Caught My Eye…

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Happy Friday! Here are the topics that caught my eye:

  • Public Safety Advisory Committee
  • Seizing Trump Assets
  • Stock Market Records
  • One More Thing

PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE:

I read in The Electric this week that the City of Great Falls City Commission is working to establish a new public safety advisory committee.

The Electric reports that the concept is similar to the crime task force the commission established in 2021 that spent months learning about local public safety challenges and needs for public safety.

I guess the commissioners think the “crime task force” did so well that they might as well do it again. The safety levy and the bond request failed by significant margins. I voted against both.

According to The Electric, City Commissioner Joe McKenney said the suggested committee includes two neighborhood council members; four community activists, two appearing for it and two appearing against it; two city commissioners and two state legislators as “they rule our lives.” The Electric stated that the draft resolution names members as: Sandra Guynn, Mike Parcel, Wendy McKamey, Jeni Dodd, George Nikolakakos, Aaron Weissman, Tony Rosales, Thad Reiste, Joe McKenney and Shannon Wilson.

It’s good to see McKenney take the lead on this. Commissioner Rick Tryon should sit this one out. He gets too emotional when people disagree with his views.

Maybe forming another committee and having meeting after meeting will yield something different this time around. I hope the city doesn’t forget to send their department heads out and have them whine about insufficient funding. I also hope they don’t use taxpayer money to promote raising our taxes like they did last time. That would be a non-starter for me.

Read the full report from The Electric HERE.

SEIZING TRUMP ASSETS:

This news made me giggle…

The Hill is reporting that the New York attorney general’s office has filed judgments in Westchester County, where former President Trump’s golf resort and private estate known as Seven Springs is located — a first step toward seizing the asset.

Trump has just four days to find the cash to post a surety bond for his portion of the judgment — a whopping $454 million, plus interest — before New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) can begin seizing his assets. If Trump posts the bond, the judgment would be automatically paused while the former president appeals Engoron’s ruling.

Is this a great country or what?

Read the complete report from The Hill HERE.

STOCK MARKET RECORDS:

The Hill and other sources report that the stock market continued its record-setting rally Thursday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average notably flirting with 40,000 as technology shares made major gains.

The Dow closed with a gain of nearly 270 points, or 0.7 percent, putting it within striking distance of the major milestone at 39,781 points. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite jumped 0.4 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, on the day.

CNN had the headline, “Dow closes just points away from 40,000 as US markets rally to new records.”

Maybe we should applaud Joe Biden…

ONE MORE THING:

He is such a martyr…

“I’m not looking for any fights but I’m not running from any either.”

– Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon (Source)

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##

9 thoughts on “Caught My Eye…”

  1. Economic development has to make economic sense………….FOR EVERYONE! I see lots of new development around town. Hence more jobs, and a supposedly expanded tax base. So, as a result, our taxes in theory should be going down instead of up since that’s the much touted economic model. If cop groupie and MAGA martyr tryon isn’t whining about the safety budget, he’s cheerleading more growth! Why? There appears to be an error in the Chamberpot of Commerce logic! I don’t know how much more economic development I can stand!

    As it now stands, we, the taxpayers, get to subsidize all the big boys. And that’s not right. Every time I drive by a new monster hotel I have to wonder how much of that building is mine. At least a few bricks. And our elected leaders are more than happy to pimp out our pocketbooks. That sort of economic development does not make economic sense for everyone.

    We need to elect leaders who will look our for our interests, not folks stupid enough to fall for the amorphous idea that all growth is good. By that logic, we should open a Mustang Ranch of the Montana. At least we’d get something we could actually use! (Along with maybe saving the careers of randy congressmen!)

    • The thing that strikes me as interesting is that the DoD used to or still does pay for upkeep of roads used by the Air Force in the minuteman missile complex. I think it’s about 40-50 miles of roads. That has to help several counties.
      I’m not sure I like the bill. Not sure about Wendy, either. Thanks, JmB

    • Wendy is my senator. All I really know about her is she is not a total wingnut but still very conservative, she’s on this new local public safety committee for Great Falls even though I think she lives outside city limits, and she never ever responds to constituent correspondence.

      As for the bill itself that’s up for override, all the outdoors / conservation organizations are all over it because it would send more to that type causes than what’s currently being directed from the marijuana tax money. Closer to what the people originally voted for with the recreational ballot issue, before Gianforte and crue decided to punish the voters for daring to legalize that and siphoned most of the money off into the general fund leaving just a relative pittance for conservation causes.

      I don’t think the original referendum legalizing recreational dope said anything at all about county roads. This was something some geniuses in the legislature came up with last session when they were busy looking around for things to change just to be changing things.

      While I agree with directing more money to conservation causes as the people originally wanted, I’m forced to agree with Sen McKamey that the communist nature of the county roads portion is wrong. Assuming her story is accurate. If people in Cascade County are buying dope and generating state revenue, then Cascade county should be seeing the benefit. If those other counties want more road money then legalize dope in their own counties, slap on the extra 3% county tax, and then encourage their county citizens to buy lots more dope. Don’t sponge off the larger counties.

      Of course, the way things are now with most of the money going to the general fund, who knows where that dope tax money actually ends up. Probably just offsets income tax breaks for rich guys like Gov Gianforte. Redirecting it to roads somewhere that actual voters use might be positive thing, even if it is done in a communist scheme.

  3. Seize even one of Trump’s assets & what a mess that evaluation will be in deciding what portion of the fine is covered. This whole case was about what the evaluation of his properties were for bank loans. I don’t think the judge’s verdict or fine will hold up on appeal. If it goes to appeal.

  4. Jackie you and I might disagree about the city of GF needing more money to beef up public safety. I think it does. 80+ % of the current general fund is already dedicated to public safety. There’s little room to cut the general fund without cutting public safety.

    As far as this new advisory committee goes, they will ultimately reach the conclusion more money is needed. Because it is. That’s a done deal. They will.

    So the only real question is how. And that’s why this committee, in addition to lobbying the legislature, should pay attention to commissioner Wolff’s idea of finding out why we killed the last public safety levy ask, and what would make a new one more palatable. If another appointed select committee simply tells us us what we SHOULD vote for without asking what we want and think we can afford, I’m afraid the answer will probably be another f-off.

    • I mostly did not like the way the city used $150k of our money to promote the levy. I did not like that they went for the most expensive plan. I did not like the way that almost every crime during this time was sensationalized. Then there was the whining. There’s not any government that does not want more funding.
      If the committee is formed they will have a tough task. Thanks for the comments. – JmB

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