Letters: Ignore smears, vote Bullock

Ignore smears, vote Bullock

An out-of-state group based in Washington, D.C., recently started attacking a Butte company because it was founded by Gov. Steve Bullock’s brother.

Here’s the truth. Gov. Bullock’s brother left that company in 2004 and had sold his shares in 2009. Bullock wasn’t even elected governor until 2012. Gov. Bullock has no say in how awards are dispersed because the state grant process is handled at the agency level. So how on earth is it possible that Bullock funneled money to his brother when his brother had no stake in the company and he wasn’t the one making the decision?

When you look at the facts, it’s easy to call this ad what it really is — an ugly smear campaign that uses falsehoods to paint a convenient narrative.

Steve Daines is running scared, so his Washington pals have resorted to flat-out lies to attack the candidate that Montanans know is the best person to represent them in the Senate.

Steve Bullock has my full support, and I encourage you all to join me in voting for him this November.

— Deb Champman, Arlee

Pavlock is the clear-headed choice

Lisa Pavlock will be effective as a legislator, not only because she has good ideas and values, but she also has the intelligence and experience to carry out her policy without offending people. She will think things through, so that she does her work right and doesn’t create problems for Montana with unintended consequences.

Joe Read, on the other hand, has just had to apologize about offending everyone in the state. His own party was distressed with one climate policy bill he introduced. Seven out of 10 of the bills he introduced as primary sponsor died in process. He believes global warming will be good for the Montana economy and was lampooned for it nationally.

If you want Montana to be the laughing stock of the country, vote for Joe Read. If you would like to have clear-headed policy designed with the interests of Montanans in mind, vote for Lisa Pavlock. She will advocate for affordable health care, which we all need, especially now, good education, and preserving public access to public lands.

— Carolyn Beecher, Ronan

Get to know Gerry Browning

Politics. Let me be clear; I don’t enjoy it. Fundraising calls disguised as opinion polls, one-liner character assassinations (did you know Candidate X collects dead body parts? Think about that!), endless repetitions of attack ads that don’t address competency or record, etc., etc.

I’ll be short with this. A candidate is running for House District 12. Her name is Gerry Browning. Having run businesses on Polsons’s Main Street, she is now gearing up to run for the seat in District 12 and face the new challenges we will deal with as Montanans working in an unfamiliar and unsure world. I know Gerry. As a former nurse and successful businesswoman, she has the talents to deal with this new environment we find ourselves in. Get to know the person I know. Go to her website and see for yourself: gerrybrowning.com.

Ok, you can go back to watching “Tiger King.” Again. For the fourth time.

Joe Arnold, Polson

Salomon has earned another term

Sen. Dan Salomon is a seasoned legislator with enough seniority in the Montana Senate to get things done for his constituents. This is an important fact in today’s term-limited legislature. The senator has a proven voting record supporting both agriculture and business. This is evidenced by his “A” rating and being named the recipient of the Montana Farm Bureau Golden Windmill Award for supporting agriculture in both the 2017 and 2019 sessions. Salomon was also recognized by the Montana Chamber of Commerce as a “Champion of Business” during the 2019 session. Sen. Salomon has a proven record of working within the legislature to ensure that his constituents are heard and represented. Vote to send Sen. Dan Salomon back to Helena.

— John Youngberg, Executive Vice President, Montana Farm Bureau