_______________________________________________________________________ Recently I posted the following question on my public Facebook page: What does, or what would, make Great Falls unique in terms of being a destination hot spot for tourism, business, and new residents? Not surprisingly so far I have received 376 comments and ideas coming from a wide variety of Great Fallsians. Or…
_______________________________________________________________________ Recently, I wrote about hosting a series of events this summer for our teens. Well, the first date has been set! I am working with Kevin Bray and The Alumni to host an All Ages Night! The Event will definitely be happening on June 9th to celebrate the start of summer. For $10, all…
_______________________________________________________________________ Editors note: due to a technical issue this is a re-post from a story originally put up on 5/21 but later deleted. Someone recently sent me a link to an organization I had never heard of called ‘Forward Montana’. Ostensibly, the groups mission is to get young folks involved in the political process and…
_______________________________________________________________________ We couldn’t help but notice two related local topics this week: Tracy Houck announced her intention to run for reelection to the Great Falls city commission. The City of Great Falls is proposing doubling downtown parking meter fees. We find it rather ironic, and quite amusing, that Houck is using the slogan “A Leader…
_______________________________________________________________________ Well, Great Falls, you have finally done it. You have turned me into a total cynic in a way I have never been before. I used to be a positive force in my own life, and lately, it seems as though everything has been negative in every way. This “negative narrative” in town has…
_______________________________________________________________________ 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,…