Blarney Castle

About 15 years ago my husband and I visited Ireland and kissed the Blarney Stone. This is Blarney Castle where the stone is located. The stone is located at the top of the castle so it was quite a climb in a very dark, narrow, steep and winding stone staircase (without a handrail) to reach the top. One really had to use one's imagination to picture knights in all their armour going up those stairs.

Blarney Castle

The Blarney Stone is located at the very top, in the middle.

Most folks are not aware that you have to hang upside down to kiss the stone. You better take off your glasses and take everything out of your pockets or it will all land on the ground below.

These folks are standing in line to kiss the stone. When we were there, there was not a handrail. The path was very narrow and if you were not paying attention, it would have been very easy to fall into the center of the castle.

It was a great experience and fantastic view, but for somebody who is scared to death of heights, I couldn't spend too much time at the top. I started getting dizzy and since there was no handrail at the time, had to get down.

Smart Or Stoopid?

Take this test and find out. You only have 8 seconds to answer each question though.

They're Down

I didn't see anything this morning in the Tribune, but last night KRTV reported that Benefis took down their banners before today's deadline.

Benefis is going to appeal though to see if they can keep them up on a temporary basis.

Just for a change, why can't folks just follow the rules without wanting an exception made for themselves?

More Fun And Games

Here is the March 18, 2008 City Commission agenda.

Electric Fund:

The January 2008 "payment of energy supply" is $719,841. This amount was paid by wire transfer on February 19, 2008.

Serious concerns:

1. The payment was made on the day of a City Commission meeting. Why couldn't the payment have been listed on the Feb. 19 agenda, approved, and then wired?

2. I remember asking Mary Jolley if she knew why the January power bill was not listed on the March 4 agenda. She was told they had not yet arrived. If that were the case, how could they have been paid on Feb. 19?

3. Assuming the January bill was actually received in time for the March 4 meeting, why wasn't it listed on the March 4 agenda? It's not until one month AFTER the payment was made, that the City Commission is finally taking a vote on it.

I'm assuming the December 07 "payment of energy supply" in the amount of $63,251 is what fiscal services used to call "energy imbalances". That amount was paid by wire transfer on March 11. Now you mean to tell me the payment couldn't wait until March 18, be approved, and then wired?

No worries though. The city received a clean audit.

Another Fiscal Flop

I'm sure if you read the article in today's Trib. you weren't surprised to learn that the city's operation of the animal shelter is running in the....red. Now they have to dip into the reserves to cover the shortfall.

I hope I haven't forgotten any of the city fiscal involvements that have fallen short of success. If I have, let me know and I'll add them to the list:

• Lewis and Clark Bicentennial bash
• Swimming pools
• Golf courses
• Electricity
• Animal shelter

According to the mayor, "It'd be nice if we had a crystal ball,"

No, Ms. Mayor. It'd be nice if we had fiscally responsible leaders.

Where's The Money?

I have to admit I was surprised by the expenditure numbers for 2007. I expected a much larger gap between what was paid and what was listed on the agenda ($5,000 report).

There was not one month in all of 2007 where the actual payments exceeded the amount reported by the amount of the monthly electric bill. According to Ms. Balzarini, the average power bill runs around $700,000/month. There was never a monthly power bill reported on any agenda for 2007.

So why wasn't there at least an $8.4 million annual difference?

According to the numbers, it doesn't look like the electric bills are getting paid, but then, how come the lights are still on?

$15 Million Spent, No Vote

Here I posted about proposed changes the fiscal services department wanted to make to some policies and procedures in their department.

One of the changes accepted by the commission was to change the expenditure report from listing payments of $500.00 and more to only listing payments of $5,000.00 and more.

According to the fiscal services department..."Currently, 96% of total claims are listed in the $500 report, which amounted to 3,406 lines for a year. The $500 report is very labor intensive for Fiscal Services Department. If the report was changed to the $5,000 report 88% of total claims would be listed on the report with only 657 lines. This would be a reduction of 81% of claims listed with only a 8% reduction in the amount of claims reported".

2004:

Paid: $42,929,467 (taken from each of the consent agenda reports for each month)

Listed: $41,198,839 (same source)

Diff: $1,730,628 - 96% reporting as was stated in the above statement.

2005 (from 3/01 forward when the change was implemented):

Paid: $30,563,273

Listed: $26,205,036

Diff: $4,358,237 - 86% reporting

2006:

Paid: $35,158,273

Listed: $29,936,147

Diff: $5,222,126 - 85% reporting

2007:

Paid: $40,553,008

Listed: $35,465,706

Diff: $5,087,302 - 87% reporting

2008 (to date, 2/19)

Paid: $7,319,739

Listed: $6,596,499

Diff: $723,240 - 90% reporting

From 3/01/2005 thru 2/19/2008 the city has paid $15,390,905 without a vote.

And, according to my worksheet, this doesn't include the electric bills.

Special Examiner's Report

The city just published the special examiner's report concerning the police investigation into the animal shelter.

I've read the entire report. The allegations made were found to be without merit or could not be substantiated by the evidence.

The report acknowledged that mistakes were made; however it seems most of them stemmed from a breakdown in communication by the parties involved, rather than a deliberate attempt at wrongdoing.

As is usually the case, there's always more to the story than some would like you to believe.

Not A Great Day For Animal Activists

Yesterday Susan Overfield was found guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and assault. She was fined a total of $1,280 and sentenced to 5 days of house arrest.

Next, the independent investigator the city hired to review the internal investigation done by the police department into wrong doings at the animal shelter, cleared the city of the allegations. According to the report, "The facts do not substantiate any finding of animal abuse or neglect at the shelter".

I hope we have seen the last of the theatrics from this group, but I kind of doubt it.

Taxi, Please

What A Lame Excuse

So, David Gliko, city attorney, claims that if the city loses a law suit over releasing city documents, including drafts, "the city's going to have to lease a warehouse to store all those pieces of paper".

Where are those pieces of paper now? Aren't they already at the city offices or can employees take documents home with them?

Gliko also claims, "any scrap of paper with writing on it that is inside city buildings could be fair game for people wanting to examine city documents." He also urged the judge to take into account "real-world considerations" and common sense".

Has Mr. Gliko "forgotten" he works for a public entity that is supposed to be accountable to its citizens all of the time, not just when it suits them?

I guess so.

"I'm In Charge"

Seems Fiscal Service Director Coleen Balzarini has an Alexander Haig complex.

When Mary Jolley asked acting city manager Cheryl Patton to request a copy of the letter RUS sent to SME turning down the financing, Cheryl found it necessary to run to Coleen. Coleen indicated it was not necessary to get the letter. When did the fiscal service director start running our city?

Very Short Meeting

Tonight's City Commission meeting was the shortest I have ever attended, 20 minutes. Not much was on the agenda.

With regard to the missing payment for the January power bill, Mary Jolley told me the bill had not yet been received. I'll be looking for it on the next agenda.

Is Pinocchio Italian?

Here we go again. The vice-president of SME's board, John Prinkki, says, "I think we have a very solid project and we're on very solid ground". This is in reference to a conversation SME has had with three international bankers. As Mary Jolley pointed out, this same group has been saying all along they had 75% of the funding secure.

Then we find out the Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative has a different agreement going and the manger wasn't at liberty to say why. RUS was concerned about that too.

Yes, Pinocchio is Italian.

What's Going On In Billings?

I thought it would be interesting to see what the Billings Gazette had to say about the RUS funding turndown to SME. Not a word. At least not that I could find. I searched "Tim Gregori", "SME" and "Southern Montana Electric". Nothing about the current funding setback.

I also checked SME's site and they still insist the long term financing is coming from RUS.

Looks like SME is keeping those co-ops in the dark.

Why Did Lawton NOT Stay?

At the December 4 City Commission meeting, John Lawton was asked and agreed to remain on board for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition with the new city manager:

"Mayor Stebbins stated that, since the selection process for the City Manager has become a month or two behind, she thought the Commission should consider asking Mr. Lawton if he will stay on to ensure a smooth transition. Commissioner Beecher agreed and stated it makes sense for the transition to a new manager. Commissioners Hinz and Jovick-Kuntz also agreed. Mr. Lawton stated he would be willing to do that for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition".

Mr. Lawton gave no reason as to why he was leaving early after agreeing to remain on to "ensure a smooth transition".

Do you suppose the announcement that RUS scuttled funding to SME had something to do with it? Maybe, but I can't help thinking there may be more to it.

There is more to running this city than just keeping up with ECP, SME and HGS. Isn't there?

"Dirt Roads"

By Paul Harvey. Enjoy!

March 4, 2008 City Commission Agenda

Here is the agenda for next week's City Commission meeting.

Conspicuously absent is any reference to the January 2008 power bill. The December power bill was reported on the February 5 expenditure report.

According to Coleen Balzarini, "The bill for the bulk of the power usually comes at the beginning of the month and is typically about $700,000".

Is the January power bill not reported because the fiscal services department hasn't received it, or because the FS department doesn't want to?

Suspicion follows close on mistrust.

"Just An Old Drunken Irshman [sic]"

(Quote taken from John Harrington's "Descriptive List of the Convict", image #14)

Sedition was a very serious offense in Montana during WWI. 79 men and 3 women were convicted of the crime. 40 men and 1 woman actually served prison terms of up to 20 years at Deer Lodge, because they dared to express their opinions about the president, the government, America's involvement in the war, etc.

On May 3, 2006, Governor Brian Schweitzer signed a Proclamation of Pardon for those convicteded.

Could we see such a law again?

How Dare She!

At the 1:30pm City Commission agenda meeting yesterday, Commissioner Mary Jolley asked to see the "water file", because she wanted to, of all things, read it. Commissioner Rosenbaum asked her, "Why do you want to read it?" Understandably, Mary had no idea what to say.

Now why do you suppose Commissioner Rosenbaum would have a problem with Commissioner Jolley reading a file?

Fiscal Department Free-For-All

Way back at the December 7, 2004 City Commission meeting, the commission voted in favor of changes the fiscal department wanted to make in various financial policies and procedures.

One of the changes proposed was changing the $500.00 claim report (the consent agenda expenditure report) to $5,000. (This change meant that any payment under $5,000 would not have to be listed as a separate item). The reason given was that reporting claims of $500.00 and more was too labor intensive for the fiscal department.

The proposed change was approved and beginning with the March 1, 2005 City Commission meeting, the report went from being on the average of 6-8 pages down to 2-3 pages.

An interesting comment made in the staff report prepared for this change stated, "While City Commission approval is not required to update City of Great Falls Financial Policies and Procedures it is considered good policy to have City Commission approval on these updates".

According to Mary Jolley, who has been doing more than her share of reading on policy and procedure, ONLY the City Commission can adopt and change policy, not staff. But, according to the above statement from staff, evidently the fiscal department can do what they want, when they want, without approval.

Hmm. Makes one wonder how many other polices and procedures have been changed to accommodate the whims and desires of the fiscal service director.

Folks: There are NO checks and balances in the fiscal service department. Scary? You better believe it.

Recall Ruckus

CLARIFICATION

It seems the Writ itself has not been issued, but the petition to issue the Writ is what was served on Debbie Mart.

Over at GeeGuy's, there's been quite a discussion about the Writ of Mandamus that was served to Debbie Mart, Cascade County Elections supervisor.

According to the article in today's Tribune, Ms. Mart made her decisions to reject the petitions based upon the advice given by the county's civil attorney, Brian Hopkins.

Ms. Mart has taken some hits from at least one of GeeGuy's more outspoken posters, but did she really have a choice? She's a county employee taking the advice of the county's attorney, who is supposed to know the law and issues an opinion based upon that knowledge.

Is Ms. Mart qualified to go against the attorney's opinion? I would bet not.

Had she, what kind of problems could that have caused for the county?; For herself?

"Just Burns Me"

That was part of a quote from City Commissioner, Bill Beecher, in today's Tribune article about John Lawton's retirement. He said, "it just burns me when critics claim commissioners are a bunch of lackeys of the city administration, when it's the commission calling the shots".

Oh really? I think it's safe to say you can count on one hand the number of times, in recent history anyway, when the commission has actually developed policy. I know you can count on one hand the number of times Commissioner Beecher asked a question about anything Mr. Lawton proposed.

Beecher is also the commissioner who always pats the city on the back for obtaining outstanding audits. According to him, the public can feel confident that funds are not being mismanaged as some critics claim. Unfortunately, Commissioner Beecher fails to mention these are NOT line by line, fund by fund audits.

For a city commission that is supposed to be "calling the shots", why is the following happening:

• The commission breaks the city's own ordinance, #2925, when voting in favor of funding for ECP. According to the ordinance, ECP is supposed to be self-sustaining at all times. Since its inception, ECP has only lost money.
  
  
• The fiscal service department spends money without expenditures being listed on the agenda. More than $6 million was disbursed from the Electric Fund for 2006-2007 without votes from the city commission.
  
  
• It's difficult, if sometimes not impossible, to get FOIA documents. Just ask GeeGuy.

Yup. No worries. They're in charge.

"If My Nose Was Running Money"

This video is a bit long at 4:24, but it is worth it. Very funny!!

I Wonder If....

the city received reimbursement from SME for any of the other payments they (the city) made to Water Right Solutions out of Helena?

On Friday's city commission agenda, a payment in the amount of $6,646 was made to this company. $1,239 was charged to the Electric fund and $5,407 was charged to the Fiscal Services fund. At tonight's commission meeting:

Coleen Balzarini said the $5,407 was for general water rights work.

John Lawton said the $1,239 was for consultation SME requested on their own behalf when the zone change request was being discussed. Mr. Lawton indicated this amount would be charged back to SME. Why wasn't SME billed directly?

The city of Great Falls has been paying Water Right Solutions since 2002. I still have more work to do, but between 2002 and 2003, the city paid this company $20,200 in consulting services and "claim amendments".

Stay tuned.

Recall Petition - Update #2

A week or so ago there was some discussion at GeeGuy's about the recall petition. I spoke today with Debbie Mart, the Elections supervisor and learned the following:

The petition has been rejected for the third time. In this case, the Cascade County civil attorney did not feel there were enough specifics given. Ms. Mart indicated there was an allegation made of violating the open meeting law, but the petition did not stipulate which meeting was supposedly in non-compliance of the law. She said the attorney feels the group is very close in finally meeting the criteria, although she does not know if they are going to submit anything more. She said they could be pursuing an injunction through district court.

I asked if the city attorney, Dave Gliko was involved in any way. She said he was carbon copied (cc'd) the legal opinion and the charges filed for the recall petition, which those being recalled have a right to see.

Very Strange Bedfellows

Since today is President's Day, I guess it's only fitting that I completed the book, Very Strange Bedfellows - The Short and Unhappy Marriage of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. While some of the information came from the principals themselves, as well as the books by Nixon's chief lieutenants, H.R. "Bob" Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, the infamous Watergate tapes played a huge role.

These tapes didn't just divulge information about Watergate, but also the relationship between Nixon and Agnew and Nixon's great admiration for former Texas governor, John Connelly, whom Nixon hoped would one day be president.

This was the first time I had read an accounting of the Nixon-Agnew relationship and found it to be both enlightening and educational. It contains extensive notes and bibliography.

President's Day Quiz

Click here to test your presidential knowledge. Good luck!

Marketing IQ Test

Take this test to identify logos and trademarks. It's only 20 questions. Don't be afraid to tell us how you did! I missed 10.

Feb. 19, 2008 City Commission Agenda

Here is the agenda for next Tuesday night's meeting. This time around, the Electric Fund doesn't have any amounts that are real different from what we have seen in the past.

Given that the city has been very selective about what they report and don't report in this fund, I don't think we can assume this was the only activity for the month.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since today is THE day for love and for some, marriage, I thought I would share a now defunct wedding tradition. This comes from my Forgotten English desk calendar:

Sir Charles Igglesden's Those Superstitions (1931) mentioned a defunct wedding tradition in which a groom's livelihood was displayed in the ceremony: "It is recorded how the carpenter's journey from the church door to the roadway was strewn with wooden chips. Along the coast it was customary for the fisherman and his bride to walk over nets. The path of the blacksmith bridegroom was strewn with horseshoes and pieces of old iron, and in the villages of hop-growing counties hops were placed along the footpath of a hop-grower as he left the church with his bride. One can visualize the awkward emblems of other callings, such as the butcher and his bride stepping over roast beef and mutton chops, or an ironmonger painfully escaping from nails turned upwards. And there was the fishmonger bridegroom treading over slippery fish which had been affected by the heat of the sun. A baker went so far as to wade through flour. A tanner passed over the skins of oxen and sheep-cured, let us hope".

Some traditions are best forgotten!!

What A Roller Coaster

In today's Tribune, there is an article about the protest of the rezoning decision for HGS.

According to the county's chief civil attorney, Brian Hopkins, "Only residents who live within the 680 acres that's proposed for rezoning are legally entitled to submit protests".

This interpretation, from a 1980s State Supreme Court decision, means only the Urquharts, the owners of the land, can file a petition. (Since the Urquharts want the sale, I think it's safe to say they won't be filing a protest any time soon).

Meanwhile, the Citizens for Clean Energy have their own petition going. According to their site, (click on rezoning petition)

"If sufficient (40%) of the agricultural property owners of Cascade County protest the rezoning, then the whole rezoning process is put on hold for one year and the owners must resubmit their application".

Go Girl!

UPDATE:

I did see Mary's interview on the 10:00pm newscast.

Maybe we are starting to make progress!

Commissioner Jolley told me today that a fellow named Andy came with his cameraman to interview her about the article in the paper the other day. She didn't know what TV station, but I did a check and I think it is Andy Newcomer (and he is!) from KFBB. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope Mary makes the news!

Capital Assets

According to the Statement of Net Assets (report page#26) found in the city's CAFR, the Electric Fund has non-depreciable capital assets of $ 1,672,303.

Does anybody have any idea what these assets could be?

Where's The Money And Accountability?

According to the Statement of Cash Flows found in the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the Electric Fund paid to suppliers $6,856,014. This is for the fiscal period July 2006-June 2007.

Unfortunately, the following are the only expenditures for this fund that found their way into the City Commission minutes for the same period. As you can see, the power bills were not reported:

7/18/06 - Debt Service $ 54,971
1/02/07 - HGS 24,380
1/16/07 - Debt Service 51,506
2/20/07 - HGS 186,281
3/20/07 - Consulting 79,317
4/17/07 - HGS 7,394
5/15/07 - Bond Attorney 18,903
6/19/07 - Consulting 54,630

Total: 477,382
Less payments: (6,856,014)

Total unaccounted for: $ 6,378,632

Just a few simple questions:

1. Did the bills get paid?

2. If so, why weren't they listed on the consent agenda to be voted upon?

3. What made the above items so special that they were listed? (I thought at first it was because the payee was someone other than SME; however, the payee on 2/20/07 was SME). Maybe there's something to this thought, maybe not.

4. What were the power charges for each month during this period?

Protest Deadline

The public has until March 3rd to write a letter of protest to the Cascade County Commissioners opposing the rezoning of the land for the Highwood Generating Station.

No Surprise

Here I posted about the $700,000+ payment to SME that seemed to be an anomaly on the city's consent agenda, expenditure report. I've checked all of the minutes for 2007 and for a good part of 2006 and the city never reported on their expenditure reports payments for power.

Are these payments binding given that no vote was taken on them?

How many other expenditures, in excess of $5,000, are being paid without making the minutes?

He's Back

I enjoy reading Moorcat, especially when he posts about the goings on in Dillon city government. Folks, we're not alone.

Republican Poll Update

Thanks to those of you who participated in the very unofficial "Which Republican candidate do you think can beat the Democratic nominee?" 8 of you said McCain can do it; 3 said Romney; 3 said Huckabee and 3 said none.

If you have any suggestions for another poll, let me know.

"Shooting Star"

It Could Happen Here

If this can happen in Mayberry, it could happen here.

Consent Agenda

Something I have always wondered about has been the expenditures reported as part of the consent agenda. When the City Commissioners vote on these expenditures, is the vote only a formality because the monies have already been disbursed?

Yes, according to Commissioner Jolley, and she verified what I was thinking: There are NO checks and balances in the Fiscal Service Department.

So this 750,000+ payment to SME was already disbursed before the vote was taken Tuesday night. I asked her what would have happened had there been a minor miracle and the majority of the commissioners had voted NOT to release the funds? She did not know, but didn't think SME would give it back. I bet not.

From Commissioner Jolley

This is information Commissioner Jolley posted over at the Tribune Forums. She gave permission for me to post it here.

October 2004 - Commission OKs 2 million from existing city funds for development costs. At Jan. 2008 ECP Board meeting the members are told that that money has been spent. The minutes have not yet been approved from the Jan ECP Board meeting due to not having a quorum at the Feb. Meeting

December 2005 Commissioners OK 1.5 million General Fund no bid private issue bond. Staff negotiated this bond.

Water credit is over a million dollars.

NorthWestern paid a penality of over 500,000 dollars to the city for reneging on a contract to supply power. Per Cheryl Patton this money was used to explore "our energy options" - please forgive me if this is not a direct quote - but it does appear in Commission Minutes.

Last year 2007 city deposits 1.4 million into SME account for deposit on energy, this has been described in weblogs as a "gift."

I sure I'm missing some money spent, perhaps money for studies, travel and such.

Years ago the Commissioner were told that 75% of the financing for the coal plant was secure. This was repeated many times. To date the truth is there is no secure financing for the Coal plant.

Kudos to Karl!

For those of us who know the Tribune has been irresponsible in reporting the "behind the scenes" issues concerning ECP, SME and HGS, I'm sure today's article in the Trib. came as a pleasant surprise.

According to Commissioner Jolley, the reporter, Karl Puckett, called her yesterday. From some of the comments he made, she can only surmise he must have read something about the $750,000+ payment to SME from one of our blogs, either this one or GeeGuy's. She really didn't think her comments were going to make the paper.

So, why can't Mr. Ecke (the usual reporter in these matters) do the same thing?

Romney Suspends

Well, it now seems a foregone conclusion. John McCain will most likely be the GOP's nominee.

Great Falls, We Have Another Problem

I thought when I saw this payment to SME for December power that it was out of the ordinary. That's why I asked "for how many months?" I do a pretty good job of looking at the agenda and expenditure report for each City Commission meeting and I don't recall ever seeing a single payment to SME for that kind of money.

According to a quote in today's Tribune, Coleen Balzarini indicated "The bill for the bulk of the power usually comes at the beginning of the month and is typically about $700,000".

OK. So what happened to the payment to SME for November's power? I checked the agendas and expenditure reports from October 2007 through January 2008 and guess what? Nothing. There was no mention of payment for any initial power usage for any month during this time.

I haven't had a chance to review prior months, but I have a feeling the result will be the same.

So, did the November power bill get paid? If it did, it was done without being brought before the Commission and public. Assuming the payment was made, can it be legal/binding since it was not voted upon?

If I've missed something here, please let me know.

"I Forgot"

Still In The Dark

At last night's City Commission meeting, Mary Jolley asked that three items be pulled from the consent agenda. One had to do with the 3/4 of a million dollars paid to SME in December.

Ms. Balzarini indicated that January and February 2007 payments were for the second reporting that NorthWestern did on the imbalance market. The payment for June 2007 was for the third reporting that NorthWestern did. (John Lawton said something about the State now requiring a third reporting). The payment of $709,000 in December was, according to Mr. Lawton, the initial billing for consumption in December.

By the time the energy consumption adjustments (not imbalances) are calculated for December, I think we can safely assume the City will pay, just for December, 3/4 of a million dollars for energy usage. I can't tell you how bad off we are, because we weren't given a report on how much electric revenue was generated for December.

Ms Balzarini did say they are no longer referring to "energy imbalances" as such, because they are not imbalances, but rather adjustments to "energy consumption".

Commissioner Jolley admitted she was confused. Mr. Lawton said that electricity is complicated and not easy to understand, but he is willing to explain the procedure to any commissioner. (He didn't say the general public too).

Commissioner Jolley did get a bit of a rise from Ms. Balzarini when she asked her if ECP was self-supporting. Ms. Balzarini indicated that "I think we already know the answer to that.... No, it is not at this time". BUT, Mr. Lawton jumped in and said that over time, the losses will be erased in future years. Commissioner Jolley said that according to the ordinance, ECP is supposed to be self-supporting. It says nothing about the future, the near future, the far away future. She indicated she will not vote to break the law (the city's own ordinance).

The item passed 3-1.

Special Investigator

At tonight's City Commission meeting, Commissioner Bronson read a letter prepared by Elizabeth Baker, the special investigator hired by the City Commission, to evaluate the investigation the police department conducted of allegations made against the City by Amy Lowe and Jason Dern regarding the operations of the animal shelter.

These are her criteria:

She will first tour the animal shelter and then has scheduled Feb. 11-12 as days that she and her partner will interview between 20-25 people. These people will include current and former employees of the shelter, members of the police department, HSCC, volunteers, veterinarians and concerned citizens. The interviews will be held in private and will be tape recorded. They will be made public, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.

Her investigation will not include the following:

* Examining the shelter from the "ground up". Her concern is only with the allegations as brought forth by Amy Lowe and Jason Dern.

* Financial funding of the shelter

* Which organization should operate the shelter

* Criminal charges

She expects her report to be completed within 60-90 days.

Hillary's Coughing Fit

See here.

How Dumb!

According to an article in today's Tribune, animal activist, Ric Valois, carried a handgun into the Civic Center before last week's City Commission meeting. As a regular attendant at those meetings, I'm very glad his error in good judgement was discovered before he walked into chambers.

He has absolutely no business or reason to be carrying a concealed weapon into a public meeting. This action should ban him from attending future meetings.

This is one of the reasons why I am totally in favor of the police being present at these meetings. There are NO security checks. And before some of you anti-police advocates sound off, neither my husband or I have ever been asked if we have brought a weapon to the meeting. I would suspect then they must have received a tip.

As a citizen of this city, I have the right to expect, that when I attend a public meeting, I don't have to worry if someone is about to "go postal" to make a point.

Remember The Recall?

Close to a month ago, animal activists demanded the recall of certain city officials. They were adamant they were going to start collecting signatures that week. Well, what happened?

I called the County Elections office on Thursday and spoke to Debbie Mart, elections supervisor. On January 24, the county's civil attorney issued a rejection letter, because, as I understand it, the petitions did not meet the evidential requirements as mandated by the State. According to Ms. Mart, Ric Valois indicated they would submit more documentation, but as of Thursday, no additional information had been received.

Where's The Proof?

I didn't intend to set out to criticize Ms. Overfield, but it's just that she makes it so damn easy. Most of her blogging never references any sources or proof of allegations. She just says it and we are supposed to automatically believe it.

Her latest post claims the City has "developed parameters for Ms. Baker (the independent investigator for the animal shelter issue). And she knows this how?

And one more thing. I don't appreciate Ms. Overfield writing an open letter to this investigator, addressing it as "We, the citizens..." I didn't give her permission to write a letter to this person on my behalf.

Until this whole animal shelter issue exploded last summer, I knew very little about the Humane Society. Because of Ms. Overfield's constant accusations against the City and Animal Foundation of wrongdoing, without any solid proof, I have a very negative impression of this organization. I doubt if the HSCC has given any real thought to this, but by allowing her to be their mouthpiece, I believe they have greatly diminished their own credibility.

Feb. 5, 2008 City Commission Agenda

Here is the agenda for next Tuesday's night City Commission meeting.

Take a real good look at page 2 of the Expenditures under Electric:

4 payments to SME:

Jan. 07 - $ 21,507 - payment of energy supply expense (from a year ago)

Feb. 07 - $ 20,496 - payment of energy supply expense (from a year ago)

Jun. 07 - $ 8,639 - payment of energy supply expense (from 7 months ago)

Dec. 07 - $708,760- payment of energy supply expense (how many months)?
_____________
Total: $759,402

I can hardly wait to hear the explanation they give for this.

Water, Sewer Rates Passed With No Dissention

Here I posted that the Citizens for Clean Energy indicated that Mary Jolley had voted against the increase in water and sewer rates at the last Commission meeting. According to the minutes of that meeting, the motion passed 5-0.

The Rezoning Passed

By a 2-1 margain, Cascade County Commissioners approved the rezoning of the Urquhart property.

Time For Another Poll

Given that Super Tuesday is less than a week away, I thought it would be interesting to see what you think about the candidates.

The question is: Which Republican candidate do you think can beat the Democratic nominee? (See right)

The poll will run until next Thursday to give you time to digest the results from Tuesday and change your vote if you wish.

If you want to add a comment about your vote, e-mail me and I will post your remarks after the poll closes.

The Issues: Where Do They Stand

I found this article helpful, if only for now.

Can't Argue With The Facts

In today's Tribune is an editorial decrying that the Tribune and Animal Foundation are "dirty". Evidently the writer thinks that the Animal Foundation has "undue influence on the Tribune as well as on the City". I don't know if this is true, but I do believe the writer is all for the Humane Society of Cascade County (HSCC) taking back control of the shelter.

About two weeks after the city took control of the animal shelter, they hired Kim Staton, an animal welfare consultant to review the shelter. She spent five days observing and talking with staff and issued a 32 page report on her findings, which she indicated was only an abbreviated report, outlining the more obvious problems.

Animal activists have been insistent that the HSCC be given back control of the shelter. According to this document that Susan Overfield scanned, the HSCC claimed in September 2007 that "because HSCC has been running the shelter for the past fifteen years, it has the experience to continue doing so and to do so effectively and efficiently".

* If they were doing such an effective and efficient job, why did they tell the commissioners on July 3, 2007 that it was a good idea for the city to take temporary control?

* If they were doing such an effective and efficient job, why did this independent animal welfare consultant find at least 120 deficiencies?

It seems many of the problems Ms. Staton observed had much to do with lack of training. I know of no business or organization that can be effective and efficient if it does not have trained staff. It's essential.

Let's take a look at some of the issues:

Lack of training - page 18:

"Current staff have had very limited training for the jobs they are required to perform. This results in costly mistakes, safety issues, frustration on the part of staff and the public, and a less professional organization. It also places staff in an unfair situation by expecting them to perform well in a job they have not been trained for. Further, it is difficult to hold staff accountable for errors that are made."

"I asked a number of staff what training they had received for their respective jobs and all of them indicated they learned from someone at the shelter. None had any formal training for the jobs they were doing".

This lack of training also led to other problems:

Animal care - page 16 - "While staff made a concerted effort to assess animals upon intake and record this information using an "Animal Health Check" form, no real training had been provided on how to properly evaluate an animal. For the most part, staff training consisted of "on the job" learning from previous employees whose training was also limited. Consequently, the legitimacy of any findings is questionable".

"Animal Care Standards" - page 17 - It was pointed out that the shelter was giving out "Animal Care Standards" to the public, but was not following the guidelines themselves.

Animal Vaccinations - page 9 - follow up vaccines were not being administered and different brands and types were being used.

Shelter Sanitation - page 19 - many "longstanding oversights" were referenced with lack of training and resources being given as the main reason for staff not following proper procedure.

The shelter also did not have any written guidelines.

Standard Operating Procedures - page 21 - "There is a glaring absence of written guidelines at the shelter. I was provided with some information on sanitation protocols, certain forms used at the shelter, and animal care guidelines provided to pet owners. Beyond that, I was not able to locate anything".

Is asking that the HSCC be back in control really a wise request?

Vote On Water And Sewer Increase

CCE (Citizens for Clean Energy) say that Commissioner Jolley voted against the water and sewer increase at last week's City Commission meeting. (Click on the Breaking News link).

The Tribune reported in their article that the vote was 5-0. According to my notes, she did ask questions, but did not dissent. Commissioner Jolley, would you mind clearing this up? Thanks.

Slow News Day?

It must have been a pretty slow news day on Sunday for the Tribune. The top headline of the day was about.....stop signs. I'm not making light of the story, because traffic control is important, but to be THE headline for Sunday's paper?

Let's see. What other topic could have made the cut:

1. More money to SME - We found out last week that the city just paid SME another $130,000+ for September and October "energy imbalances". We've discussed it here and here. The explanation given by City Manager John Lawton raised more questions than it answered. Nothing much new about that.

2. The City, SME and ECP - This relationship is just begging for an independent investigation. Gosh, the Trib. could maybe even win another Pulitzer Prize if it stepped up to the plate.

3. The City and water rights - I asked if anybody had a clue about this subject, and FireFly responded. Commissioner Jolley mentioned a report that was supplied by the city's water rights attorney that raised more questions.

4. City Commission Travel Fund - At the City Commission meeting last week, this issue was raised by Mary Jolley and prompted a response the next day from Assistant City Manager, Cheryl Patton. It's just another example of the city's caviler attitude toward our money.

5. Airport Authority - it seems everyday something new and exciting is happening with this organization. Just recently, they found out they couldn't keep information secret and now they want to get into the economic development business, but from the sounds of it, management is not qualified. What's really going on up there?

6. Fairgrounds mismanagement - After reading Commissioner Joe Briggs' comment here, my question is why this 'lack of fiscal control over spending" has not been addressed sooner? How responsible is local "management" for this apparent mismanagement?

7. The Animal Shelter - It would be nice if the Trib. would do an unbiased exposé of this entire story from ALL parties involved in animal welfare in Great Falls. As I've mentioned before, there are always two sides to every story and in this case, at least three or four.

Be Aware!

Police say that the gang usually is comprised of four members, one adult and three younger ones. While the three younger ones, all appearing sweet and innocent, divert their 'mark' (or intended target) with a show of friendliness , the fourth -- the eldest -- sneaks in from behind the person's back to expertly rifle through his or her pocket or purse for any valuables. Be on the alert!!

Scroll down to see a photo from a recent attack that was captured on film..

Second Poll Results

Thanks to those of you who participated. 9 of you liked the new name of the minor league ball club, the Voyagers, 9 of you did not and 1 didn't care. Personally, I don't care for the name, but I am curious about who/what the mascot will be.

Volunteers Are Needed

RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) needs your help:

We are seeking volunteers for our February 4th through the 7th commodities distribution. We need help unloading food from the semis, stacking pre-boxed food, and to help deliver the food to low-income seniors. The commodities will be held at the Family Living Center which is located at Expo Park. Some of the jobs that we need volunteers for are:

UNLOADERS: These folks will be unloading the semi that brings us the food for our clients. This is done on Monday from 9:00-10:00.

STACKERS: These folks help stack the boxes of food as they come off the packing line. This is done on Monday from 10:30-until finished. Lunch will be provided.

HAULERS: These folks are needed to help load the food in our client's vehicles. This is done on Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00am-6:30pm. You can pick the day and amount of time you wish to volunteer.

DRIVERS: These folks are needed to deliver the food to our clients who can't pick up their box of food. This is done on Tuesday-Thursday, 8:00am-6:30pm. You can pick the day and amount of time you wish to volunteer.

PARKDALE: We desperately need 4-6 volunteers on Monday between the hours of 3pm-6pm to help the Parkdale Distribution center deliver about 44 boxes of food. For more information contact Don Calkins at 727-1120 or email him at montanadon@great-falls.net.

We always look forward to recruiting new volunteers. So if you think you may be interested in volunteering, email or call me with the day, time and job that you would like to volunteer for. My email address is rsvp.csfp@gmail.com or call me 454-6989 and we'll sign you up for an hour or a day, whatever time you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

Russell H. McKinney

Retired Senior Volunteer Program

Independent Senior Volunteer Coordinator

Located at: 1004 Central Ave, 2nd Floor

Coal To Liquid Fuel Plant Meeting

Here's your chance to learn more and voice your opinion about the proposed Coal to Liquid Fuel Plant.

What: Air Force Town Hall Meeting

When: January 30, 2008
6:00pm - 8:00pm

Where: Great Falls Civic Center

What A Shock

I did not know Stan Perkins personally, but I did take a Montana history class from him about 8-10 years ago through Northern. I liked him as an instructor. He knew his stuff.

Then this. It's one thing to read about an unknown person doing things like this, but it makes a difference when you knew the person enough to have formed a positive opinion.

We just never know.

Energy Imbalance

When the agenda came out last Friday for tonight's City Commission meeting, I questioned this item . Commissioner Jolley asked that the item be pulled from the consent agenda for further discussion, which it was. According to John Lawton, this is what it means:

* SME buys power from PPL and sells it to the city.

* During the course of the month, sometimes the demand for power is high, sometimes it is not. This imbalance is tracked by NorthWestern, the cost of which is market driven.

* It takes a few months for the actual imbalances to be calculated and the invoices sent to the city.

When the vote was taken on this item, Commissioner Jolley dissented.

So yes, Firefly, you do need to add $130,700 to your totals for 2007.

2 And 2 Are Not Equaling 4

In today's Tribune is an article about the Animal Foundation. Included are the following numbers pertaining to the Foundation:

Total assets: $1,308,907

Contributions: 1,145,995
Fur Ball proceeds: 161,863
Proceeds from investments: 97,352
_________
$1,405,210

Expenses: 96,349

__________
$1,308,861

Difference: $46.00

The Animal Foundation's website reports that they have raised $1,426,207. (I'm assuming this amount includes the proceeds from investments). According to the information published by the Trib., they have raised $1,405.210. That is a difference of $ 20,997.

Today, Susan Overfield posted her take on the numbers and comes up with a difference of $ 117,346.00.

So, which is it? $20,997 or $117,346? Either way, there's a problem.

He Had A Dream

Here is the complete text of Martin Luther King's, I Have A Dream speech.

Jan. 22 City Commission Agenda

Here is the agenda for the January 22 City Commission meeting.

Consent agenda: Note page 2 of the total expenditures (#7) under Electric:

SME
Sept. energy imbalance adj. $54,752
Oct. energy imbalance adj. $75,948

Does anyone know what this is about?

And Some People Think Great Falls Is Boring

In a matter of two weeks or so we've had an animal activist group demand the recall of certain city officials and the minor league baseball team, the White Sox, change their name. While the two aren't related, they have generated discussion. And that's a good thing.

Over at GreaterFalls, David has received several comments about the name change. Since the Recall Poll was successful with 62 of you participating, I thought I would try another one. This time about the name change. If you're new to it, it's real simple. Just click on your answer; no signing in. You can't vote more than once, but you can change your answer. (See right column).

Here is the footage of the sighting.

The Poll Was A Success!

Thank you all very much for participating in the first Cataract City poll. 62 of you voted. By a slim margin, most of you believe the recall will be successful. 32 or 51% said it will succeed and 29 or 46% thought it will not. Only one person said they didn't care. Sure glad it was only one.

Now, for my "expert" analysis:

When the poll first went up, I think the majority were placing the recall in the context of the animal shelter abuse allegations and did not think it would be a success. But, as time went on, I think folks began to realize this could be a good way to clean up city hall.

For sake of argument, let's say the signatures are gathered, the vote taken and the mayor and the two commissioners are recalled. Where does that leave us:

1. A city manager on the job for less than a year, maybe not even six months
2. Two commissioners on the job for less than a year
3. Two other commissioners and a mayor who would be brand new to the job
4. City department heads who are used to doing things under the "old guard"

I'm not convinced recall is the answer. Should it occur, I would feel more confident if there were experienced leaders at the helm. Granted, Bill Bronson and Mary Jolley have been involved in city politics, but they have never been commissioners before, sitting on the other side of the desk.

If the mayor and both commissioners are recalled, that means three brand new people on board. Who would they be? They could end up being the same or worse, which is very possible.

The city manager answers to the city commission so we would have a new city manager answering to new bosses.

Before attempting this recall, I'm in favor of giving the two new commissioners and the new city manager a chance before we start making drastic changes.

Have You Ever Been Neezled?

I bet you have. According to my Forgotten English desk calendar, neezled is an old English word meaning a little drunk or intoxicated.

88 years ago, on January 16, 1920 at the stroke of midnight, prohibition commenced in America. It lasted until March of 1933.

In 1876 Mark Twain had this to say, "Prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure it or even diminish it". (I'm sure the Mafia would agree with that)!

Investigation Found Mistakes

UPDATE:

You can find the 22 page report here.

According to today's breaking news on the online Tribune, the police department's investigation of alleged abuses at the animal shelter did find that mistakes were made, but that no criminal conduct occurred. On Tuesday, city commissioners will appoint a lawyer to independently review the investigation.

Water Rights Explained

A few days ago I asked if anybody could explain our water rights. Firefly posted a very good explanation at her place.

Thanks FireFly!!

New City Manager

Gregory Doyon, from New Hampshire, will be our new city manager. His first day on the job will be March 24.

Welcome.

One More Day

Well folks, you have only one more day to vote or change your vote in the unofficial Cataract City recall poll.

In today's Tribune, we learn that "proposed language for recall petitions at three city officials (Stebbins, Beecher and Rosenbaum) was submitted to the Cascade County Elections Office on Tuesday". A deputy Cascade County civil attorney has five days to examine the language.

According to Elections Supervisor, Debbie Mart, more research is needed to establish whether the others listed in the recall fit the definition of an appointed official; City Manager, John Lawton, Police Chief, Corky Grove and animal shelter director, Jamie Bennett.

Each petition will need 7,480 votes.

If You Don't Have Plans Tomorrow (Tuesday) Night...

You just may want to attend the public hearing on the re-zoning of the land that SME wants to use for the Highwood Generating Station. The commissioners (county) believe the meeting will last through midnight. If you can't attend in the afternoon, you can still voice your opinion in the evening.

It starts at 3:00pm in the Trade and Industries Building at the fairgrounds.

Water Rights. Who Understands Them?

Does anybody out there know or know of somebody who can explain our water rights and how they work? This is a serious issue, but nobody I have talked to really understands the ins and outs of them.

Cause for Paws

NO. This is not a fundraising request.

First, let me begin by saying that I am not involved in any way with any of the animal organizations in town. I do not personally know any of the players. I do not have a bone (no pun intended) to pick with anyone nor do I have a "secret" agenda. I'm a concerned citizen who has what I think are legitimate questions and concerns.

This post is primarily about questions I have pertaining to a couple of the demands made by the Ric Valois and Susan Overfield group. Ric Valois' entire statement at the January 8 commission meeting can be found here.

Demand #2: "I am calling for the immediate transfer of care and responsibility of the existing shelter to be placed back in the domain of the Humane Society of Cascade County, with a full team of citizens oversight on board at the moment of transfer. All funding and financial resources approved by the City and County, at the level stated in the Staton report, to revert back to the HSCC as well".

In July 2007 I was in attendance at the commission meeting when the commission voted to give control of the shelter to the police department. The president of the HSCC and a member of the board each approached the podium and thanked the commission for their decision. This was 6 months ago. What has changed with HSCC? In fact, are they even a viable organization? They still have a website, with a couple of the links in "Adorable Adoptables"updated, but there is no link to a board of directors. And since I have mentioned their site, why do they have a list of animals available for adoption as well as a list of those that have been? This information is dated primarily November and December 2007. They are not in control so why the posting? For me, as an outsider, this is creating more confusion.

Has there been any discussion between HSCC and the city for HSCC to take back control? I have not heard of any. This makes me wonder if HSCC is in favor of taking back the shelter or if it's what Ric, Susan and their group want.

And who would be this "full team of citizens oversight?" Ric, Susan and their group or an impartial one?

Demand #3: I am calling for the HSCC to install people of proven capability and integrity, Amy Lowe and Jason Dern, to positions of authority in the care and function of the reacquired shelter.

Jason Dern resigned his position at the animal shelter in November. When I read the animal documentations that GeeGuy scanned, I was surprised not to see any correspondence from Mr. Dern telling his story. He had nothing to loose. He had already quit his job. If I recall those e-mails correctly, Ms. Lowe commented that she was fighting this all alone and needed help. Where was Mr. Dern?

In today's Tribune, there is a letter to the editor from K. Dale Schwanke, the personal representative of the Margaret Maclean estate. This is part of his comment: "I spent considerable time researching the possible ways I could fulfill her wishes. Although the Humane Society of Cascade County (HSCC) made a proposal, I did not find it satisfactory as the HSCC was advised". He went on to award $400,000 to the Animal Foundation.

Granted, we don't know the details, but there was something he did not like and an opportunity for an underfunded organization to receive $400,000 went out the window. One can't help but wonder why.

Finally, a couple of more concerns:

-the animosity these various pro animal groups have toward each other. How in the world can they expect trust from the public when they can't get along with themselves? And from what I continue to read, the relationship between these groups is not getting close to being warm and fuzzy.

-no plan about how HSCC will improve the situation from when they had control before. And we know there were problems; otherwise, why would two board members, one of whom was the president, have agreed that it was best for the city to take control?

Here is a comment from Ric Valois from the January 5 Tribune: http://www.gftribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080105/NEWS01/801050302/1002

"Valois said he favors an effort to recall city commissioners and the mayor for their actions on animal control and the shelter. He added that the Humane Society's only problem when it ran the shelter and animal control was a lack of funding from the city".

There is ALWAYS two sides to every story and right now, this very vocal side is giving me cause to pause. At this point in time, I just can't believe that lack of funding was the only problem.

p.s. - the documents that GeeGuy scanned are no longer available at mediafire. It's been previously posted that you can get a copy at Licini's print shop.

Official Misconduct

With all this recall talk, I thought it be a good idea to find out how the state of Montana defines official misconduct.

45-7-401. Official misconduct. (1) A public servant commits the offense of official misconduct when in his official capacity he commits any of the following acts:
(a) purposely or negligently fails to perform any mandatory duty as required by law or by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(b) knowingly performs an act in his official capacity which he knows is forbidden by law;
(c) with the purpose to obtain advantage for himself or another, performs an act in excess of his lawful authority;
(d) solicits or knowingly accepts for the performance of any act a fee or reward which he knows is not authorized by law; or
(e) knowingly conducts a meeting of a public agency in violation of 2-3-203.

I'm not an attorney, but reading through it, I don't think recalling these officials is going to be as easy as some may think. Which is a good thing. If it were,I can only imagine how many officials would be chucked out of office and government would effectively cease to exist.

Recall Rules

This is information received from Deb Mart, the Elections Supervisor of Cascade County. I'm paraphrasing what was said:

Before the recall process starts, those asking for the recall must submit proof of misconduct. When that documentation is received by the county, it is then given to their attorney who has one week to review the documentation to see if it meets the appropriate criteria. If so, the process can begin. If it does not, the recall group can appeal the decision to a judge.

If the recall gets the green light:

There must be a petition for EACH official

EACH official must receive a minimum of 7,480 signatures in order for their name to be placed on the special election ballot. (Even though six were asked to resign, they are treated independently of each other).

The recall group has three months to collect signatures

Not all officials have to be recalled for the others to be. It all depends on the number of signatures each receives. And, just because you may sign one petition, doesn't mean you have to sign the others.

Example:

Official 1 - receives 2,500 names
Official 2 - receives 5,000 names
Official 3 - receives 3,100 names
Official 4 - receives 7,500 names
Official 5 - receives 7,300 names
Official 6 - receives 2,450 names

Official 4 would be the only name on the special election ballot.

We Have Names

From the Great Falls Tribune: Here is the list of the city manager candidates. They will be interviewed on Saturday at the Holiday Inn, Russell Room. The interviews are open to the public.

1. James H. Patrick, the city manager of Kalispell

2. Michael L. Ashcraft, deputy city manager in Olathe, Kans.

3. Gregory Thomas Doyon, city manager of Franklin, N.H.

4. Michael L. Stampfler, a consultant and former city manager of Casselberry, Fla., and Portage, Mich.

5. Mark A. Winson, vice president of Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minn., and former city of Duluth chief administrative officer

Recall

Well, it looks like the animal activists will be going forward with their recall of the mayor, two city commissioners, the city manager, the police chief and the animal control director.

They will need 6 different petitions with a minimum of 7480 votes each in order for the recalls to make the ballot for a special election. They will have 3 months to do it.

So, do you think they can? At the top of the right column is a poll. It works pretty slick. Just click on your answer. You don't have to sign in so there's no excuse not to participate.

Just Who Is HSCC?

One of the demands Ric Valois made last night at the City Commission meeting was that the Humane Society of Cascade County be immediately reinstated as head of the animal shelter. If you visit the HSCC website, nothing, other than the link to the board and staff, has been updated since they were last in charge.

I'm curious. There's a DEMAND that these people take back control, but, who are they?

Did The Scream Go With It?

This reminds me of Howard Dean. I wonder if the "scream" went with it?

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Tonight's city commission meeting was enjoyable. Commissioner Mary Jolley made comments and asked questions that spurred dialogue amongst the commissioners. She dissented on agenda items 4 & 5. For regular followers of the commission meetings, you know that dissenting votes have been very few and far between for several years.

The highlight of the evening were the animal activists. A few of their demands:

-the immediate resignation of Mayor Stebbins, Commissioners Beecher and Rosenbaum, Police Chief Grove, City Manager Lawton and the director of the animal shelter. If they don't turn in their resignations to Commissioners Bronson and Jolley by Wednesday, January 9, they will immediately start the recall process.

-that the shelter be immediately turned over to the Humane Society of Cascade County.

-opening of the city books for public inspection. If ignored, those asked to resign will have their personal finances investigated.

Susan Overfield was in attendance and made a few remarks that lasted much less than five minutes. Thank goodness.

I'm not familiar with the recall process, but this is what I found concerning Montana.

An Expected Outcome

There is quite a discussion going on over at GeeGuy's about the animal shelter and the so-called town hall meeting Saturday night. I didn't attend and I'm glad I didn't. From the comments that have been made, it was a one-sided affair, which I believe was the intent in the first place.

According to the article in Sunday's paper, Ric Valois is loaded for bear. He encouraged everyone to block Animal Foundation fundraising, because I guess they're in cahoots with the city. He also said that the city commissioners, except for Jolley and Bronson, and the chief of police, better resign or he is going to start collecting signatures for a recall. When I brought up Sunday's article, Ms Overfield indicated that some had already volunteered to collect signatures. Her quote, "The removal of the current administration and all cronies is not about IF, it's now merely about WHEN".

The article mentioned that Mary Jolley asked several questions, but did not elaborate on what those were.

Mary, if you would like to e-mail me your questions and the answers, I will post them.

Glad To Hear It

I am glad to read that the city is going to hire a special examiner to look into the animal shelter allegations.

I am wondering though why this wasn't done in the beginning. Maybe it has to do with some internal investigation process with which I am not familiar.

City Commission Agenda

Find the January 8th city commission agenda here.

A Good Example of Blatant Hypocrisy

In today's offline edition of the Tribune was a guest opinion by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You can find the article here.

I don't have a problem with the article, but I do take issue with a quote from democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards:

"In the last 30 years, our country has systematically pursued policies to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of the richest Americans while making the rest of us poorer, more insecure and more vulnerable."

I'll just bet John Edwards is more insecure and more vulnerable since his net worth is estimated by Money Magazine to be about only $55 million. Poor thing. I wonder just how much "poorer" he has become since these policies have been in place?

Instruction Frustration

Before I start, let me just say that I am neither a computer idiot or an Einstein. I'm somewhere in between.

I am working on a PDF project that I am hoping I can publish online. I've never done this before, but I'm always, for the most part, willing to take on a challenge. I found "instructions" about how to do this. I felt great when a message popped up telling me my file would be converted in approximately 10 hours. I was a little surprised at the length of time, but figured they must have a lot of jobs. An hour into it, I received a message that my job had timed out. Now what? No instructions telling me it was still queued, or to resubmit, nothing. So, I checked the FAQs and, you guessed it, nothing that answered my question. I hate to admit it, but I abandoned ship. It was a trial offer so at least I wasn't out anything, except my time.

I started to look for a plan B. I found another option and submitted my file, but when the process was complete, I couldn't find the file. No message telling me where to look, etc. so I assumed it probably didn't process. I went back and tried it again, but this time, I got a message telling me "the service is temporarily out of order while it is checking your sign on credentials". My only options were to go back or to cancel. I went back, but the same thing happened, so I canceled.

Well, lo and behold, this morning I received an e-mail from my very first submission; the one that timed out. It was ready for pick-up!! (10 hours took only 3+ days!). I "picked it up" and the good news is, it is my file. Tonight, when I have more time, I will see if it will do what I think it should.

Stay tuned.

Taxpayers Ride To The Rescue, Again

"Anyone who believes that the government can give the country presents has fallen for the oldest political illusion of all - the illusion of something for nothing".

Thomas Sowell has a good article in today's offline editorial page of the Trib. You can find it here.

The Snake That Ate Golf Balls

I didn't wake up this morning thinking I would be googling python snakes today, but that is exactly what I did.

The Billings Gazette has an online section entitled "Strange News", which can sometimes be amusing. Today there is an article about a python in Australia that ate four golf balls thinking they were chicken eggs. According to the article about pythons, they use sight, smell and heat to ambush their prey. Evidently the owners of a chicken coop placed the balls inside the coop to encourage their hen to nest. The article didn't say if the plan worked, but I bet they don't try it again. The snake, after surgery, is recovering nicely.

It's Hard To Trust Any Of Them

GeeGuy has a post about an item that Susan Overfield posted on her site regarding a report filed on the animal shelter.

As I mentioned here, I cannot understand how operating an animal shelter has disintegrated into such controversy. I am not personally acquainted with any of the players, but I just can't help think all parties involved are, to some degree or another, responsible for this total breakdown. There are just too many accusations being tossed about that are being refuted, a comment posted that needed to be retracted and who knows what else.

How can anyone trust anything that is said?

If the care of animals is really what is uppermost on the minds of these folks, then they need to stop the power struggle or whatever the hell it is and get on with the business of taking care of the animals.