Page 30 - Flathead Beacon // 9.14.16

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’
TWO FOR THOUGHT SAME TOPIC, DIFFERENT VIEWS THE DEPLORABLES
KELLYN BROWN
PRICE OF AMBITION
WHEN SOMEONE RUNS FOR LOCAL OFFICE in Montana, he or she deserves a little credit. Many of them get paid next to nothing and balance public service with their full-time jobs. And despite some recognition, many residents can’t name all their respective city councilors.
That, however, doesn’t make the politicking any less divisive. A look at what has unfolded in Libby the last few years is a good example of that. So is Troy. Or even White sh, to a lesser degree.
Libby Mayor Doug Roll resigned last week, saying he had had enough of ghting with his critics, some of whom had led a petition to have him recalled, although a judge later ruled it invalid.
“These people don’t have a clue of how government works,” Roll said in an interview after his resignation.
To be sure, Roll’s detractors disagreed. They say he hired a temporary city attorney without consulting the full city council and that he failed to put an item on the agenda even though a council member asked him to. The Montana commissioner of political practices alleged that Roll’s claim that his 2013 opponent Allen Olsen wasn’t a resident of the city may have in uenced the election. Roll won the race by 13 votes.
In fact, Roll acknowledged that he ran for city coun- cil last year in an attempt to play “spoiler” and unseat Olsen and other longtime critics.
Despite the public rancor, it would be hard to argue these politicians are doing it for the money. Roll took in about $660 a month and the councilors $330 a month. Nothing to sco at, but no one is getting rich either.
Roll can now focus on his full-time job as a mechanic. While the e ort to recall him failed in Libby, and Roll resigned on his own accord, in nearby Troy the late Don- ald Banning wasn’t so lucky. In 2012, critics leveled sim- ilar allegations against Banning that Roll would face a few years later.
Banning was also accused of making unilateral deci- sions without consulting the council. And in a special election in May of that year, he was recalled in a vote of 190 to 123.
The former mayor irted with a political comeback the next year, saying, “I’m innocent of all the crap they accused me of and I can prove it. I’ve got to get back into the thrill of things.” He ultimately decided against it. Banning passed away earlier this year after a long battle with cancer.
Like Libby, Troy councilors don’t get paid much. But both towns o er more than White sh, where councilors are all volunteers. The city charter explicitly calls for it.
While elections for positions on White sh City Council have quieted a bit, in 2009 and 2011 the races were among the most contentious in the region. For their trouble, councilors there get reimbursed for mile- age and lodging when traveling on o cial business, a sti- pend for cell phone use, and that’s about it.
And those volunteers, at least in previous years, have been caught up in campaigns costing tens of thousands of dollars (often in outside money) with voters receiv- ing stacks of negative mailers and candidates bitter after brutal campaigns for “non-partisan” positions. In a story following the 2009 election, Myers Reece wrote in his postmortem for the Beacon, “The race is over. Let the healing begin.”
Whether you support your small town elected o - cials, and the last few years have proven many don’t, they often pay a price for their ambition. And they get little tangible in return.
BY TIM BALDWIN
Clinton said she could “put half of Trump’s sup-
porters into what [she] call[s] the ‘basket of deplor- ables.’” In truth, most Americans looking at the 2016 election are saying, our political leaders are what’s deplorable. This is why Trump became popular in the rst place. Clinton attacked the wrong people.
The constitutional history of the United States demonstrates how political power continually shifts to the federal government, away from state and local authority. This has given federal politicians tremen- dous power, yet they are the least connected to the people. Their interests have become more closely aligned with corporate elites, globalists, and foreign powers. This trend will not be xed by one presiden- tial election. It will take change in the constitutional system.
Meanwhile, Clinton’s apparent health problems have raised questions as to her tness to be pres- ident. Clinton’s attack on Trump supporters and her health may give Trump the edge he needs to get elected, though there is still the “X” factor of Gary Johnson, who poses a signi cant threat if he is allowed to enter the debates.
Politics has traditionally caused division among people, but it can be done civilly. When a presidential candidate attacks the people, a line has been crossed. This is why people see politicians as deplorable.
BY JOE CARBONARI
Hillary Clinton’s use of the term “deplorables” to
characterize a large portion of Donald Trump sup- porters is unfortunate and counterproductive. The context and use of the term suggests that the cam- paign has decided that about half of Trump’s sup- porters aren’t worthy of consideration, that they are “undesirables.” This suggests that they are unlikely to receive much positive attention should Hillary win.
It plays into the belief, shared by many of us, regardless of partisan preference, that the system is “rigged” in favor of the “haves” over the “have nots.” If you have capital, you have opportunity. If you have the right sort of education, or social standing, you have opportunity. If not, the temptation to cut a few corners, to take care of oneself at the expense of oth- ers, particularly those di ering from you, increas- ingly beckons. In an unfair system you will likely lose if you play by the rules. On the street it’s the “los- ers” vs. the “wise guys.” Trump hangs with the “wise guys.”
The “wise guys” are not “wise men.” They tend to swagger more and know less, but they do take action ... they are willing to mix it up and make some changes. There are often tinges of the deplorable involved. Violence also is often involved. Strong, unwise lead- ers invite death and destruction. On the way, they can make those in their societies more prone to lying, cheating and stealing. Good people can be lead astray. Choose your change carefully. Morality matters.
GUEST COLUMN MICHELE PAINE SUPPORT HIGH SCHOOL BOND
A
pell schools’ high school bond.
The large lecture hall at Flathead High School is
a cavernous, two-story room that can house 100 stu- dents in a tiered classroom space in the old university style of giant classrooms. Stadium style seating works for individual, face-the-front, lecture style instruc- tion, but it is hardly conducive to 21st century learn- ing. We know our students need practice collaborat- ing in varied groupings, tackling a range of learning and communication tasks using technology, texts, and other learning tools. The large lecture hall proves to be unusable for this type of learning and instruction. I am excited about the innovative, multiple classrooms that will replace the lecture hall, giving our students much needed space that allows for exible, 21st cen- tury learning.
The old gym, built 80 years ago, is fondly remem- bered by FHS alum who recall watching basketball games there. It is a place full of history and tradition, yet not conducive to safety and learning for our stu- dents today. The old gym is used by physical education classes during every school day, and our sports teams have to practice there because the main gym is not big enough to accommodate all teams. This space is also used by community groups on a regular basis. The old gym is not regulation-sized, the baskets are unsafe, the
oor is uneven, the walls are comprised of uneven and crumbling brick, the stairs are steep and narrow, the bathrooms are inadequate, and the handicap accessi- ble ramp is not up to code. Ironically, the small gym was “replaced” by the FHS main gym in the 1950s, but it remained in regular use in each and every decade leading up to the present day. Our students and com- munity groups deserve a real replacement – the aux- iliary gym planned in the new bond.
Also included in the high school bond is space for special education students with severe and pro- found disabilities. The design of Glacier High School included space to house special needs students from both GHS and FHS zones with adequate and com- fortable learning facilities for specialized care of stu- dents with severe disabilities. Ten-year growth in the school district, however, created overcrowding, and now Flathead High School needs space to house the special needs students who are in the FHS zone. Cur- rently, we do not have adequate facilities for these stu- dents at FHS. The new bond includes specialized class- room space for students with disabilities as part of the replacement of the 100-year-old half oor classrooms.
It’s time to say goodbye to the 100-year-old and 80-year-old learning spaces and replace them with well-designed, exible spaces that can be used for many new generations of Kalispell students. We’d love to give any interested voter a tour of our facilities.
S A CURRENT ADMINISTRATOR AND FOR- mer teacher at Flathead High School, I’d like to
address several key areas included in the Kalis-
Michele Paine is assistant principal at Flathead High School.
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SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM