“I don’t have any money, but I want to advocate for an issue. What can I do to help?” In local elections, one of the best ways to advocate for an issue is by writing a letter to the local herald, tribune, or gazette. The best part is that it’s free. The second best part…
Tag: billings city council
The Safety of the Public and other stories
Heavens, our relationship with police is complex. They’re charged with protecting the safety of our public, and in a state with high rates of both gun ownership and suicide, a lot of that public safety-ing happens at the end of someone else’s weapon. Someone brought up this stat at the doors last week and I…
Yes, Montana, I love you too
When I met my husband Johnathan my home had dial-up Internet; no one had cell phones; my last paper had been researched using the dewey decimal system. My sister dragged me to church camp less than 24 hours after I’d returned from a trip to visit my host family in Australia. I was exhausted and…
Why we can’t have nice things: property tax edition
So at the doors when I say something like, “We haven’t had a public safety mill levy pass in 15 years,” sometimes people are like, “That’s right, police and fire need more support,” and sometimes people say, “But property taxes.” And I get it. Because in Billings, the ONLY way to raise revenue is through…
The saga of the kind-hearted people of Billings continues
The other day someone gave me an old cigar case, after the person went in search of a book they’d recommended on buffalo hunters, but couldn’t find the spare copy. “Come back in a week or two and I’ll give you the one I’m reading now,” they said. “In the meantime, maybe you could use…
Canvassing: Monday edition
Hi, I’m Not Political, and who are you?
“All candidates are the same.” “My vote doesn’t matter.” “Nothing will change anyway.” To the person who has lost faith in government, Hello, I see you there: feeling alone and unheard. Nobody’s taken the time to crouch down to exactly where you are, and when you speak up it probably seems like all anyone wants…
What does City Council actually do, anyway?
The office I’m running for is not a “big” one—in fact most people (myself included) make it to adulthood without ever understanding exactly what City Council does. We never learned that City Council is the voting body for zoning decisions—not just controversial ones like casinos, medical marijuana, and micro-breweries, but also multi-family housing, and new…