Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s common sense commentary: 

• Great Falls City Commission
• Voting in Montana
• Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing
• Local Campaign Ads
• One More Thing

GREAT FALLS CITY COMMISSION:

The Great Falls City Commission is meeting tonight (Tuesday). A resolution being considered is Resolution 10623:

Resolution 10623, New or Expanding Industry Tax Benefit for Janicki Inc., to be located at 1900 18th Avenue North, Great Falls, Montana, and further described as Lot 1C Of The Amended Plat of Lot 1, Block 1, American Agri-Technology Addition, Cascade County, Montana, Parcel No. 349000 

A company called Janicki Industries is in the final stages of evaluating locations for a major new manufacturing campus focused on composite and metal tooling, as well as parts manufacturing, to support its long-term operational growth. Great Falls, Montana, is on the short list of candidate communities, along with several other cities under review. (Background)

The proposal has the potential to create more than 1000 jobs. 

According to The Electric, city staff view the proposed Janicki Industries facility as a vital economic anchor. Securing this partnership is a transformational opportunity that the City Commission must aggressively pursue to establish Great Falls as a premier hub for advanced manufacturing. 

Roll out the red carpet! 

VOTING IN MONTANA:

I think voting in Montana and across the country should be as easy as possible. That was not the case in Montana, as MAGAs in the Montana legislature want to restrict voting rights. 

Now, there’s some good news!

According to a press release from Upper Seven Law:

On Monday, May 11, 2026, a Montana district court judge ruled in favor of Forward Montana, the Montana Public Interest Research Group (“MontPIRG”), and other plaintiffs, granting a preliminary injunction to stop implementation of a bill passed in 2025 that would have restricted Montanans’ right to vote.

This ruling follows a hearing on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, where attorneys Molly Danahy, the Litigation Director at Upper Seven Law, and Abha Khanna of Elias Law Group asked the court to issue this preliminary injunction on behalf of all plaintiffs.

Senate Bill 490 (“SB 490”) seeks to cut off registration for federal elections at noon on election day.

The Daily Montanan reported:

In a 22-page order on Friday, District Court Judge Adam Larsen granted a preliminary injunction against Senate Bill 490, a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka. With the ruling, the state’s existing rules stay in place, allowing voters to register to vote on Election Day as long as they are in line by the close of voting hours.  

I am so very thankful for the checks and balances contained in our U.S. Constitution. 

WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING:

This primary election season has been interesting. As we approach primary election day (June 2), some games are being played. The local Great Falls Blog, WTF406, has posted a column called “Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing In The Primary Election” that helps identify who is who in the local primary races. 

There are Republicans who filed as Democrats. Some Libertarians have filed as Republicans. WTF406 also provides a handy Voter’s Guide to let people know who the extreme nutjobs are in the local Republican Party. 

Check out the column HERE and pass it on! 

LOCAL CAMPAIGN ADS:

If you have your television on around the local news time in Great Falls, you have probably seen some political ads. Some are pretty good, and others are pretty bad. 

The local candidates and groups who are paying for these ads are missing a great opportunity by not making the ads easier to find on social media. They should make ads public on YouTube and also put them on their campaign Facebook page and campaign website, so more people can see them. 

The candidates might as well get their money’s worth. 

If you find a campaign ad that I should see, send it to me at Western_Word@Yahoo.com. 

ONE MORE THING: 

I thought about being nice today. It’s the thought that counts, right? 

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