_______________________________________________________________________ Here’s another little window into what’s going on at our city commission meetings from May 7, 2019. In this episode Bill Bronson launches a scoldy, pointy little diatribe against Great Falls taxpaying citizens concerning the secret meetings Commissioners Robinson and Moe were having with the GFAS MacLean adoption center about a possible private-public partnership….
_______________________________________________________________________ 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…
_______________________________________________________________________ For those Great Falls citizens who don’t attend city commission meetings, I thought it would be enlightening to provide a little window into the May 7 meeting along with some of my own observations. First up is Mayor Kelly explaining why it’s just business as usual for city commissioners like Moe and Robinson to…
_______________________________________________________________________ Montana Mac and Cheese, it has a pleasant ring to it. You can almost hear the Trapp family singing, “The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music”. The number 1 item on the Great Falls Development Authorities Top Ten for the first week of May was the proposed cheese plant to be located…
_______________________________________________________________________ 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…
_______________________________________________________________________ Editors note: We’re introducing a new feature on E-City Beat – Letters To The Editor. If you would like to opine on a state or local topic just email your letter to info@ecitybeat.com. Please limit your letter to 250 words or less and include your email address and real name. Letter to the Editor…
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,…