Fake News — Great Falls Tribune

ECB Staff on January 15, 2018

On New Year’s Eve, a sleepy news day, Sheriff Bob Edwards tweeted Tribune reporter Seaborn Larson’s blatant inaccuracies to Tribune publisher Jim Strauss, who, to his credit, issued a swift correction.

Sheriff Edwards’ tweet does raise important questions, however. For instance, does Larson possess the mental agility to differentiate between a criminal sentence that is deferred or not? Does he know the difference between probation versus no probation? Can he objectively tell us the difference between a “guilty” versus a “not guilty” plea?

Or, does he simply have a hard on for law enforcement?

Remember when the Great Falls Police Department was at loggerheads with the Tribune over the Rescue Mission?

Who was the local reporter there, that GFPD felt it needed to publicly rebuke, in unprecedented fashion?

Seaborn Larson.

An Open Letter To City Commissioner Mary Moe

Philip M. Faccenda on January 14, 2018

Dear City Commissioner Mary Moe:

It was about Columbus Day, and I was seriously asking.

I first asked it on Facebook on October 11. Around the same time, the same text appeared in the Tribune as a letter to the editor. On December 7, I reposted it on E-City Beat. Four days later, I followed up with yet another post, asking:

“Should the citizens of Great Falls expect Mary Moe to pursue and advance such a policy to selectively rewrite history and act as judge and jury for naming rights and the rescission of existing historic acknowledgements?”

And what was your response to my legitimate inquiry? Crickets.

Perhaps it is inconvenient for you, as an elected official, to have to answer policy questions from constituents. All the same, I have been asking — for over three months now — first as a voter and now as a constituent, a question that you curiously refuse to answer, despite its straightforwardness: as a city commissioner, what should be the city’s monument policy?

As a legislator, and to a sympathetic audience in the Montana Cowgirl blog, you called for an end to Columbus Day as we know it. Fair enough. You and I, along with others on both sides, can agree to disagree.

But I can’t help but wonder… what is the logical bounds of your virtue signaling? In other words, Columbus was a “brutal maniac” as you write, but Merriwether Lewis and William Clark, both so central to the historical and cultural heritage of Great Falls, were slaveowners. Clark in particular was a brutal slaveowner who badly mistreated his “property.” Does that not also bother you? If it is morally upright to legislate an end to Columbus Day, shouldn’t local governments also do whatever feasible to eradicate monuments against, you know, slavery? Oh, and by the way, just overlooking city offices in Gibson Park (and on city property) stands a statue of Captain John Mullan:

Keith Petersen’s book, John Mullan: The Tumultuous Life of a Western Road Builder, asserts that John Mullan was a racist. He was upset that the Civil War was being waged on behalf of African Americans and slavery rather than maintaining the union, yet also felt that secession was a “fraud” and that war would only lead to devastation. He believed that government was “a white man’s government” and that laws should be written “by white men, for the benefit of white men.” He believed “negro suffrage was forced upon the people”, opposed Asian immigration (except for commercial purposes, such as coolie labor), and opposed naturalization of Asian immigrants. “There is no way to whitewash Mullan’s racism,” historian Keith Petersen has written. “Even for his time and that place, his opinions were vile”

Will you crusade against Mullan, too? Where do you personally draw the line? From a policy standpoint, if the killing of others should earn symbolic disqualification from the Montana Capitol (and presumably, from the Civic Center chambers as well), shouldn’t a similar standard apply for monuments inexorably tied to the the enslaving and torturing of other human beings? In your estimation, should Great Falls embrace or abandon its past — one discovered and developed in part by its slave-beating masters? I would sincerely like to know.

Lest anyone think this isn’t a small matter that you’re not personally invested or conversant in, I would remind them that in your bid for city commission, you dedicated an entire section to monuments on your campaign website: “Refining Our Processes” (I love the title, by the way)…

“We recently saw several examples of cities tearing down monuments in the heat of the reaction to the events in Charlotte, NC. [Author’s Note: I believe you meant Charlottesville, Virginia, but please correct me if I’m wrong. Many people confuse the two locales.] Having written policies for establishing and/or discontinuing such memorials forces a community and its governing body to take a step back from the emotion of the moment and apply the standards created for such a situation in the cool voice of reason. Does the City of Great Falls have a naming policy for monuments and memorials on city property? We should – and the policy should provide guidance for how that honor might be rescinded.”

OK, then. So using “the cool voice of reason” (and/or, your own personal standard of moral relativism), would you mind imparting to me and the rest of your constituents exactly what the city’s monuments policy should look like?

I’ve been asking for three months now, and you’ve said nothing. And it’s not just me. I’ve received dozens of comments from folks across the political spectrum who would simply like to know where you stand. I also know you’re reading this blog. Two days ago, Angry Reader Dennis Granlie popped off with another ad hominem drive-by (thanks for your substantive contribution as always, Mr. Granlie), one that you “liked”:

I realize it’s easier to passive-aggressively join in league with one’s ideological tribemates on social media as you did here than to earnestly articulate an actual position. Bravo. But as a concerned citizen and taxpaying constituent of the City of Great Falls, I would rather hear from you where you actually stand on an issue — this issue. We may (again) agree to disagree, but I think you owe the public a substantive and honest explanation of your position.

I sincerely hope that, on this if nothing else, we can at least agree.

Very truly yours,

Philip M. Faccenda

Little Free Library Is A Whole Lot Of Cool

Rick Tryon on January 11, 2018

Have you seen the little wooden houses on posts in front yards around town? They look kind of like bird houses with a glass door on the front.

Those are Little Free Library boxes most likely. What is a Little Free Library?

“Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that

inspires a love of reading, builds community, and

sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book

exchanges around the world.”

I’ve got one in my neighborhood which my wife and I have used a few times to exchange books as we go on our daily walk. The other day I stopped by the house where the Little Free Library box sits to tell the folks who live there just how awesome it is that they installed a box.

It’s at the home of a local couple who for a long time have been deeply involved in the Great Falls community, Brad Talcott and Linda Caricaburu. I asked if I could take a picture and as you can see, that little library is as cool as the other side of pillow.

Ms. Caricaburu told me that she hopes the library box will encourage more children’s and young teen books to be exchanged on a regular basis.

I agree. I think we could probably all benefit from a lot more reading and a little less TV and video games. So keep your eyes peeled for the Little Free Library boxes in Great Falls.

And check out their website which includes plans to build your own box, and a whole lot more. https://littlefreelibrary.org/

Missing A Few Pieces Of The Puzzle

Philip M. Faccenda on January 10, 2018

Mr. Cahill’s recent piece, “Promises Made and Promises Kept” in response to a November 26, 2017 post, “Why is Great Falls Tax Money Leaving Great Falls?” accurate? Mr. Cahill’s explanation of the results of the Great Falls School District’s use of taxpayer’s dollars appears on the surface to be factual, but a few pieces of the puzzle are missing.

The explanation that $37 million for the Great Falls High School project did not leave Great Falls is true for now, but did not include the fact that the architectural fee calculated at 8%, or close to $3M will leave Great Falls and go to Bozeman and Seattle architectural firms except for a minor amount for some local engineering subcontracts. Is this $3M of taxpayer’s money “a small portion of the project budget” as Mr. Cahill reports, just chump change?

Mr. Cahill reports that it is impossible to know if the general construction/construction manager contract will be awarded to a local company since that decision will be made in mid-February and that “The (School District) Board of Trustees are required by state statute to award the bid (contract) to the lowest most responsible bidder without regard (to) where the bidder is headquartered”. This statement is not true because the general construction/construction management contracts awarded for the Giant Springs Elementary School and the CM Russell Facility Additions were awarded using an “Alternate project delivery contract”. This is a method used to eliminate the conventional construction bidding process and is authorized by MCA 18-2-502. One of the determining requirements for use of this statute is that “the project has significant schedule ramifications and using the alternative project delivery contract is necessary to meet critical deadlines by shortening the duration of construction”.

The School District is now concurrently trying to complete four major projects within the bonding requirements that call for bond proceeds to be spent within 5 years. Is it possible that the District has bitten off more than they can chew and the resulting completion schedule’s “ramifications” are self-imposed?

This massive project could have and probably should have been done

in phases allowing more time for comprehensive design and

competitive bidding rather non-competitive financial construction

contract awards. Competitive bidding has always produced more bang

for the buck for taxpayers.

By using the “Alternative project delivery contract” the selection process used by the District changes from an objective process to a subjective process that is no longer based on a numerical bid amount, but on the selection committee’s subjective assessment of a responding construction company’s dog and pony show. This opens up the possibility of favoritism or bias, which the enabling statute clearly warns against. Would the selection committee favor a particular construction company, or the principal of one, who made a donation to the group that worked to get the bond levy passed?

Here you can find the June 23, 2016 C-6 financial report detailing contributions to the ‘Yes for Great Falls Kids’ political action committee advocating for the $98 million school bond issue. Click the link to see if there are any local contractors on the list of donors.

https://ecitybeat1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/321Z18Q_01Y1DYK5N0024TF.pdf

At this point, one might reasonably ask where the school district’s decision to use the “Alternative project delivery contract” originated since they confess that the District hasn’t built a new project in over 50 years and how does this non-competitive bidding process benefit the citizens of Great Falls. Mr. Cahill is right when he concludes by saying, “Taxpayers expect wise use of their hard earned tax dollars”. Is the adopted process a shortcut, or are the taxpayers being short-changed?

Take the E-City Beat poll now.

[poll id=”8″]

In the next installment, we will provide more pieces to the $98M puzzle. Stay tuned.

 

 

An Unbiased Zoning Board Of Adjustments

Stacy Hermiller on January 8, 2018

This week, the Cascade County Commission requested a list of anyone who has submitted a letter during the public comment period (or who has made a public comment regarding the Madison Food Park Slaughterhouse) as they consider two Zoning Board of Adjustment candidates. Commissioner Weber stated that anyone who made a public statement would likely be eliminated as a candidate for the ZBOA, which has been granted permitting authority for the slaughterhouse proposal. Members of the board are un-paid volunteers appointed by the Cascade County Commission and serve a two-year term.

Commissioner Weber stated that the ZBOA should be comprised of individuals who are un-biased, which is reasonable; however, this board is historically comprised overwhelmingly of individuals who represent building and trades interests. The volunteer and unpaid nature of the board does not mean it is not without benefit to some members. Board members are afforded inside knowledge on future development and can influence its course. For many, it makes good career and financial sense to participate.

Our commissioners apparently have no problem with the vice president of a concrete, asphalt, and site development company that could potentially benefit from this project, serving on the ZBOA. This individual also served on the planning board which rewrote the law for special use permits on agricultural land in Cascade County in a manner that paved the way for this slaughterhouse project to reach the permitting phase. He now will get to vote on approving this permit for the biggest slaughterhouse in the Northwest United States. I don’t’ know how he personally feels about this issue. I do, however, believe there is potential for a huge conflict of interest.

If we want an unbiased board, then anyone who could potentially gain financially from this proposal should recuse. Furthermore, Commissioner Joe Briggs has publicly supported the Madison Food Park slaughterhouse. If we are going to hold the candidates to an unbiased standard, then the commissioners who appoint the candidates should be held to the same standard. Commissioner Joe Briggs should recuse himself based on the public support he has expressed for this project.

 

 

 

 

It is disheartening to me that I believe government at the local level

has failed. We are at the mercy of a Canadian businessman, three

unresponsive commissioners, and an unpaid volunteer board to

decide a matter that will define Great Falls for generations.

It is heartbreaking to know that an unfair system driven by bureaucrats and greed could completely change the course of history for our community, and we don’t get a say. I am pleading with our elected officials to truly represent their constituents and lead rather than hide in the shadows attempting to pass off accountability.

I am proud of where I live and will continue to fight for our quality of life, environment, and to keep industrial agriculture and meat processing on this massive scale out of Montana. I do believe meat processing is an important value-added component to our agricultural community, but on a much smaller scale. This facility, if built according to original plans, will be the largest meat processing slaughterhouse in the Northwest United States and one of the biggest in the country. This puts our region at risk of Industrial agriculture, negatively impacting our local farmers and ranchers. In other parts of the country, when the large meat processing facilities have moved into rural areas, this opened the door for Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) taking over the agricultural sector. We should not let ourselves be taken advantage of or exploited and we must protect our rural heritage and our Big Sky Country.

PROMISES MADE AND PROMISES KEPT

Jan Cahill on January 3, 2018

Phil Faccenda recently invited me to respond to a recent blog post on E-City Beat and subsequent comments regarding the selection of an architectural firm for the design of the Great Falls High School addition and renovation and a claim that because of that decision $37 million in taxpayer money left Great Falls.  I am happy to provide facts related not only to the Great Falls High School addition and renovation project but on other projects funded by the $98.8 million bond levy and the “promise made” to try to keep construction dollars at the local level as much as possible.

It is important to briefly discuss the bond issue.  Following several years of multiple public meetings regarding school facilities, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to ask the community to support a $98.8 million bond issue.  On October 4, 2016, 65% of registered voters turned out for the bond levy.  According to the Cascade Elections Office the percentage of voter turnout was the highest in the history of the Great Falls Public Schools.  It is interesting to note the percent of voter turnout for the November 7 general election was just slightly higher at 67%.  I mention this as some people prior to the October bond vote voiced concerns the district (school board) was attempting to slip the bond issue by the electorate as those individuals assumed far fewer voters would vote if the bond election was held in October.  Obviously that turned out not to be the case.  The elementary bond levy passed with 61% and the high school bond levy passing with 57% voting in favor.  The district was able to sell $64 million of bonds at a significantly lower interest rate than was estimated prior to the October vote.  (The District estimated a 4.25% interest rate.)  The final interest rate was 3.17% for the high school and 3.18% for the elementary bond. This means Great Falls tax payers will pay $7.7 million less in taxes over the next 20 years as the bonds are paid off.   About 100 local residents purchased some of the bonds.  $34 million in bonds remain to be sold.

A month ago a blog (Why Is Great Falls Tax Money Leaving Great Falls?) questioned the Board’s decision to hire NE45 Architects (headquartered in Bozeman) for the Great Falls High addition and renovation project.  The blogger also objected to NE45 partnering with a Seattle based firm, Bassetti Architects.  Following that blog several individuals commented that $37 million had left Great Falls.  The question to be answered is did $37 million actually leave Great Falls and go to Bozeman and Seattle?  Unless a person believes that NE45 and Bassetti Architects received all $37 million budgeted to do the entire GFHS addition and renovation project (including construction) the answer is no.  All $37 million did not leave Great Falls.  It is true that a small portion of the project budget will go to Bassetti Architects.  In relationship to NE45 Architects, it should be noted they expanded their business by recently opening an office in Great Falls.  This is a welcomed addition to the local business community.  Local firms, TD & H Engineering and GPD Engineering, have been engaged by NE45 to work on the project and, as a result, those dollars will also remain in Great Falls.  Since selection of the general contractor for the GFHS addition and renovation project will not occur until sometime in mid-February, it is impossible to know who the general contractor will be much less where they may be headquartered.  The Board of Trustees are required by state statute to award the bid to the lowest most responsible bidder without regard where the bidder is headquartered.

It is often necessary for architects to go outside their home base of operations to remain competitive and stay in business.  A prime example is CTA Architects.  CTA is headquartered in Billings but maintain offices in Great Falls, Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, Helena, and Livingston with offices also in Seattle (Washington), Austin (Texas), Jackson (Wyoming), Minneapolis (Minnesota), New Orleans (Louisiana), Boise (Idaho), Denver (Colorado), Vancouver (British Columbia) and Regina (Saskatchewan).  CTA was recently selected to design the new second Bozeman high school and have designed many schools in Montana and elsewhere during the 80 plus years they have been in business. CTA designed the various projects currently under construction at CMR High School.

L’Heureux Page Werner Architecture (LPW) is headquartered in Great Falls and recently celebrated 64 years in business.  LPW has designed many schools throughout Montana with recent school projects in Missoula and Kalispell in addition to the new Giant Springs Elementary School here in Great Falls.

Dale Nelson Architects, headquartered in Great Falls, is licensed in Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Dale Nelson Architects recently designed a beautiful renovation of Miller Hall on the campus of Montana State University-Bozeman.  Dale Nelson Architects designed the new GFPS Building and Grounds Building on the Little Russell School campus.

I believe local architects would also agree that collaboration between architectural firms is not an unusual business practice.  For example, during the selection process for the GFHS addition and renovation project, one local architect proposed partnering with an architectural firm located in Albuquerque, NM; another local firm proposed using a person with expertise working on historical buildings who would be on loan from an architectural firm in Missoula; and, NE45 proposed partnering with Bassetti Architects located in Seattle.

Please review the following information regarding bond expenditures:

ARCHITECTS SELECTED

LPW Architects (Great Falls) Roosevelt School replacement (Giant Springs Elementary School)

Dale Nelson Architects (Great Falls) Little Russell School (Buildings and Grounds Department)

CTA Architects (Great Falls) CMR High School multipurpose building, STEM addition

NE45 & Bassetti Architects (Great Falls & Seattle) GFHS remodel and major addition

 

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Sletten Construction (Great Falls) Roosevelt School replacement (Giant Springs Elementary School)

Detailed Construction (Stockett) Whittier Elementary elevator

James Talcott Construction (Great Falls) CMR High School multipurpose building, STEM addition

Liberty Electric (Great Falls) CMR fire alarm system upgrade

Summit Roofing (Missoula) North Middle School reroof

Central Plumbing & Heating (Great Falls) Sunnyside Elementary boiler replacement

Liberty Electric (Great Falls) East Middle School fire alarm system upgrade

Detailed Construction (Stockett) Mountain View Elementary remodel

Montana School Equipment (Great Falls) CMR bleachers

David Kuglin Construction (Great Falls) CMR sidewalk replacement

Great Falls Sand and Gravel (Great Falls) Meadow Lark Elementary parking lot

Great Falls Sand and Gravel (Great Falls) Loy Elementary parking lot

FieldTurf (Georgia) Memorial Stadium football field and track upgrade

Enterprise Electric (Great Falls) Sunnyside Elementary Electrical upgrade

Central Plumbing & Heating (Great Falls) North Middle School Boiler

TJs Construction (Great Falls) West Elementary outside staircase

Geranios Enterprises (Great Falls) Morningside Elementary water service

Sletten Construction (Great Falls) Little Russell School (Building and Grounds Department)

Central Technology (Great Falls) North Middle School fire alarm system upgrade

Tri-County Mechanical & Engineering (Great Falls) Great Falls High School boiler replacement

T C Glass (Great Falls) East Middle School window replacement

United Electric (Great Falls) Loy Elementary electrical upgrade

Detailed Construction (Stockett) Paris Gibson Education Center elevator/window replacement

Metal Works of Montana (Missoula) Paris Gibson Education Center roof project

 

OTHER SUPPLIERS/CONTRACTERS FOR BOND ISSUE PROJECTS

Sherwin Williams (Great Falls)

Hulteng CCM, Inc. (Billings)

Ace Hardware (Great Falls)

Energy West Resources (Great Falls)

Scott Fitzpatrick Asbestos (Helena)

JETech, LLC (Great Falls)

Kelly’s Signs (Great Falls)

AAAA Water Well Drilling (Clancy)

Morrison-Maierle (Great Falls)

William Ribich Drywall (Great Falls)

Water Net, Inc. (Cascade)

Boettcher Paint Co. (Great Falls)

Combustion Service Company (Great Falls)

Sherwin Williams (Great Falls)

Crescent Electrical Supply (Great Falls)

Gerbers of Montana (Great Falls)

Scott Fitzpatrick Asbestos (Helena)

Glacier State Electric (Great Falls)

MDS Supply Inc. (Great Falls)

Pierce Leasing (Great Falls)

Northwest Equipment MFG (Kalispell)

Platt Electric Supply (Great Falls)

Tractor & Equipment Co. (Great Falls)

Ferguson Enterprises (Great Falls)

United Electric (Great Falls)

Charter Business Planning (Billings)

Pioneer Sand & Gravel (Great Falls)

Johnson Madison Lumber Co. (Great Falls)

The school board has a responsibility to make sure the lowest most responsible bid is awarded.  As the reader can see from the list above, in most cases the lowest most responsible bidder is located in Great Falls or the surrounding area.  There are a few instances when the District either did not receive a local bid or a company outside Great Falls was the lowest most responsible bidder.  Taxpayers expect wise use of their hard earned tax dollars and the Great Falls Public Schools continue to fulfill that responsibility.  Promises made…………promises kept.

 

Happy New Year!

ECB Staff on January 2, 2018

Here’s hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday season and wishing all a marvelous, prosperous 2018.

We look forward to continuing our mission to publish great content about our city, state and region in the coming year.

Stay tuned this week for a very interesting and informative piece written by Great Falls Public School District board member Jan Cahill in response to an earlier article we published written by Steve Alley concerning the expenditure of funds from last years $98 million local school bond. You can read Mr. Alleys piece here.

Once again, thanks for reading and following E-City Beat and Happy New Year!

Local City And County Board Openings

ECB Staff on December 13, 2017

There are a couple of local government boards with fast approaching application deadlines readers should be aware of (and might be interested in applying for) – The Great Falls Ethics Committee and the Cascade County Zoning Board of Adjustments.

The newly created City Ethics Committee is seeking three members to serve three, two and one year terms. For more information contact Krista Artis at 455-8450.

The five member County Zoning Board has two openings for two year terms. This is the board that will decide whether or not the proposed Madison Food Park will receive the required special use permit. You can fill out and return a board application here and call  (406) 454-6810 with any questions.

Both boards meet on an as-needed basis and both have application deadlines of Friday, December 15 at 5:00 PM.

Principles Or Politics

Philip M. Faccenda on December 11, 2017

A couple of months ago during the Great Falls City Commission campaign, I posted a Facebook request for then candidate Mary Moe calling for her to provide voters with a definitive position on historic monuments and references to local figures. The Columbus Day post was recently reposted to E-City Beat.

I think it is safe to say that most notable memorialized individuals from our collective history were not without flaws, especially when taken out of historical contexts and judged by today’s standards. Now historic statues are being vandalized, or removed from public property, and streets are being renamed to progressively purge any reference to notable individuals and causes not to our liking.

History is a continuum and our references to individuals should be viewed as celebrations of their accomplishments, not necessarily their personal faults, or commonly held views and practices of the times in which they lived.

In Great Falls, we have only a few statues and monuments to those who have influenced and contributed to the development of our region, but we also have schools named after national figures as do almost every part of our country. Local monuments and references include Lewis and Clark, Charles Russell, Paris Gibson, and Captain John Mullan. We know that both Lewis and Clark were slave owners and that Clark was particularly brutal to his human property.

Captain John Mullan’s statue is located at the southern end of Gibson Park and honors his work in constructing the Mullan Road which In 1978 was named a National Historic Engineering Landmark. 

John Mullan, Jr. (July 31, 1830 – December 28, 1909) was an American soldier, explorer, civil servant, and road builder. After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1852, he joined the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey, led by Isaac Stevens. He extensively explored western Montana and portions of southeastern Idaho, discovered Mullan Pass, participated in the Coeur d’Alene War waged against the area’s native inhabitants, of whom 17 were hung, and led the construction crew which built the Mullan Road in Montana, Idaho, and Washington state between the spring of 1859 and summer of 1860.

Keith Petersen’s book, John Mullan: The Tumultuous Life of a Western Road Builder, asserts that John Mullan was a racist. He was upset that the Civil War was being waged on behalf of African Americans and slavery rather than maintaining the union, yet also felt that secession was a “fraud” and that war would only lead to devastation. He believed that government was “a white man’s government” and that laws should be written “by white men, for the benefit of white men.” He believed “negro suffrage was forced upon the people”, opposed Asian immigration (except for commercial purposes, such as coolie labor), and opposed naturalization of Asian immigrants. “There is no way to whitewash Mullan’s racism,” historian Keith Petersen has written. “Even for his time and that place, his opinions were vile”

(Petersen, Keith (2014). John Mullan: The Tumultuous Life of a Western Road Builder. Pullman, Wash.: Washington State University Press. ISBN 9780874223217.)

Will a city commissioner Mary Moe offer a motion to haul off Captain Mullan into the sunset and rename the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, simply the Corps of Discovery Interpretive Center?

The following by now commissioner elect Mary Moe appeared in her Facebook campaign site: https://www.moe4citycommission.com/refined-processes/

“We recently saw several examples of cities tearing down monuments in the heat of the reaction to the events in Charlotte, NC. Having written policies for establishing and/or discontinuing such memorials forces a community and its governing body to take a step back from the emotion of the moment and apply the standards created for such a situation in the cool voice of reason. Does the City of Great Falls have a naming policy for monuments and memorials on city property? We should – and the policy should provide guidance for how that honor might be rescinded.”

Should the citizens of Great Falls expect Mary Moe to pursue and advance such a policy to selectively rewrite history and act as judge and jury for naming rights and the rescission of existing historic acknowledgements?

We recently witnessed the gravity of the issue with the resignation of a school district trustee over the naming of the New Roosevelt School. Quite frankly, Mansfield Elementary sounds pretty good to me, or maybe it could have just been named Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary.

Be it Principle, or Politics, I think you owe us an answer, Commissioner-elect Moe.

Columbus Day: Will The REAL Mary Moe Please Stand Up?

Philip M. Faccenda on December 7, 2017

Editors note: the following comments originally appeared on Facebook and in the Great Falls Tribune in early October, 2017 – prior to the Great Falls municipal election. Subsequently Ms. Moe has been elected to the City Commission. We are publishing the letter here as a prelude to a follow-up piece coming soon. Stay tuned.

Like many Italian Americans I will be recognizing Columbus Day as a way to take pride in my Italian heritage. Great Falls far left City Commission candidate Moe seeks to eliminate the celebration of Christopher Columbus the Italian explorer, who was first honored in America in 1792.

In her Montana Cowgirl blog piece of Feb 15, 2017 she referred to Columbus as “not a hero, but a brutal maniac”.
(http://mtcowgirl.com/2017/02/15/whitewash/)

Candidate Moe, who supported MT HB 322 which would have eliminated Columbus day in Montana, should be singing the Sam Cooke song “Don’t know much about History”.

The more relevant issue than Moe’s knowledge of history is whether she can represent the people of Great Falls with her far left views.

We know how she feels about Columbus, but how does she feel about the fact that Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, held slaves, or St Patrick who mistreated the Druids. Will she vote to eliminate the statues of Lewis and Clark and the celebration of St Patrick’s Day in Great Falls? After all fair is fair.

We should take off Moe’s mask hiding her liberal record after Halloween by voting for the candidates who can represent Great Falls values.

Philip Faccenda – Proud First Generation Italian American