion for local and community education. After earning a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, I embarked on a career in healthcare consulting. My experiences as a researcher, educator, and strategic planner motivate me to enhance GFPS with innovative solutions and ensure our educational system supports every student’s success.

Strategic Leadership:

Challenge: GFPS faces challenges in long-term financial planning and educational strategy.

Solution: I propose initiating board-led community focus groups involving students, families, and staff to gather diverse perspectives and direct insights. These groups will help shape our strategic actions by highlighting actual needs and priorities within the district to help recruit and retain personnel. Furthermore, I will actively participate in the 2025 legislative session to advocate for modifications to the state funding formula and ensure promised Montana Lottey funds help ease the burden of local property taxes for education. I am also committed to exploring innovative budget solutions, including the establishment of an endowment fund.

Accountability & Transparency:

Challenge: There is a need to improve the transparency of operations and accountability in student and school performance metrics.

Solution: I will ensure that our school board meetings are transformed into platforms for meaningful discussion on pressing issues. Regular, detailed reports on academic achievements, special education metrics, and behavioral statistics will be standard practice, allowing us to address areas needing improvement swiftly. Additionally, by enhancing the visibility of Individualized Education Plans (IEP) compliance and other key performance indicators, we can build a more accountable and transparent system that fosters trust and confidence among the community.

Real-world Preparedness:

Challenge: Preparing students for the complexities of the modern economy and digital world is essential.

Solution: Our curriculum must include advanced digital literacy and comprehensive financial education to ensure students are well-prepared for technological advancements and economic self-sufficiency. This includes practical applications of AI in various fields, teaching students about cryptocurrency, investing, and personal financial management. We should aim for every graduate to have the tools needed to begin a journey toward financial independence after graduating from GFPS.

Conclusion:

With a robust background in research, education, and strategic planning, I am uniquely equipped to contribute effectively to the GFPS School Board. My comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in education today drives my commitment to ensure that GFPS not only meets but exceeds the expectations of our community. Through strategic leadership, enhanced accountability, and a focus on real-world preparedness, I will work tirelessly to prepare our students for the demands of the future.

Press Release: “Rosales Pushes for Proactive Leadership Within GFPS Board”

ECB Staff on April 8, 2024

Editors note: The following press release was received by E-City Beat Monday morning. We are publishing it without edits or editorial comment. The press release doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of E-City Beat or any of our contributors and it is not a campaign endorsement for Tony Rosales.

Emphasizing Constructive Change While Acknowledging Good Faith Efforts of All Parties

GREAT FALLS, MT, April 8, 2024 – In recent weeks, Tony Rosales has engaged in critical discussions regarding an identified conflict of interest (link), speaking with both school administrators and members of the involved non-profit. A summary of findings are as follows:

·    Lance Boyd, the Executive Director for Student Achievement and Director of Student Services at GFPS, previously held positions on the board and as chair of the organization Peace Place

·    In February 2024, Boyd resigned from his role at Peace Place, indicating a key reason for his departure included scheduling conflicts between school board and non-profit board meetings

·    Peace Place receives funding from various sources including government grants, with the majority coming from grant application programs and a smaller portion from funding that follows students

·    Boyd’s role in any fund transfers or referrals of children and families to community resources have additional oversight mechanisms beyond the Director of Student Services’ purview

·    Peace Place’s aims to provide “respite with a purpose,” which is a unique community offering defined as support and supervision to provide temporary relief to a primary caregiver

·    Peace Place also provides educational services, albeit this is not their main mission

·   Both Superintendent Tom Moore and Executive Director Lance Boyd emphasized that administrators are highly encouraged to be involved in the community and to serve on non-profit boards that align with their passions

Acknowledging the Executive Director’s resignation, it is still evident there was a past conflict of interest with GFPS’ commitment to students. Holding dual roles that have substantially overlapping responsibilities posed substantial risk to GFPS. Any risk, known or unknown, associated with Peace Place was inextricably linked to GFPS, and had the potential to impose significant legal costs despite our current budget deficits. While we can advocate for community involvement of our administrators, it must come with School Board oversight rather than individual discretion.

The significant community response, including over 1,000 social media engagements and numerous private messages expressing concern, underscores the need for greater oversight and evaluation, especially for special education programs and external community resources.

This situation illustrates the critical need for more assertive leadership from the school board. To rebuild trust within the community, we urge the school board to take immediate and transparent action by:

·    Publicly addressing this conflict of interest, including the board’s prior knowledge and stance on such external appointments

·    Providing a comprehensive list of cabinet members’ involvement in other organizations, possible conflicts of interest within that list and GFPS, and clarifying if the board approves

·   Developing and implementing robust conflict of interest policies to better mitigate risk, including an approval procedure ensuring awareness of administrative engagements within the community

Contact Us

rosalescampaign@gmail.com

State Of The Races: GFPS School Board

ECB Staff on April 3, 2024

Today E-City Beat sent an email to the three GFPS School Board candidates requesting a candidate profile and their reasons for seeking the position of School Board Trustee. We will publish their responses without edits or editorial comment towards the end of April.

The three candidates vying for one open seat are Rodney Meyers, Marlee Sunchild, and Tony Rosales. The election will be Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

Stay tuned for E-City Beat’s continuing coverage of all local elections, issues, and candidates.

Cascade County Libertarian Party Fields 4 Candidates For State House

ECB Staff on March 13, 2024

Editors note: the following is a press release sent to E-City Beat from the Cascade County Libertarian Party. Stay tuned to E-City Beat as we begin our coverage of local candidates on the 2024 primary and general election ballots.

Four Libertarians File for Office to Represent >50% of Cascade County in State Legislature

GREAT FALLS, MT, March 12, 2024 – Four Libertarian candidates have filed for office to represent half of the House Districts in Cascade County: Annie Leatherbarrow (HD 24), Kevin Leatherbarrow (HD 23), Lui Salina (HD 25), and Josh Rosales (HD 21).

Although there are many who identify as a libertarian or with libertarian principles, until recently, it was seldom to see a Libertarian candidate on the ballot except for President and perhaps a state-wide race. However, based on yesterday’s March 11th filings, ~40,000 people in Cascade County could be represented by a Libertarian state legislator in the 2024 legislative session.

About the CCLP

The Libertarian Party is the people’s representative in American politics. It is the only political organization which respects people as unique and competent individuals.

The Cascade County and Montana Libertarian Parties are the real choice for less government, lower taxes, and a freer future. The CCLP believes in both economic and personal freedom. We believe people should be free to make their own choices, provided they don’t infringe on the equal right of others to do the same. Government’s role should be to protect an individual’s right to make their own choices in life, so they can reap the rewards of their successes and bear personal responsibility for their decisions.

Contact Us

For questions, please contact the CCLP Chair:
Anthony Rosales, PhD
trrosales@gmail.com

BUCKETGATE—VOTING TABULATOR SECURITY IN QUESTION AFTER BUCKET OF KEYS SEIZED

Jeni Dodd on December 18, 2023

Opinion by Jeni Dodd

At the December 15 Cascade County Commissioner special meeting, we learned the latest Banana Republic move by the commission — one that should be memorialized in county history as ‘Bucketgate’.

The special meeting’s agenda revolved around the commission’s previous 2-1 decision to pass Resolution 23-62 on December 13. That resolution removed election duties from Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant, who took office in January 2023, and allows the commission to appoint a non-elected elections administration of their liking. Commissioners Joe Briggs and Jim Larson voted in favor, Commissioner Rae Grulkowski against.

Briggs, aka wannabe lord of the Cascade County fiefdom, spearheaded the change to an appointed elections administrator, which he touts as less partisan. Yes, but timing is everything and this change came less than a month before candidate registration opens on January 11 for the June 2024 primary.

Briggs claims he’d been considering idea of an appointed election administrator for some time, but it seems evident that he doubled down on making the change only after Rina Fontana-Moore was ousted from the Clerk/Recorder/election administration position. If she had she won again, I opine there would still be a Clerk and Recorder with election duties.

But back to the special commission meeting and more relevantly, the aforementioned bucket. In a discussion that could be paraphrased as — “we stripped election duties from the clerk and recorder and now we have no plan” — we learned that a county maintenance worker removed a bucket of keys from the elections office. The bucket contained the keys to Expo Park where the voting tabulator machine is stored, and now, there’s no accounting for the keys.

Yep, you read that right. A voting tabulator machine that should be secured under lock and key at all times may not be secure. The keys have been unaccounted for, for days. So how can we be sure the machine hasn’t been, or won’t be, tampered with unless we inspect the machine and immediately change the locks?

Grulkowski raised the question about the keys, asking Briggs and Larson to identify who gave the directive to the maintenance department to take the bucket from the county election office.

“Something that did just land on my ears that is of concern is that there was a directive that the keys be taken from the elections office. I think the intent was to get keys from our former election administrator but they took a bucket of keys including keys for the security of the tabulator machine and I have no idea where they were and I did not know that directive was given. That was by our maintenance department so can I ask, who gave that directive? I was unaware of that,” Grulkowski stated.

Neither fessed up. Larson mumbled something not giving any direction other than asking for keys from the clerk and recorder.

Commissioner Grulkowski went on to state that an email was sent to the recently deposed election administrator (but still Clerk and Recorder) to turn in her keys to the elections office so she had left them at that office. But Grulkowski related that someone from maintenance went to the elections office and asked for all the keys.

“So they [elections office staff] gave them the bucket of keys that they had been trying to pick from whenever they needed something because that’s how it was left for them. There weren’t designated keys…and in there [the bucket] were the keys to ExpoPark, which houses our tabulator machine.”

So the current elections staff doesn’t have access to the tabulator machine and it appears unknown who might have access, now or in the future. Chain of custody for government property appears lax in the fiefdom.

The county maintenance supervisor later joined in on Zoom and stated he had told the maintenance worker only to collect the keys for the election office and the election storage. He claimed he had no idea why the maintenance worker would take the bucket of keys.

We also learned that not only did the county strip election duties from duly elected Clerk and Recorder Merchant, she was asked to give up key/keycard access to the County Annex building.

“I just don’t see where we would do that with any elected official,” said Grulkowski.

Although Briggs and Larson agreed the Clerk and Recorder should continue to have such access to the County Annex, it just seems like it could be yet another Banana Republic move. Why would anyone with the county move to restrict an elected official’s access to a building where much of the county’s business is conducted?

Grulkowski asked about the directive for this action, to which Briggs claimed that “it was nothing that was discussed in my presence; to go to that extreme” Hmm, “to that extreme.” Hmm, “discussed in my presence.”

In past opinion pieces, I’ve called those “wiggle words.” I think you get my drift.

Grulkowski also stated that maintenance staff have keys to the room where live ballots are stored. What? Wait, what? Why would they have access? In case of any emergency? No dice — get election staff to let you in, accompanied of course, or break the door down if need be — but keep our ballots secure. It was yet another mind-blowing revelation.

So how long have these Banana Republic antics been going on? This didn’t start in January. It appears to me it’s “the way we’ve always done it” mentality. Long-standing, questionably ethical and maybe questionably legal, policy decisions which newbies Merchant and Grulkowski didn’t get the memo on. Yep, the fiefdom which has been the status quo for Cascade County for many years — now being revealed in part by a bucket of keys to the kingdom.

Who Goes Down For The Count, Voters Or Commissioners

Philip M. Faccenda on December 11, 2023

Professional wrestling returns to Great Falls, with the top card match beginning Tuesday at 9:30 AM December 12 in the EXPO Park arena.

The tag team match pits the Mayhem Boys against the team of Saint Joans of Arc in an epic struggle to determine who runs the Cascade County Elections office. It looks to be a down-for-the-count exciting event of which we have not seen in quite a few years.

What makes this contest unique is that a team of two men, Briggs and Larson, will be going tooth and nail against a team of two women, Merchant and Grulkowski. At this point we do not know who will be doing the announcing, but it should be worth the price of admission for sure.

Fans of both teams are lining up to provide plenty of hoots and hollers.

Backing the Boys are the Great Falls School District, the local Democratic Party, and Election Protection Committee. The Saint Joans are backed by over 14,000 voters and the vast majority of Republicans.

There will be no pre match before the main event, so get there early. At this point we do not know if beer and corn nuts will be available.

‘Election Protection Committee’ (EPC), Watchdog Or Attack Dog?

Philip M. Faccenda on October 30, 2023

A few things you should know about the so-called ‘Election Protection Committee’ here in Great Falls – it is NOT a local government commission, nor is it a legally appointed committee. Their ads appearing on the front page of the Great Falls Tribune as local mail-in ballots are being received by eligible City election voters is just another dirty trick from the local Democratic machine and the complicit Great Falls School District, to which the greatest share of your local tax dollars go.

EPC is simply a group of self-appointed vigilantes who view politics as a blood sport where lying, cheating, and stealing are parts of their modus operandi.

Their end game is to discredit, slander, and besmirch the duly elected Cascade County Clerk and Recorder, Sandra Merchant, who is also charged with the supervision of elections. In doing so, they are akin to a losing basketball team who can’t win on the court so accuses the other side of cheating and starts a brawl.

The Chairperson of EPC is the infamous Jasmine Taylor, who is well known for perpetrating dirty tricks against people and organizations that don’t reflect her wacko leftist views.

One look at the EPC membership and spokespersons will tell you everything you need to know about it – it’s comprised almost entirely of sour grapes Democrats who lost in previous elections and their family members.

Our advice is to ignore EPC’s attacks against our duly elected Cascade County Clerk and Recorder, and FIRST report any problems with your ballots to the Cascade County Elections Office. EPC cannot solve any problems, they can only create them.

And E-City Beat will be reminding everyone about some of these same EPC people who will be candidates in the upcoming 2024 state legislative elections and what they’ve been doing and saying when they think voters aren’t paying much attention. E-City Beat is paying attention, and saving the receipts.

The ‘Election Protection Committee’ would like you to believe that they are protecting the flock, but they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing. Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes.

GF Dem Drops Out Of Race, Citing ‘Authoritarian Bigots’ And State Dem Party Leadership

ECB Staff on September 11, 2023

Great Falls Democrat Barbara Bessette recently posted on her Twitter page that she was dropping out of the 2024 race for state legislature in HD 20, a seat she previously held, losing reelection in 2020 then failing to win back the seat again in 2022.

Here are some excerpts from Bessette’s full statement which can be read on her Twitter page, linked above.

“It has been harder and harder for a lot of us here to make ends meet due to the failed policies enacted by the current rich white ruling class in power.”

“…I have been told that my outspoken advocacy for issues important to me and my community are at odds with the current message and direction the Montana Democratic Party leadership wishes to portray.”

“…We need structural change in both the Montana Democratic Party and state government.”

“…Too much is on the line for us to let political elites lose even more ground to the authoritarian bigots seeking to dismantle the state government whose first duty is to protect all of its citizens.”