The Helena-based nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics, along with the Center for Public Integrity, gave Montana and a whole bunch of other states Fs for their weak-kneed campaign finance disclosure laws.

“This assessment demonstrates the poor state of disclosure of the money spent by outside groups,” NIMSP executive director Edwin Bender wrote in a press release. “The majority of states will elect their governors and other major statewide offices in 2014. But the public will not know how much money will be spent to influence the outcome of most of those races.”

The report, titled “Scorecard: Essential Disclosure Requirements for Independent Spending, 2013,” gave points in four categories and tallied the results. Out of a possible 100 points, Montana got a whopping 25 percent, a score that — back to the metaphor — might lead some parents to start wondering if their kid was on drugs or something.

The nonpartisan research groups awarded points if states required reporting of independent expenditures, electioneering communications, spenders’ targets, and spenders’ positions. They awarded partial credit if states did require reporting in certain instances. That’s why Montana didn’t get a big fat zero percent like the kid in the next seat, North Dakota. But Montana only got half credit on the independent expenditure side. The state got no credit for requiring information about electioneering communications.

That is why the Center for Public Integrity just released a story about Mont. Supreme Court candidate Ed Sheehy, who lost after a barrage of attack mailers by Montana Growth Network painted him as being an activist partisan who was soft on crime. It’s worth pointing out that correlation doesn’t prove causation, but the CPI story goes into great detail about how the mailers seem to have affected the race’s outcome.

One of the interesting points that comes up in the article is that Montana Growth Network is run by one of Montana’s far-right senators, Jason Priest (R-Red Lodge), who personally maxed out on contributions to Sheehy’s opponent, Laurie McKinnon.

Priest told CPI that his nonprofit didn’t report the spending because their mailers amounted to “issue advocacy” rather than the kinds of mailers that directly advocate for or against a candidate, which, sorry to say, is just one of those pitch-perfect politician  statements that may be technically true but entirely ignores what most people clearly want — which is to know who is spending money to alter election outcomes. After all, MGN may not have sent out mailers that read “Vote for McKinnon” or “Don’t vote for Sheehy,” but they clearly attacked Sheehy right before the general election, and he was the only other person running against McKinnon at the time.

Figure it out for yourself.

In case, like the owner, you don’t already know, “beaner” happens to be a racial slur often used to deride Mexicans or other Spanish-speaking people some folks simply assume are Mexicans.

Well, today things got amplified a bit when a similar ad for the missing kitty appeared on the Independent Record’s website.

Here’s what the Vigilante learned by calling the number:

The cat’s owner, Susan Hughes, is very sad about losing this cat she’s had for three years and considers part of the family.

“We really, really love him,” Hughes said.

When this reporter mentioned that a $500 reward more or less proves her devotion, she added, “And we’re spending a boatload on the paper as well.”

The cat was not literally lost during the parade, but only in that general time frame.

“I live downtown and the door got left open,” she explained. “It was left open all night. He’s not an outdoor cat. He’s an indoor cat.”

She’s afraid he might have crawled into a vehicle and someone might have accidentally driven him out of the area.

When asked whether she knew her cat’s name was also a racial slur, she said, “It is?”

She said his full name is actually Beanie Bag, explaining that it just sort of morphed over time the way pet names sometimes do.

“Why would anyone call anyone something like that?” she asked. “That’s weird.”

She said anyone who thinks his name was meant as an epithet is wrong to see it that way because that isn’t how it was intended.

“It’s really just terrible that anyone would think like that,” she added.

The cat has been gone for two weeks now. While she has received some phone calls about potential sitings, none of the cats she’s found after the calls have actually been hers even though some look very similar.

See the attached photo of the poster for contact information if you think you’ve seen the missing cat.

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but the other day, I saw a truck with skeletons trying to bust through the side of it. I wondered to myself, how did the skeletons get inside the body of that truck? What do they think they will do once they are out? Why drive a truck that would require you to be constantly pestered by skeletons?

And then I saw a Jeep with a bald eagle and an American flag bursting through the fender in some insanely misguided attempt at showing its patriotism. It is my understanding that bald eagles don’t give an ass what country they live in. Such details are secondary when you are trying to make your killer ride even more killer-y.

As it turns out, there are SO many things to put on your car so everyone stuck in traffic near you gets to know how totally bad ass you are without ever meeting you. Like fake vents. And chrome emblems that say “Limited Edition” so even if you don’t have a limited-edition car, you can fake everyone out and act all smug like your car really is a limited edition. People will be all, “Whoa! That car is a limited edition!”

One of my favorite accessories is a flexible string of LED lights to put around your headlights. Lights to put around your lights. I don’t know why you would want lights around your lights – no functioning and self-respecting light needs its own light – but you, American Consumer, CAN put lights around your lights. That way your headlights can make all the other headlights in your neighborhood their bitch.

Another accessory line I found is the last vestige of Betty Boop. Her swan song is in the form of seat and steering-wheel covers. She clings to your seats and steering wheels desperately, as if to say, “Please, don’t forget me! All the Tinkerbelle decals in the world can’t replace Boop-Boop-a-Doop!”

It’s sad and pathetic and metaphorical.

Nobody gives a shart about seat covers. You don’t get judged for your plain seat covers, but you do get judged by your cartoon-character seat covers.

On the first day I am homesick for Helena, Montana, I will miss breakfast at the No Sweat Café.

Vigilante contributor and IR alum Larry Kline (left) laughs while IR copy editor Joe Menden hams it up on trivia night. Photo by Lisa Kunkel.

No smiling young woman will serve up rich organic-blend coffee, I will not yell ‘hello’ as Deb dances in front of the stove. There will be no breakfast burrito, no huevos rancheros, no Stumbo Lost Wages with sausage. My belly will not bulge over a cup – a cup! – of oatmeal a la Paula. My heart will not swoon over a glass of fresh OJ or hearty apple juice.

There will be no lone fan spinning in drafts through the swinging screen doors on a summer Sunday, no Marilyn on the walls, no bluesy rock on the speakers, and for a time I will be sad.

And then my mind might turn to a walk up the gulch. I’d daydream of hot drinks and the funky wares at the General Mercantile. Its soft-lit booths and back rooms were a favorite interview spot. I’d miss the stone serenity of the Power Block and the dragons on the Atlas Building. I’d miss that spot up by the library where they found gold a century-and-a-half ago, because I have an affinity for old things and an odd mind, which is sometimes curious about what is beneath my feet, and what used to be.

I’d miss the hills.

I’d smell Ponderosa pines in a hot dusty July wind, see the higher firs loaded with big gobs of Montana snow in December, those hoarfrost mornings where every needle and branch is cold white. Flowers blooming in the grasses – those big bunches of yellow petals bursting out of the eastern slopes. Blue blossoms on the north side. Stone circles around the bitterroots sprouting on the trails – people here are so damn kind.

I’ll miss the Hogback Trail up Mount Helena. The Ridge Trail in June. All of the different ways to top Mount Ascension. Rodney Ridge. And, farther out, I’ll miss Crow Creek Falls and Trout Creek Canyon. And Elkhorn Peak, especially – I got snowed out in summer twice before I finally scrambled up those rocks on the third try. I’ll miss the Hanging Valley, a gem every Helenan should see.

God damn, I will miss the stones of the Gates and the waters of the Missouri. Refrigerator Canyon and the road up Hogback. Wolf Creek and Craig and the float out of the mountains. I’m a talent-less and impatient angler, but I enjoyed watching others land trout and, more rarely, seeing the bald eagles outperform all those folks in silly hats.

I cannot overstate the simple beauty of floating by those old rocks with a hand in the water and a beer in the other.

I’ll miss turn-turn-turning on Mount Belmont and over at Showdown and up at Bear Paw Ski Bowl – and all of you black-diamond freaks need to check out that little hill south of Havre for a cheap day of some rocking trails and powdery bowls out in front of Mount Baldy. Trust me.

I’ll miss quiet weekday afternoons cross-country skiing along Mac Pass, watching Red Mountain quench our thirst as the wind blows through the ravaged pine stands. I don’t mind the beetle-kill, now, because change is inevitable, it’s constant, and the bugs just opened up patches of ground for new sprouts.

I’ll miss bright pink mornings over the deep purple Belts. I’ll miss those red-fireball sunsets we get on smoky nights in August. I’ll miss the green spring afternoons – so precious few of them! – and even some of the summer heat. I’ll miss scraping Montana powder off those sidewalks on brisk mornings – it’s really the best free workout money can’t buy. And I got paid to do it.

In the afternoon and early evening I will miss the Blackfoot and the people there. I will miss the Scottish Ale the most, though the Poor Richard’s I drank there last Christmas holds a special place in my liver. I’ll miss the bartenders at the Rialto – which was the first bar my friend took me to nearly seven years ago – and those at Miller’s, Jester’s, the Gold Bar/Western and O’Tooles. They took care of me when I wanted to be social. And while I met plenty of people in other ways here, I made a number of friends in those places, too, smoking cigarettes, playing pool, talking in circles and getting to know one another.

I’ll hunger for a Taco del Sol burrito, for the green chicken curry at Murry’s, for anything at Toi’s, for the aura and burgers at the Windbag – though my favorite hamburger in town was always the Rialto Burger, which I’ve been missing for years now. And I’ll miss the Three Little Piggies at Miller’s, which, sadly, also has dropped off the menu. For dessert, I’d dream of the kunefe at the Mediterranean Grill.

I also will miss the Med Grill for other reasons – I worked with good people and learned how to serve good food there. I’ll miss the Bagel Company, where I became part of a family and learned how to play with dough, time, temperature and water. I’ll miss the fantastic people at Mackenzie River Pizza, which has been one of my favorite places to work. I’ve made friends there I will keep for life.

I’ll miss hot summer days digging holes and hauling gravel and moving rock with Brynn and Nik and Thaniel. Those men are artists, and the best work crew I’ve been part of. I’m proud of the walls, patios and paths I played a role in building, even if I never set a stone.

Matt and Eric and everyone at the SAVE Foundation have been more than good to me, and they do an excellent job drinking from their own particular fire hose. I’ll miss their ingenuity and kindness.

And I’ve worked some other places that aren’t worth mentioning, but I knew good people there, too.

I already miss the old Independent Record, the way it was when I started working here in 2006. I miss the people I used to work with, both inside that building and out in the town and valley. They were great people trying to do solid work. If they were in local government here – that was my beat for three-and-a-half years – they were some of the best public servants I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and I’ve covered government in two states and a half-dozen crazy little towns.

The folks I came across elsewhere in the valley, the people working for nonprofits, the cops and firefighters, the artists, the engineers, the little old lady trying to get a park built – they were amazing. We had so much fun. And I really dug the opportunities I had to tell everyone else about the important things, the creative things, and the progressive things happening in this community.

My former colleagues were honest people who loved their jobs and did good work and raised families and cared about this community. Most of them have either lost their jobs or left, but a few still soldier on, because they believe their efforts are important – or maybe they’re not sure what else to do, because the news business does get its fingers into you. I sympathize with them, because their bosses – from the top rung here all the way to Iowa – are stupid, self-serving assholes who should’ve been run out on a rail a long time ago.

I miss the energy, but I don’t miss the pressure of daily journalism, and you can’t have one without the other and be doing the job right. I even miss the crazy dysfunction of the place that first few years, because it seems quaint compared to the mess it is now.

Those who are grieving the loss of the newspaper industry are wrong – there is still a ton of money to be made in the publishing business, and new investors will be knocking on doors all across the country if and when the current business model crashes. Publicly traded corporate ownership – not the Internet, which largely doesn’t gather its own news and therefore doesn’t have the goods, in the end – is the problem. Wall Street demands ever-increasing profits instead of steady, solid money year after year, which is insane and counterintuitive to the average press.

Someday, when Uncle Lee is finally taken out back and shot – which is a humane way to put down a lame beast – some private money-man or –woman or -people will buy the property and make it into something worthwhile once more. Hopefully there’s still time, before Lee just shutters the thing in favor of a Helena-Missoula-Butte joint publication – which will suck – that’s designed cut-rate in Indonesia, written by a half-dozen poor, exhausted souls, and run out of Billings.

I will certainly miss this spirited little publication. And even though I’m moving to Aspen, Colorado, at the end of this month, this isn’t the last time you’ll see my byline in the Vigilante. I have a couple of projects going that will stay in the can for a rainy day, and at some point I’ll just have to write you folks a dispatch or two from the Roaring Fork Valley, which I understand is much safer since Hunter S. Thompson humanely removed himself from the population.

Shane Castle and Sam Lavin are trying to do something really good here with this paper, and for the past year-and-a-half, they’ve succeeded in making this better and better. They – along with myself and a talented cast of contributors – have done work on these pages that is better than anything else you will read in this state, and is more daring than anything else you’ll read in the country. And that’s not hyperbole – the March veterans issue I had the honor of helping with is work unlike anything else we’re aware of, even among alternative publications in major U.S. cities. It’s worth a read online if you missed it, because it’s important and it’s good.

As Shane has said, there will always be room for another newspaper in this town, because there always have been a few rags on the street, ever since the streets were dirt. The Vigilante is a good one, and I hope the community continues to support it in even greater numbers. He and his wife want to stay around a few decades, make it their life and livelihood, create a few jobs and help you all as a community, and I think that’s worth more than most things. Please support them with a subscription or an ad.

Not everything in life is positive, and I certainly won’t miss everything about Helena or Montana. Your folks can’t drive, for one. It’s a four-way stop, people. Or it’s an uncontrolled intersection. Or it’s not. Come on.

But most of all, while I’m laying down my head on my first homesick-night pillow, saddened but somehow spirited by a day of remembrances, I will miss Montanans. The folks here and up the Hi-Line, where I spent my first 20 months under the Big Sky, are hardworking, honest, creative, principled and kind. The people who’ve touched my life in the past eight years are good, so good. They are what made living here – even with all of the trees, rocks, waters and sky – so significant. Montanans helped me learn myself. Some taught me hard lessons when I needed them. Some showed me kindness in dark, difficult places.

Some I met in passing and still remember, others I got to know, and still others I was honored to call brothers and sisters. Those true friends I’ve gained here have been solid footing. When I think of them, I think of love. I know when we see each other again – and we will, I’ll always come back here, now and then – we’ll pick up where we left off, even though everything will have changed, again. We will make more memories and times will be happy and good.

The first week I moved here, I got a taxi ride downtown. I told the driver I’d just arrived, and that ornery old woman said: “Welcome to Hel.” I shrugged it off – I’d just moved from Havre, and there was much more to do here than there. But it was a bit true, later – I dealt with a few hellish times, as everyone does, because that’s life. But I’m glad I had those times here, of all places, because there were good people all around me.

Now, I’m headed for wet, snowy heights, red rocks and fast water. I’ll leave sometime toward the end of May, and it will be good. Life will turn over again, it will keep changing, as it does, and we’ll all move forward. I’ll miss you folks, but we’ll see each other again sometime.

And, remember, as Charles Bukowski once wrote, when asked about life’s purpose – “We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” The last two lines are imperatives. Take heed.

All the best,
Larry

George Ochenski. Photo by Chad Harder

When the Legislature left Helena last week one thing seemed clear – the early infighting by Senate Republicans had come home to roost.  The result?  A handful of “moderate” Republicans revolted against the much more radical Senate leadership and voted with the Democrat minority to pass the budget, wrap up the session, and call it quits.  Mirroring the disarray of the national GOP, there’s no end in sight for the ideological divisions now wracking a party once known for its ironclad unity.

The tale starts well before legislators from both parties came to town to elect their 2013 leadership.  As revealed in emails given to the Great Falls Tribune’s Capital Bureau Chief John S. Adams, a handful of “real” Republicans decided to oust the existing Senate leadership as being too moderate and replace them with those more closely aligned with Tea Party style extremism.

To make a long story short, suffice it to say their coup was successful with Jeff Essmann replacing former Senate President Jim Peterson and Art Wittich replacing former Majority Leader Bruce Tutvedt.  Although their victory brought serious division within the Senate Republican majority, Essmann and Wittich undoubtedly expected that once they had ascended to leadership positions they would receive predictable and  unquestioning loyalty and votes from their Republican colleagues.

Thus was the stage set for the Senate Republicans’ internecine feud that persisted throughout the session.  Had Essmann and Wittich, who were presumably in charge of the daunting 29-member Republican majority, tried to mend fences and accept the differences of opinion and constituencies so common across Montana, things may have turned out different in the end.  But they did not.  They had the power of leadership, but not the wisdom.

Instead, the hard-core conservative Republicans only made the situation worse when they also tried to isolate, harass, and intimidate other moderate Republicans like Llew Jones, who spent the entire interim working on a new school-funding bill.  Moreover Jones, like Peterson, believed that something had to be done about the flood of “dark money” that targeted Republican moderates during the last election cycle – and did so in direct defiance of the Essmann-Wittich leadership team.

While “hell hath no fury like a woman spurned” it’s fair to say the spurned former Republican leaders didn’t just sit back, ignore their personal convictions and follow the marching orders being relentlessly issued by the new leaders.  Perhaps emboldened by the release of the campaign season emails that showed the depth of the plotting and the harsh demeaning of their character, Peterson and Tutvedt soon found themselves joined by six other Republican senators who were also being targeted by the Essmann and Wittich faction.

Suddenly, the once-solid Republican majority could no longer be taken for granted.  On issues ranging from school funding to dark money to the major budget bill and long-overdue raises for state employees, the eight spurned Republicans – or some portion of them – cast their votes with the Democrat minority, infuriating the hard-core conservative leadership, but very effectively neutering their ability to dictate votes and hence, wield the power that should and normally would come with leadership positions.

It’s well-known that the Tea Party exerted an almost unbelievable shift to the right on the Republican Party nationwide.  Indeed, here in Montana many moderate Republicans were singled out for primary challenges.  But there’s a lesson in the blowback against the far right Senate Republican leadership team – push too hard and too far, make too many demands and attack your own party members and you just might find yourself enmeshed in a civil war right when you least need one.

Did the Essmann-Wittich cabal learn that lesson?  Judging from their comments, it seems they didn’t.  In a post-session interview, Wittich told reporters “we had great expectations, but in the final assessment, it was about lost opportunity.  I think the people who like to spend a lot of government money were the winners.  The losers were the taxpayers and people hoping for reform.”

Contrast Wittich’s sentiment with that of Billings Republican Sen. Taylor Brown, one of the moderates:  “Real Republicans do not simply say ‘no.’ In life we search for proactive solutions.  We solve problems, putting Montana first.”  Or those of Jim Peterson, who told reporters he was representing the wishes and hopes of people in his district who want good schools, public infrastructure and a good public workforce.  “We call ourselves responsible Republicans.  Judge us by how we walk and how we talk…”

Miners drive trucks into the Drumlummon Mine late in April. Employees recently learned that the mine will close despite millions of dollars worth of gold and silver mined since the mine reopened. Photo by Jesse Varnado.

In 1878, an Irish immigrant named Richard O’Connell settled with his family in Marysville, where he spent the next three decades digging gold and silver from the rich veins of the Drumlummon Mine. His son, Rob, followed in his footsteps – quite literally into the same shafts – before taking a job topside delivering freight for the mining operation. He did that right up until being elected county commissioner in 1935. But that didn’t sever the family’s deep connection with the mine. Rob’s son, Bob, went on to work there after the second world war. He worked there until the mine closed in 1958. For 80 years, that mountain had been the centerpiece of the O’Connell story. They sweated and likely bled deep inside it. And even though it was now inactive, they still lived in its shadows and gathered wood on its slopes. So when the mine reopened in 2008, Bob’s daughter, Debbie O’Connell Peterson, went and applied and got a job. She isn’t just a fourth-generation Montanan. She isn’t just a fourth-generation miner. She is a fourth-generation Drumlummon mine employee. And she loves the hell out of it.

On March 26, she had an article published in a small southeastern Connecticut newspaper. It told the history of her family and the mine but mainly focused on what it is to be a woman working in an industry typically dominated by men. She started as a core cutter – taking ore samples for analysis – and moved up to do work related to ore assay. It is plain to see she has enjoyed and is proud about what she has accomplished over the past five years. At the end of the article, she did what a lot of people do when they find themselves in a good situation and excited about the prospect of continued happiness: she predicted the good times would just keep coming.

“The Drumlummon Mine produced over 20,000 ounces of gold and 315,000 ounces of silver in 2012,” it read in part. “I believe my women coworkers Anh Sam, Amber, Sarah, Anna, Kendall, Mary, Karen, Janeen, Lisa and I will continue to receive great wages, health insurance, 401K benefits and paid leave in a welcoming environment for many years to come.”

Of course, about two weeks later she and 106 other workers at the mine and a mill in Phillipsburg got a letter from Drumlummon Gold Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer, Bob Taylor, which said the mine was closing on or before June 28.

“At this time, given current conditions, it is expected that the closing of regular operations will be permanent,” it read.

***

Since local reporter Eve Byron broke the story about the mine’s imminent closure, there has been a lot of talk around Marysville. Their feelings about the closure are no less complicated than their feelings about the mine itself. They know the town owes its existence to the gold discovered all those years ago in the hills. Some of them may have moved here for the post-industrial peace and quiet, but even they understood that moving a few hundred yards from a mine that held such vast quantities of precious metals could have its drawbacks. Sure, they were happy for those who landed good-paying jobs. Then again, not many people from Marysville worked up there – only a few, in fact. A sizable chunk of the guys digging ore were tramp miners, pros who follow promising veins state to state, flooding into towns, setting up camper trailer subdivisions, and leaving as soon as the money runs out. But residents knew all of this excitement would be impermanent. Those who were getting old just had to hope they outlived the beast. And yet they didn’t realize that, after all those meetings with mine operators, after all that gold and silver reportedly coming from the so-called Charlie Vein, it would close so soon.

Since Drumlummon reopened, its owners and operators have faced a fairly steady stream of criticism from locals who are annoyed by the industrial noise, dust, and traffic. However, no one, even those who have been regularly cited in other media accounts of the community’s conflicts, gave the Vigilante any indication that they oppose the mine in principle. They talk openly about the problems and organized an action group as a method of negotiating with mine operators, but in recent interviews the harshest thing anyone said about the mine was a resident named Billy Christensen, a self-described “black wolf” who told the Vigilante he just didn’t think U.S. Silver and Gold or its predecessor RX Exploration did a good job of reacting to residents’ concerns.

“They have a hard time doing it right because doing it right costs money,” he added.

Christensen was behind an action group called Marysville Area Concerned Citizens that boasts at least 40 members (in a town with only about 80 residents). What was the group’s concerns?

For his part, Christensen was bombarded with noise. He lived directly across from the main mine entrance, in just such a place that amplified the clatter, clank, and rumble of machinery. He sold his house at a loss and built on other property he owns. The operators later installed barriers around the mine’s entrance to dampen the noise.

However, noise wasn’t the only problem or probably even the most severe. The mine’s owners had to drill new wells for several homeowners because they sucked down the water table. Sources say one Marysville resident who was trying to sell his home and acreage for several hundred thousand dollars had his well come up dry enough times that, in the end, the exploration company just bought the property. A similar situation occurred when Jason Gilliam, the previous owner of the only restaurant in town, was in the process of selling the property. Gilliam had been trying to sell the business for several years, so it was particularly bad timing, and could have potentially botched the deal if, for whatever reason, the new well hadn’t worked. The new well worked fine and the deal went through, but not without adding stress to an already stressful process.

The Independent Record reported that a recent test of the volunteer fire department’s well found that it was sucking up mud and will soon need to be replaced. Even though sources say mine operators arranged to drill a new well and provide water in case of a fire in the meantime, it has some residents worried.

A volunteer firefighter and ex coal miner named Harry McGee told the Vigilante that he’s worried what might happen when insurance companies hear the town’s fire department has a compromised well.

Overall, there is some sense among residents that mine staff have reacted to citizen concerns, just not proactively. As McGee put it, “They’ve done just enough to keep themselves from getting kicked out.”

Residents like O’Connell Peterson don’t see it this way, of course. They may understand their neighbors’ concerns, but they more or less made peace with the flurry of activity, tried to appreciate this brief backward glance into the area’s history, or simply applied for a job within walking distance of their rural homes.

At the bar on a recent Friday night, the Vigilante went around asking various residents how the differences of opinion played out in such a small community.

The consensus seemed to be that they may disagree but it hasn’t caused any noticeable animosities.

***

The story can get pretty exciting if one listens to the rumors floating around Lewis and Clark County. To hear some people tell it, no matter which way you turn, the closure is the direct result of some kind of conspiracy.

(Just to be clear: this section is loaded with unproven allegations. I just want to give a sense of how people have imbued the mine closure with intrigue.)

Lots of people told the Vigilante they find it a little strange that the mine is closing given earlier company statements that said they expected to find $100 million worth of gold and silver and how much they have already pulled out of the hill. U.S. Silver and Gold reported the same numbers O’Connell Peterson noted in her article: 20,000 ounces of gold and 315,000 ounces of silver in 2012 alone. Even if you extrapolate based on lowball estimates – $1,000 an ounce for gold and $30 an ounce for silver – you’re looking at $22 million in gold and $9.45 million in silver. But gold topped out at almost $1,900 in 2011 and is still trading at around $1,400. So people reasonably wonder how the company could possibly close a mine generating so much of the stuff.

The company’s explanation has been that, while gold may still be trading at $1,400 an ounce, it costs them $2,300 to produce each ounce.

Some still find the explanation unconvincing, given the fact that, when this new round of exploration started, gold was only trading at about $900.

Others talked about the possibility that the company was either somehow trying to avoid Montana taxes or pad production at its Galena Mine in Idaho. Why did they think this? Because, as the rumor went, they have a mill in Phillipsburg but were sending ore by truck much further to the mill in Idaho.

This rumor was interesting enough that The Vigilante contacted Frank Bordewick, who owns and operates the company transporting ore from Drumlummon. Bordewick said he and an employee did transport about 700 tons of ore to Idaho over the course of a few test runs, but said he thought it must not have proved cost efficient because they stopped. He said the vast majority has gone to Phillipsburg.

Some others said they believe the mine is closing because of water disposal issues. This one is a little complicated and requires some explaining.

Back in September, some residents complained that the mine was discharging too much nitrate-rich water into a nearby creek and raising the levels higher than it was supposed to. As it turned out, the buried discharge pipe still had a membrane covering the holes that would have more evenly distributed wastewater through the earth along the bank rather than all in a glut at the end of the pipe. The company removed the membrane and reburied the pipe. But some residents still believe the company left the membrane on intentionally and was trying to get away with something. To hear them tell it, operators are simply creating far more wastewater than they can dispose of now that the drainage system is set up properly. That’s how one arrives at the conspiracy: the cost associated with bottling it up is greater than they planned for and that additional cost has resulted in the untenable $2,300-per-ounce production figure.

One casual observer even told the Vigilante he’d heard the price of gold was dropping due to some kind of national price-fixing conspiracy.

Here is an old saying that might still be applicable: where there’s gold, there’s sure to be rumors.

***

This reporter can’t help but feel there is something to this particular flurry of rumors, however – maybe not in the sense that they actually hold water, but more in the aggregate. Why are people so quick to question what the company men say even though they have direct access to long-time neighbors like O’Connell Peterson who care about the community and work in the mine? Can we just put it off to that old saying about rumors? Do people float them for their own profit? Do others keep them going just because it’s fun? Or is it something else? Something deeper?

Even if we never know all the intricate details of what went on behind the scenes in corporate boardrooms, here is what we do know happened: a company gambling on a big payoff swooped into town, made big claims about how much gold was left in them thar hills, started digging up a lot of gold and silver just as prices skyrocketed, started spreading money around in the community, inadvertently drained some nearby wells, caused a big enough racket that it pushed one family out of its home, then sent out a letter informing 107 people that they were going to be out of work within 60 days because, in a nutshell, the people tasked with predicting profits were wrong about how much money could be pulled out of those holes in the ground.

It doesn’t stop at the edge of the mine or even in Marysville. There are plenty of other businesses around the area that contract with the mine just like the trucker Bordewick. He didn’t have any complaints about the time he’s spent hauling ore for BGC, but when asked what this closure meant for him and his employee, he said, “It’s going to be tough for us. We’ve given up all our connections.”

That clipped statement does a pretty good job of summing up a lot of the frustration a lot of people seem to be feeling right now – and probably not just with the company, but with themselves.

Because it’s not like you have to feel sorry for yourself for your mind to start wandering back over the whole thing. Maybe part of you wonders why you put so much stock in predictions coming from people in a boom-or-bust industry. Another part wonders how, despite all your hard, back-breaking work, you’re still in a position where you don’t have many options. And yet another part of you does the only thing it feels like you can do, which is to shrug and say, “Oh well, back to the drawing board.”

Some of the people out in Marysville are tickled pink that the mine is closing. Some are mad. Others are a little sad. Many fall somewhere in between. But the history of Drumlummon mine – from the opening bonanza to the production lulls to the small-scale explorations to the closures to the recent full-scale reopening followed by yet another closure – tells any reasonable person the same thing: this probably isn’t the end of the story.

If history isn’t a good enough guide, just look to the part of U.S. Silver and Gold’s most recent quarterly report, which includes the following words about the closure (emphasis mine):

“The shutdown is prudent to preserve Drumlummon’s gold and silver resources until economic circumstances merit their extraction.”

Winter may be over, but Marysville just got put on ice.

Charlotte Sanddal. Photo by Gary Marshall of Blackfoot Media Group.

Sanddal was born in Chicago in 1922. In 1942, at the age of 20, Sanddal joined the U.S. Naval Reserve serving as an aviation machinist mate or “grease monkey.” It was in the Navy that she got her first real taste of long-distance swimming. As part of their training, Sanddal and the rest of her group participated in a competition called the “Swim to Tokyo.” It was a five week program and every mile Sanddal swam was supposed to equate to 50 miles to Tokyo. While Sanddal admits that she was barely able to swim a half mile at a time during the first week, she was swimming for three straight hours by week five. She was also one of the only ones to complete the program.

“I was surprised to no end,” said Sanddal on completing the Swim to Tokyo program.
After three years in the Naval Reserve, Sanddal went on to get married, have four children, and earn a degree in social work. But her story was far from over. After retiring at the age of 72, Sanddal was first introduced to a woman named Flora Wong, who told her about the Senior Olympics. Wong, herself, took up competitive running and swimming in her post-retirement life. “I owe it all to her,” said Sanddal of Wong.
Growing up, Sanddal explained that she was always a tomboy and was “into everything.”

“I was busy,” she said. “I just couldn’t help myself.” So it should come as no surprise that she took that same adventurous spirit and made the decision to join the Senior Olympics.

Having never had any formal swim lessons growing up, Sanddal enlisted help from Wong and others on instructing her how to do all of the different swim strokes. Once mastered, Sanddal began kicking and propelling her way through numerous senior competitions. She’s participated in the Big Sky State Games, Montana Senior Olympics, Wyoming Senior Games, Southwest Idaho Senior Games, and the Huntsman World Senior Games held in St. George, Utah every year. And she has numerous medals adorned with brightly colored ribbons slung around a lamp in her house to prove it. Sanddal has also participated in several World Masters Games over the years including those held in Edmonton in 2005, Sydney, Australia in 2009 and she is primed for this year’s games in Turin.

Sanddal now swims in the 90-94 year old age category, in which a powerful few other swimmers likewise enter. When asked how she feels she stacks up with others her age, she responded laughing that, “They’re faster than me. I’m not fast at all.”

But while she may have qualms about her speed in the pool, those were all shot down this past October at the Huntsman World Senior Games. Not long after the games wrapped up, Sanddal learned that she set a masters world record in her age group in the 50-meter butterfly. She finished with a time of 1:21:95. She admitted that setting such a record is ironic as the butterfly is her least favorite stroke.

With one record on the books, Sanddal is now looking ahead to the World Masters in Turin. At least three times a week, you can find her gliding back and forth across the pool lanes at Crossroads health club as she works on perfecting her strokes. She explained that while the pool she’s used to swimming in is 25 meters long, the one at the World Masters is 50 meters long. Therefore, a little more endurance will be necessary with not having as many breaks turning around andpushing off the side of the pool. She plans on traveling out of town to test the waters in a 50 meter pool prior to competing.

But records and competition aside, it’s the people Sanddal meets and competes with that make it all worthwhile. Without them, she said, the experience would be “hollow.” And then of course there are all the people who see her through on all her competitions. “I’m fortunate to have people who help me and get me where I’m supposed to be at the right time,” said Sanddal.

It should come as no surprise that Sanddal’s vivaciousness at nearly 91 years of age astounds nearly everyone she comes across. She admitted that people are always coming up to her and saying, “When I’m your age, I hope I’m doing that.” These kinds of reactions are “the reason as much as anything that I do what I do,” said Sanddal.

Sure she’s set a world record and is still signing up for competitions each year, but for Sanddal, all she’s looking to do is achieve her own personal best.

“I want to see what I can do,” she said. “You keep going, keep doing it, and try to improve your strokes.”

It is this commitment to giving her best in the pool that gives Sanddal a focus each day. She stresses that having a daily focus when you first roll out of bed in the morning is something everyone should have.

Sanddal may be farther over the hill than most, but you’d never know it by her attitude.

“My mind does not include slowing down,” she said. “I wake up every morning and have an agenda.”

When I contacted publisher Randy Rickman to ask about the report, here is what happened.

Rickman said he had not seen the article but told me “we have not laid off any graphic designers.”

He begged off to read the article. Half an hour later, I called back. He said he hadn’t had a chance to read the article but was about to do so. I asked if he would call me back afterward. He said he would.

That was at about 11 a.m. At 4 p.m., I called and left a message telling him that I had found more specific information about the alleged layoff – including that it happened on December 26, 2011 – and asking him to call me back.

What I’d found was a list from the federal register that showed job losses across the nation that were a direct result of outsourcing overseas. There is a government program called Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers that identifies and seeks to provide various assistance to workers displaced by outsourcing. There are certain criteria a job loss has to meet in order to make the list, so there had to have been such a job loss at the IR.

Maybe Rickman just meant there were no recent layoffs. Or maybe there were other explanations that wouldn’t be immediately apparent to an outsider.

I just don’t know because it’s been several days and he still hasn’t called back like he said he would.

Candidate Libby Goldes

1. Education/occupation/other skills you bring to the table:

I have a master’s degree in librarianship and worked as a reference librarian in Fairfax County, Virginian. I was appointed to the Lewis and Clark Library Board during which time the library was remodeled. I was then on the Library Foundation Board. Earlier I was elected to the Helena Citizens Council for two terms which gave me an overview of how things work in Helena. I am the mother of four children who all attended school here in Helena and I enjoyed the opportunity of volunteering in their classrooms – helping with math, having students read to me and working with other parents to provide curriculum based arts instruction. I was a Girl Scout leader and also volunteered to help with various fundraising activities.

2. Why do you think you’re qualified to make decisions for public schools?

My six years as an elected member of the Helena School Board have given me in-depth knowledge of the successes of our district as well as the challenges it faces. I have dedicated myself to the study and understanding of the budgeting process, the long range planning issues and improving board governance. I have also made an effort to listen to and then respond to concerns raised by members of the public on a variety of issues and have worked to improve the opportunities of the public to communicate with the board. The principal goal of the board is to ensure the highest level of achievement for each and every student and that they graduate with a practical plan for the future. Everything that the district does needs to support that goal. The report from the demographers hired to help with the long range planning process indicates that our enrollment will stay pretty even at around 8000 students. This knowledge makes it imperative that the budgeting process ensures that every dollar is spent wisely.

3. General philosophy on public school curriculum:

The world is changing. China has more students in its gifted and talented programs than the U.S. has in its K-12 system. The jobs of the future may not exist now and may, perhaps, be in places far from Helena. This new reality requires that our students be prepared for more than a mastery of reading, writing and arithmetic. They will need to be able to work creatively and collaboratively and demonstrate critical thinking in subjects which cross traditional boundaries – and via the use of ever-changing technology. I support a curriculum created by our local educators and specialists that enables our students to acquire those skills and abilities that are identified in the standards adopted by our district and state and which will enable them to be successful in life. Curriculum committees include individuals identified by the curriculum administrator as important to the decision making process and parents and other non-district employees are represented . How the curriculum is taught remains in the hands of the individual teacher and the building principal. Teachers work with parents and guardians to address particular concerns and, perhaps, prepare an alternate assignment.

4. Where did you stand on that whole sex-ed curriculum debate?

I support a comprehensive, research-based health curriculum that is taught by trained health educators and teachers . The curriculum is supported by recommendations to be found on the websites of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to name a few. A goal of the district is to encourage good health for all students for the course of their lives and knowledge about the human body and how it functions is integral to that . As in all curricular areas, parents and guardians can work with the teacher to address their concerns about how this topic is presented.

5. Pick another recent school board action/decision besides and tell the Vigilante’s readers how you might have done things differently and why.

The board recently engaged the services of a demographer to provide a comprehensive forecast for the population of our district. The final report, with recommendations, is to be made Tuesday, April 30. So far we have learned that the student population is projected to remain pretty stable over the next 10 years. Also, we learned that 70% of our students live north of the railroad tracks and only 30% of the buildings are there. I wish we had had this information at the beginning of the process (several years ago) when we relied on the data source used for a variety of district purposes, but which doesn’t have this depth of analysis. With no sizeable increase in student population, the budget dollars will be constant and insufficient to support any additional schools or grade re-configuration, and, in fact, make it challenging to provide all the funding needed for educational adequacy while maintaining the buildings we currently have. Having this information earlier in the process might have made the challenges the district faces in addressing the various needs more understandable to the board and the public.

6. How will you go about working with those on the board who hold opposing views?

I will continue to listen attentively to those who hold opposing views. I do my best to look into areas where I might not agree with another board member through research and other means. I try to understand the issues and determine whether I might change my view. I appreciate hearing various viewpoints and am thankful that I live in a country where we have the freedom to voice our opinions.

7. In the spirit of full disclosure, is there anything else you think we should know about you?

Due to my father’s military service, I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the last two years of high school. No one I knew, including Brazilians, attended public schools. There were two sections of school per day at the public school near where I lived and illiteracy was growing in the country at that time. The small middle class virtually disappeared when the oil crisis of the 70′s hit. The disparity between the rich and the poor became greater. A quality education was one of the paths to success and the vast majority of the population was deprived of that advantage. We are fortunate to have a dedicated group of educators and other staff committed to providing our students with the education they need to prepare them for the future, a generous community who recognizes that need and supports the levies that provide it , and an elected board that oversees it. I want to continue to use my experience to support public education here in Helena.

Candidate Lisa Wordal

1. Education/occupation/other skills you bring to the table:

• Studied Philosophy, Theology College of Steubenville, Ohio
• Dental Hygiene Degree, Shoreline College, WA
• Dental Hygienist 20yrs; Hygienist at Southhills Dental 15 yrs
• President of Montana Dental Hygienists’ Association 2009-2010
• Chairman of the Montana Dental Hygienists’ Association 2009-2010
• Represented Montana Dental Hygienists’ Association in several capacities including Legislative Chairman, Board of Dentistry Liaison, and testifying at the State of Montana Legislature; Delegate to Early Childhood Coalition for 3 yrs.
• Built invaluable lasting relationships with the children of our community for nine years, as a Faith Kidz Bus Captain.
• Grew up 3rd oldest of 7 children, both parents Stanford educated. Strong influence toward education being a key to success.
• Honest, focused, proactive, responsible, hard working, willing to do the research.
  Accountable to the community, parents and children of this district.

2. Why do you think you’re qualified to make decisions for public schools?

I make evidence based decisions every day. I don’t experiment with my patients’ health and neither will I experiment with our children’s future. I will stay focused on what the goal of this district should be-provide the best education possible for the children of our community. I want to see vetted curriculums presented and used. I want clearly defined analysis of programs that are present and being introduced into our schools. What is their goal? Are they vetted? What is their success? Are they being duplicated by other programs? What is their expense to the district now and in the future? Should we continue?

Is our budget being analyzed every year specifically; evaluating all expenses as to their merit, reducing waste, and enabling our district to run efficiently? Are we being accountable to the tax payer?
I will stay focused, and do the work that effective informed decisions require.

3. General philosophy on public school curriculum:

The curriculums we use need to be vetted! I want to see measurable results. Do these curriculums encourage learning, or are they manufactured and devoid of any creativity. Teachers become teachers because of their unique ability to present information in a way that captures the attention of the student and encourages learning. I want curriculums that cultivate this aspect of teaching. Children are losing their interest in reading because of the need to teach to the test. If children learn to love reading, they will have been given a gift for life. Writing skills are essential. I would like to see curriculums that require correct punctuation, spelling and grammar. This is a must for effective communication.

Math proficiency is unacceptable in our district. Math curriculums with measureable positive results are now being used and I would like to see them continue.

4. Where did you stand on that whole sex-ed curriculum debate?

Debate or debacle? I believe this was a huge distraction from the crisis’ within the district. The district was able to ignore the abysmal academics, accreditation requirements and scheduled maintenance for our schools for another year and I would say to what end?? I know more teenage girls now having babies than before this “preventive “ curriculum. If we educate our children well academically, give them positive goal setting skills and present scientific facts rather than rhetoric generated by agendas, our success “health” wise for our students will be far greater. I, also, question replacing academics with this curriculum. Parents need to stay involved and direct the education of their children.

5. Pick another recent school board action/decision besides and tell the Vigilante’s readers how you might have done things differently and why.

The policy that essentially eliminated Walt Chauncy from the application process for principal of Capital High School, was a decision that created more questions than answers. The board is ultimately responsible for confirming the selection for this position, so I would say why set yourself up for failure by supporting this policy? Pick your battles and don’t create unnecessary angst. This was a controversial policy from the onset, yet it was left to stand. These kinds of decisions alienate people unnecessarily and any perceived positive aspect of this policy, by supposedly making the hiring process less intimidating, was greatly over shadowed by the negative. Policies need to be weighed carefully and if do not generate desired results, eliminated. There is a saying, “policies should not be used as an excuse not to think”.

6. How will you go about working with those on the board who hold opposing views?

Agree to disagree. I will be open to hearing differing opinions and perspectives, but I will, also, stay focused and make decisions based on whether they will effect a positive academic outcome. The focus of our schools should be to provide an excellent education for the children of this community. No other entity bears this responsibility. Therefore decisions should be made accordingly.

7. In the spirit of full disclosure, is there anything else you think we should know about you?

Lack of decision is actually a decision. Lack of action is action. This board has failed to act on maintenance issues for years. This has now forced the closure of one school, creating great distress, and caused most of the other 16 schools to have major, expensive, hard to remedy problems.
The lack of foresight in the valley’s growth has forced hardship on the families and children of that area without any immediate resolution in sight. It will be 2 years before any new schools will be completed. The building bond of over 100 million dollars will allow new schools to be built, relieving the overcrowding. However, the engineering company hired by the district to make a plan for the future of our schools, has made it clear that the district cannot afford to add new square footage without closing square footage in other structures. This will necessitate decisions affecting the neighborhood schools in other parts of town. This was confirmed at a recent budget meeting.
The building bond must, also, be voted in by a community that now feels disenfranchised by the decisions of this board. The Walt Chauncy debacle has solidified this feeling.

Inaction in the area of hiring the correct counseling personnel and librarians has actually forced our school into level 2 of intensive assistance which essentially means our district does not meet accreditation standards.

Inattention to academics has created abysmal proficiency in math and below state averages in reading. The drop out rate is unacceptable. This is the capital city of Montana. We should be the standard bearer in education. Our obligation to the children of our community is an excellent education.
Our district is in crisis at many levels. Decisions by this board or lack thereof has created this state of affairs. I believe that focused, proactive, well informed decisions will be necessary to begin the long ascent out of this situation. It will not be easy. The community will have to be a part of this transition.

I am willing to do the work, make the decisions and be accountable to the constituency that I represent!

Candidate Libbi Lovshin

1. Education/occupation/other skills you bring to the table:

I was educated in the Great Falls Public School system and went on to receive my degree in accounting from Carroll College. I am currently the Central Services Division Administrator at the Montana Department of Agriculture. My division serves as the operational hub for the department, managing all budgeting, accounting, human resources, and technology services for the department as well as legal, public information, and legislative activity. I have served on the board of directors of a local non-profit for a total of eight years and was the financial staff for three different boards during my time as finance director of the Lewis & Clark City-County Health Department.

2. Why do you think you’re qualified to make decisions for public schools?

My 18 years of professional experience in management, leadership, and budgeting; my involvement as the mom of a public school student; and two years of service as a trustee are my qualifications. Just as important, I strongly believe in the benefits public education provides not only to the students but also to the community, and I know we have great schools in Helena. Having an optimistic view of the district while being realistic about the budgetary and achievement challenges we’re facing help me make decisions that are best for all 8,000 students in our district.

3. General philosophy on public school curriculum:

My son is in 4th grade in our Helena public schools and I am the daughter of two teachers who retired from the Great Falls public school system with 33 years each in the classroom; public education has always been part of my life.

Public education touches everyone in our community whether they have a child in school or not. It is an equalizer because it provides the best education possible to every child in the community, no matter that child’s abilities or socio-economic status. In Helena, we are working to provide education that is targeted to each child’s ability by providing opportunities for advanced or alternative learning.

We are adopting common core standards that raise expectations for what students will know by the time they graduate.

4. Where did you stand on that whole sex-ed curriculum debate?

I worked for nine years as the finance director for the Lewis & Clark City-County Health Department. While I did not deliver direct services, during that time I saw first-hand the impact that factual, impartially delivered, science-based information can have on a person’s ability to make good decisions.

Human sexuality is one portion of the health enhancement curriculum. Other aspects of the curriculum include nutrition, life management skills, and safety. All the aspects of the health enhancement curriculum contribute to our students’ well-being. The curriculum is on the district’s website, so parents can review the curriculum and discuss what will be taught with their student’s teacher.

5. Pick another recent school board action/decision besides and tell the Vigilante’s readers how you might have done things differently and why.

As a current member of the school board, I appreciate the public debate that takes place. It shows that we have strong public interest in the school district. I receive and welcome comments and constructive criticism of our decisions. The district has recently been in the news related to the safety closure of Central School and hiring the principal at Capital High. One of the things that became clear during those public discussions is that the district can improve how and when we communicate with parents and the community.

6. How will you go about working with those on the board who hold opposing views?

The great thing about the current board of trustees is that we are able to air our views respectfully and continue to focus on the issues at hand even if we disagree. I think everyone has something valuable to say. I will continue to uphold the respectful atmosphere that enables open discussion.

7. In the spirit of full disclosure, is there anything else you think we should know about you?

My goals are clear: to help guide educational planning and set priorities in budgeting with a focus on student achievement. We must allow our schools to thrive through sound financial management of tax dollars, providing a quality environment for education, and clear communication and community involvement. I am an experienced public finance and business leader who will continue to bring a strong financial management background to the school board.

Candidate Jon Rush

1. Education/Occupation/Other Skills you bring to the table.

I received a Bachelors Degree in Political Science/Economics from California State University.
I am retired from the phone company when it was named QWEST. Previously it had been Mountain Bell and USWEST. I worked in the phone company’s Department of Revenue tracking, gathering, and settling inter and intrastate revenues for the company in Montana. I also supervised the engineering accounting department which worked with the state engineers in the construction and tear out of telephone facilities within the borders of the state as well as supervision of the telephone company central warehouse in which most of the materials needed for these duties transited.

I have served on the Helena School District #1 Board of Trustees, Helena Citizens Council, Helena Girl’s Softball Board, and presently on the Gates of the Mountains Boat Club Board.

Being involved in the above duties has developed the skills needed to work for, or within, governmental, non-profit, supervisory positions with union personnel, youth groups, the schools, and private operations.

2. Why do you think you are qualified to make decisions for public schools?

Please refer to question number one response that outline a diverse and successful background in many organizations. Ranked among the 14 states in USWEST the groups I supervised were always ranked either number one or two.

3. General philosophy on public school curriculum:

Helena school district ranks very poor in the area of academics when compared to the other districts in Montana. The high schools in Helena have a mathematics proficiency rate of 55%. The state average is 68%. At the elementary level the Office of Public Instruction reports grade three math proficiency at 58% with the state average at 69%. Other grades show a similar gap. Additionally the board has been presented with the fact that C.R. Anderson Middle School has been rated as “no adequate yearly progress” for the last five years.

This poor showing is a matter that has not been addressed by the board for years in any constructive manner. Rather the board allows, and in fact encourages, the classroom teaching to be breached by non-academic events that rob the teachers and students of learning time. This must be stopped. The board is the governing authority that must reorder priorities in the schools.

4. Where do you stand on that whole sex-ed debate?

The debate was brought to a conclusion by a vote of the board two years ago, however they failed to supervise the implementation in any rational basis. They failed to pay the price for their decision by employing qualified counselors, and in the event of medical advice, doctors, to handle the curriculum. The schools have been forced to lay this on uncertified social workers, and the classroom teachers. It would be similar to having a Geography major teach a calculus course. The results have been unsatisfactory.

5. Pick another recent school board action/decision other than the item in #4 and describe how you might have done things differently, and why.

The decisions that standout are the following. The first would be the Central School closing. This was done at 2:30 on a Friday and caused chaos among the students and parents. Furthermore, it was based on an engineering report that reported that to make the building “quake safe” it would have to be empty during “the construction period.” The board had ignored a previous report on the structure for several years. School should have been dismissed at the usual time and the board should then have met with the engineers that evening and fully informed themselves of the facts then acted on recommendations. Additionally, the treatment of the PAL students in relocating them to the Front Street building to less than adequate conditions was unacceptable, when there was other classroom space available in the district.

Another decision, or lack of, was what I will refer to as the “Chauncy Affair”. Here the board has allowed the superintendent to make up his own hiring rules as he goes along, and as a result, deprived the district of proven, capable leadership. As a member of the board I would demand hiring standards that would be adhered to, and give all qualified persons the chance to apply for any vacancy in the district.

6. How will you go about working with those on the board who hold opposing views?

Debate with that person on a fact based basis. Correct decisions will reveal themselves when facts are fully revealed to all at the meeting. An example of this would be that the district is now under an “intensive assistance” order by the Office of Public Instruction. The reason is that the school district has not adequately staffed several areas including librarians, counselors, and nurses, to levels needed to retain accreditation by the Board of Public Education. If the district loses its accreditation it will lose state “base” monies and the ability of the students to participate in any interscholastic activities. The superintendent has recently proposed that the district hire 3 success counselors, these individuals do not have the credentials needed to fulfill the demand by the Board of Public Education. Some board members have encouraged the superintendent to make the decision and hire the success counselors. This is an example of where I would promote a fact-based dialogue to convince other board members to hire individuals that would help to solve the districts accreditation problems, and spend the budget money wisely.

7. In the spirit of full disclosure, is there anything else you think we should know about you?

At a budget committee meeting recently the superintendent revealed to the committee members that the elementary budget for the next school year was not at the moment in balance and that he didn’t have funding for any operating costs of any new construction. One board member summed it up by stating that additional building (such as a larger Jim Darcy or a Middle School in the valley) was not possible with all existing schools operating as they are today. He confirmed this. (This statement can also be found in the report commissioned by the board and completed by Mosaic Architecture). This means that the present board members who are running for re-election will ask the public to approve a rather large bond to be presented this fall, and will either not be able to operate the new structures, or will, against assurances, close existing schools. Thus my answer to the question is that full disclosure about myself is that I would always give full disclosure to the students, parents, and taxpayers, and not offer scenarios as described above.

Candidate Betsy Baur

1. Education/occupation/other skills you bring to the table:

Sixteen years as a project manager and fundraiser for The Nature Conservancy helped me to understand budgets, human resources, and project management as well as to fine tune my personal skills of listening, bridge building, and problem solving. I have a passion for the education of our youth and hope to bring these skills to the Board.
I am a graduate of Dartmouth College.

2. Why do you think you’re qualified to make decisions for public schools?

I want to serve on the Helena School District Board of Trustees because I believe my strengths of consensus building, evaluation and financial management would be an asset to the board and the district. I have a solid track record of successfully achieving goals, managing projects and employees, and financial accountability. I am also a proud parent of a third grade student at Smith Elementary School where I have volunteered for three years helping students in the classroom and also organizing enhanced learning opportunities for students, such as foreign language instruction, field trips and community service. I have seen the challenges in the classroom and want to help prepare our youth for life after school.

3. General philosophy on public school curriculum:

Public Schools provide an opportunity for our youth to define their future. Public schools can inspire life-long learning and instill a civic engagement ethic. Not all of the lessons in public schools are academic. Social awareness, diversity acceptance, community mindfulness, teamwork, and physical health are important life skills as well. While public schools cannot be all things to all families, they are important in a person’s life. A high school diploma alone can make a tremendous difference in the socio-economic outcomes of a person’s life. The cost economically to our society of a failing public education system could bankrupt this country. Therefore, I will focus on student achievement and graduation rates as measurable indicators of our schools.

4. Where did you stand on that whole sex-ed curriculum debate?

I support teaching the Health Curriculum including sex education. Not all children get accurate health-related information at home. I believe the Health Curriculum provides a good opportunity for parents to have further conversations at home about these topics. Without accurate information on these complex issues some kids can make decisions that will impact their lives and education for years. I thought the school board did a good job of listening to the community and incorporating some changes into the curriculum.

5. Pick another recent school board action/decision besides and tell the Vigilante’s readers how you might have done things differently and why.

I do not want to second guess a board’s decisions as I have not served on the board and I have not been privy to all of the information that went into those decisions. I will however, say that the communications with the Helena Community and specific school stakeholders in particular could have been better in the two recent school-related events at Capital High School and Central School. I believe it is the Board’s responsibility to ensure that the district has personnel policies that are enforced and transparent and that we and the district communicate pro-actively with parents. If we want to become the premier district in the State of Montana, and I do, then we must treat our employees fairly. We must hire all positions through a competitive process that includes members from different stakeholder groups. This process must be communicated to the community with an opportunity for input. After the process, we must live with the decisions/outcome as we know it was handled appropriately.

6. How will you go about working with those on the board who hold opposing views?

As I mentioned above, I pride myself in listening to people and trying to understand their perspective. I truly believe that incorporating divergent perspectives leads to better decisions. The Helena School District has a number of important stakeholders and these groups must be heard before decisions are made.

7. In the spirit of full disclosure, is there anything else you think we should know about you?

I understand that I have a steep learning curve if I am elected to the Board of Trustees. With 8,000 students, over 800 teachers and more administrators and support staff, 16 schools, and an operating budget of nearly $53 million, the Helena School District is a complex organization. I try to make my decisions based on best practices and science. While I will listen to constituents and community members, I know I will have to make a decision based on the information I have gathered and what I think is in the best interest of our youth. Sometimes I know this will not be popular but I will always do what I think is right.

I also believe in “contextual learning” in that I think students learn more effectively when they understand the context of the subject. This means going on field trips, mentoring opportunities with community members, involving parents and other volunteers and utilizing technology.

The letter called the practice “a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against illegal searches and seizures.”

The IRS is under scrutiny because the ACLU recently released a report and documents showing the agency has long held that it is OK to read Americans’ emails without a warrant.

The IRS issued a statement Thursday saying that it doesn’t do what  documents suggest it does.

However, the ACLU report showed that the agency’s recently revised policy manual still reads as follows: “If the contents of a wire or electronic communication have been in storage for 180 days or less, the government must obtain a search warrant, based on probable cause, to obtain access to the contents.”

This is important because the language remains despite a 2010 ruling by the Sixth District Court of Appeals that (1) concluded the IRS needed a warrant and (2) didn’t affirm the validity of this 180-distinction.