Great Falls City Commission Candidate Profile: Paige Turoski
Editors note: This is the second in our series of profiles featuring candidates running for the two open seats on the Great Falls City Commission.
My name is Paige Turoski, I am a wife, a stay-at-home mother of two, and a candidate for City Commissioner.
I am a proud American and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment, as well as all personal freedoms.
I first moved to Great Falls in 2013 to finish my undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Great Falls, where I met my husband, though my ties to the Electric City are as old as I am. My grandfather was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in the late 1980’s and retired here in the early 90’s. That same year he bought the house he is still living in today. I have the best memories of family trips for the Fourth of July, and then again for the State Fair every year!
I graduated college in 2016 with a five-month-old and that is when my husband and I started to really think about where we wanted to raise our family. It didn’t take long to realize Montana was the only place for us. We settled down comfortably in Great Falls knowing we had the support of family right here when we needed it.
We have enjoyed living here, though like many others, we feel as though there are individuals in our local government who are no longer interested in representing the voters whose tax dollars they are paid with. This is by no means exclusive to local government, though locally is where these changes get made easiest.
This brings me to my first and most prominent reason for throwing my name into this race: I want to be a true representative of the residents of Great Falls. If elected, I would listen to everyone and value their opinion equally. I will not roll my eyes, I will not scoff, and I will not hold my personal opinions higher than those of any one else.
I am a believer that political discourse in this country does not have to be as volatile as it has become in the past decade.
Since moving here I have realized that the Great Falls of today is not the Great Falls of my childhood. Many of my most cherished memories happened at places that are not around anymore. As a mom, I want to see our city prosper and become a place my children want to raise their children. The only way that will happen is through economic development, and supporting our small businesses and our business owners.
I’ve had business owners reach out to me and express frustration over their interactions with various city entities and the red tape surrounding business ownership in Great Falls. As your Commissioner, I would seek to improve upon the process of business ownership by scaling back the red tape surrounding it, as well as ensuring every potential business owner is treated fairly.
Crime is another issue I am being asked about. Safety in our community is a priority to residents and as Commissioner I would with city/county officials to get them the resources they need to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The crime task force helmed by Commissioner Tryon is a great first step in the right direction, as it has brought many city/county officials together to come up with solutions to the crime issues our city faces.
I love hearing from residents! You can contact me and find out more about me at www.facebook.com/paigeturoskigf feel free to reach out at any time. I appreciate you reading this and hope I can earn your vote this November. Thank you,