Happy sunny Wednesday, Beacon readers! Apologies for this newsletter coming at you a few moments late. We lost power at Beacon HQ this afternoon, which resulted in a scramble to find somewhere with internet to finish this newsletter up. Mariah Thomas, dispatching to you from the window seat at Colter Coffee. Here’s hoping you all have power and are enjoying the beautiful sunshine out there today.
And speaking of sunshine …
A group hoping to keep the sunshine in political funding through a ballot initiative this fall will be swinging through the Flathead with a free screening of the “Dark Money” documentary tonight.
That group is the Transparent Election Initiative, which is behind the Montana Plan, or Ballot Issue 10. The proposal aims to limit business entities in the state from contributing to candidates, political parties and state ballot issues. It’s been heralded as a potential loophole to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which opened the door to corporate money in politics.
The screening of the “Dark Money” documentary will take place at 6 p.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 5 p.m.
And the screening will be followed by a question and answer session and live recording of the Beer, Buds, & The Big Sky podcast — which, for those unfamiliar, is a left-leaning podcast that “delivers unapologetic political commentary with a heavy pour of biting satire,” according to its website.
The group championing Ballot Issue 10 must collect roughly 60,000 signatures before a June 19 deadline to make it onto November’s ballot. Should the initiative qualify for November’s ballot, voters would then have the final say.
The group’s efforts to gather signatures and get their initiative in front of voters have been a stop-and-start affair, as they’ve had to hurdle several legal challenges, first from the state’s attorney general and then from a group of corporations and industry organizations.
But they’re in the full swing of signature-gathering now. And in recent days, the group has touted several high-profile endorsements of the ballot initiative, including former Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot and, today, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
“On decision after decision from healthcare to technology to taxes, it feels like the laws and lawmakers are being driven by corporate and dark money,” Buttigieg said in a video announcing his support of the plan. “Now, this is something that got much, much worse in this country because of the Citizens United decision. But I want to make sure you understand it doesn’t have to be this way, and that’s why I was so inspired to see what’s going on in the state of Montana.”
In his video, Buttigieg also touted Montana’s long history with dark money in elections. That history harkens back to the late 1800s and early 1900s when the influence of the Copper Kings reigned supreme in Montana, until voters approved the state’s 1912 Corrupt Practices Act. The act banned corporations from spending money to influence elections in the state — an act that remained on the books for a century, until the U.S. Supreme Court used Citizens United as the basis to strike it down.
He said if the Montana Plan passes, it could serve as a blueprint for getting corporate money out of American politics.
Buttigieg will join supporters of the initiative for a public town hall in Butte on May 17. The group has asked those interested in attending that event to RSVP at the following link: https://pete.montanaplan.org/.
And … that’s what I’ve got for you today. Mariah Thomas, over and out! Now, the rest of your Wednesday Daily Roundup.
City of Whitefish Settles Racial Profiling Suit for $90,000
The city admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement with Beker Rengifo del Castillo, a Venezuelan immigrant who had entered the country legally and was detained by Border Patrol after a traffic stop initiated by the Whitefish police
Kalispell Council Rethinks Main Street Safety Action Plan
City officials adjusted the proposed project to only include roundabouts and safety features along the south side of Main Street, removing a controversial road diet from the prosed grant application
Kalispell Woman Sentenced to 20 Years with 10 Suspended in Fatal Drunk Driving Head-on Collision
Kala Renee Knaus, 31, in February pleaded guilty to a felony count of vehicular homicide while under the influence following a New Year’s Day wreck that killed 37-year-old Alyssa Sladek last year
Ninth Circuit Upholds Homeowners’ Right to Build in Glacier National Park
In affirming a lower court's order, the appellate judges ruled that state law does not apply to a California couple who built a home without a permit on the banks of McDonald Creek
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