Last week, E-City Beat received an email from a reader and concerned citizen with a picture of a partisan, machine-sponsored letter sent to Great Falls residents endorsing mayoral candidate Bob Kelly and City Commission candidate Susan Wolff. The letter is signed and paid for by two out-of-town organizations, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana in Billings,…
Flashback: Bob Kelly Falsely Takes Credit For Implementing City Cell Phone Ban
Leadership. Experience. Integrity. These three words billboard Mayor Bob Kelly’s political persona in Great Falls. They aren’t words anyone else has assigned to Kelly. No, those are his words. Which begs the question, then: is taking credit for something you had no involvement in an example of integrity? Back in 2012, before Bob Kelly was…
Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing
Are there wolves in sheep’s clothing in our field of candidates for the upcoming City’s mayoral and commission races? Yes. Judging by comments from many of our readers, there are candidates who would have you believe one thing while they appear likely to do another. You might say, “So what’s new about that, politicians do…
GF Commission Candidate Wolff’s Potential Conflict Of Interest
Last week an E-City Beat reader made the following comment on one of our Facebook posts, referring to current Great Falls city commissison candidate Susan Wolff: “And don’t forget Commission candidate Wolff’s part in the HUD scandal that exposed Commission fingers in the Block Grant pot.“ The comment apparently points back to a piece on…
Former Mayor Winters Rips Bob Kelly: “He could talk the feathers off a duck.”
Wow. In response to my piece earlier today, former Mayor Mayor Michael Winters had a lot to say, commenting: “No one !! I mean NO ONE deservers four (4) terms in any city elected office !AND NO ONE should close city commission meetings for ANY REASON !We have relied on covid to bring about anything…
Will Great Falls Voters Re-elect Gavin Newsom?
On Monday, ballots will be mailed out for the 2021 City election. The most important question is whether or not Great Falls voters will reward Mayor Bob Kelly with a record fourth term. Before he was elected Mayor in 2015, Kelly was appointed to the City Commission back in 2012, nearly a decade ago. (He…
Are Great Falls City Election Candidates Really ‘Nonpartisan’?
E-City Beat recently received a couple of emails from readers basically asking the same question: How do we know which political party the candidates for Great Falls city commission and mayor belong to? The answer is that the municipal election is officially nonpartisan so the candidates aren’t required to designate party affiliation. But Great Falls…
Erase Columbus? Why Not Lewis And Clark Too?
Like many Italian Americans I recognize Columbus Day as a way to take pride in my Italian heritage. Unfortunately, once again this year there are those would like to take Montana in the direction of other states like Hawaii, Oregon and South Dakota, in the elimination of Columbus Day. Those voices, including the usual state…
Open House, Candidate Meet & Greet Saturday At Groves Taxidermy And Firearms
The public is invited to an open house and a chance to meet some of the candidates for Great Falls City Commission and Mayor. The event will be hosted by Groves Taxidermy And Firearms at their new location at 1201 10th Ave South, Suite 200 from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 9. Local…
Candidate McKenney Declines Answering Questions
City commission candidate Joe McKenney responded to our issue questionnaire by declining to answer the specific questions, which you can read here. Here is McKenney’s response: “Perception – Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your candidate questionnaire. City Commissioner Rick Tryon frequently mentions his concern about ‘perception’ when it comes to public policy….