I am supporting former Polson businessman, Bill Gallagher for Public Service Commissioner. Decisions made by the Public Service Commission influence energy policy in Montana, regionally, and nationally, and have a very real impact on Montana families, taxpayers, ratepayers and employers. Unlike his opponent, Bill is not a career professional politician. He has real world businesses […]

The purpose of the Public Service Commission is to serve the public interest. So when it came to my attention that PSC candidate Bill Gallagher may not be forthcoming about his ownership and financial interests in a water utility, I was concerned. We need more politicians who run because they want to be in public […]

News comes slow to Niarada, so I’m a few weeks late writing in response to Dave Skinner’s column (July 14 Beacon: Advice for FWP) disparaging the state’s attempt to purchase the Spotted Dog Ranch. This area is a wonderful acquisition that will be enjoyed by Montanans for generations to come. It is 40,000 acres of […]

Montana’s union leaders should tread lightly when making compensation demands to the governor and Legislature in the months ahead. Already, the private sector has little sympathy for the public one and it will only worsen with more statements like this from Eric Feaver, president of the MEA-MFT: “If unable to make salary a salary gain […]

I am a professional educator in Miami, Florida, on vacation in Kalispell with my sister and her family who are local residents. I was so impressed by the recent story, “Wave of New Teachers Part of School Budget Solution.” Kalispell’s School District 5 has solved a budget shortfall by hiring only inexperienced teachers. Simply brilliant! […]

Recently, I met with some Flathead Valley business and political leaders to discuss job creation and other matters of interest to Montanans. As an entrepreneur and investor who works with start-up technology companies, it’s clear that our state’s technology infrastructure is key to many of the companies we are nurturing. Since these technology start-ups create […]

Last week at Montana West Economic Development’s (MWED) August E2 (Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur) session, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of business owners whose business have, as I call it, hit “cruising altitude”. The E2 panels started back during Liz Marchi’s service as Executive Director of MWED and continue to this day, where they are […]

Things have been pretty interesting on the energy front the past month – as you would expect when energy gets mixed with politics. Most folks know that Flathead Electric Cooperative has been installing a partial “smart grid” here, in hopes of efficiency gains and better cost allocation. But will things pan out? Consider this bit […]

Dave Skinner’s recent commentary (Aug. 18 Beacon: “Glacier National Park: Our Ticket to the Third World?”) is shameful; advocating for mining and manufacturing in Glacier National Park? Are you kidding me? This non-sensible stance exemplifies why the far-right Tea Party Republicans have fallen off the cliff. This kind of extreme talk clearly does not represent […]

The argument that gambling is unethical is fast losing to the one that it is necessary to shore up state coffers. On the east coast, where placing bets was limited to Atlantic City and Indian reservations, states are now jockeying for more gamblers’ money by lifting restrictions and encouraging casino development. Montana was in a […]

Based on recent letters to the editor in local newspapers and comments made by county officials at a July 27 public gathering, the $124,000 state-funded feasibility study for an unpaved 10-mile section of heavily traveled North Fork Road appears to be headed for the filing cabinets and DVD storage. In these times calling for fiscal […]

Ready or not, here they come! Of the more than 80 million students in the United States who will start school within the next two weeks, approximately 10,000 of them will be walking through the front doors of the Flathead Valley school system. As we prepare to start a new school year, it is time […]

I spend 99.9% of my time here writing things aimed at employers/business owners, but today this one is for the employees and those who would like to be employed. Lately, I’ve noticed a few things that make it not all that surprising that some folks aren’t having much luck getting work, so I have a […]

In response to Larry Parsons (Aug. 18 Beacon: “Motocross Track Would Benefit Community”), I also say be a good neighbor. Do not build a motocross track on your highest ground when you have dips and depressions in which to build it to try to lessen the noise. Do not ask to race from 6 a.m. […]

I love Glacier National Park. It’s the reason I moved here and the reason I stay. But I am beginning to abhor camping there. While we enjoy backcountry camping, we also enjoy spending time on Glacier’s beautiful lakes with our sea kayaks, in the front country campgrounds. But these campgrounds are a far cry from […]