Hey Y’all,
It’s nice to see the grass greening up. Soon the tulips and daffodils will be sprouting, the leaves will be on the trees, and the legislature will have adjourned Sine Die and the members will be on their way(s) home.
The Legislative Memorial Service is scheduled for this Sunday (April 13) at the Capitol, in the House Chambers starting at 12:30 pm, with a Reception to follow in Room 303. This solemn event takes place every two years, towards the end of the legislative session. Legislators who have passed away during the preceding two years are eulogized by their colleagues. The proceedings become part of the legislative archives, and are preserved for posterity. The Legislative Spouses arrange for the Reception after the Memorial Service in the Old Supreme Court Chambers (Room 303). They bring out the good silver service for tea and coffee, make the cookies and mints and chocolate covered strawberries for the Reception. All in all, it’s a very meaningful, elegant ceremony. I make a point of attending this every two years. I know more and more of the legislators who are eulogized each time I attend the Memorial Service. Their lives and stories are wonderful to remember. I made a clean break with the Capitol when I quit lobbying, but I do attend the Memorial Service. I made a living talking to those people for nearly 40 years, so it seems the least I can do is pause for an afternoon and reflect on the people who spent so much of their their time serving and leading the people of Montana. The Memorial Service is open to the public. You are all welcome to attend.
Meanwhile, we have another great Hometown Helena arranged for this Thursday morning. I mentioned last week that we would be spending some time in the weeks ahead discussion Education in Helena. The School District elections are being held May 6th. In addition to three Trustees up for election, there is a technology and an operational levy on the ballot. It’s hard to stress enough the importance of this election. It’s become rather trite to say “It’s for the Kids.” But is is. It also sounds trite to say “It’s Our Future.” But it is. It’s also about our property tax dollars: how and for what they are spent by the people we elect to serve us in this capacity.
Our special guest this week will be Mr. Gary Meyers, Director of Technology for the Helena School District. Mr. Meyers will discuss the ’Tech Levy’ with the folks at Hometown Helena. Simply put, there has not been a meaningful upgrade to the technology in most of our schools since 2004. Some basic information about the levy is included in a fact sheet below. Mr. Meyers will be happy to discuss the particulars and to answer any questions about this levy we may have for him.
As noted we will be voting on three Trustees May 6th. The positions are currently held by Chairwoman Siobhan Hathhorn, Trustee Kay Satre and Trustee Jeffrey Hindoien. I believe they are all seeking re-election. In addition, the following individuals have filed for these positions: Carrie Jones, John Klein III, Hanna Warhawk, and Jenny Murnane Butcher. Here is a little more information about this election. If you get a chance, or can take a little time to thank these people for their willingness to seek these positions, I’m sure it would be most appreciated. We’re trying to arrange another Hometown session on Education here in Helena. Please watch for information on that in the weeks ahead.
Please plan to join us this Thursday morning at Helena College to learn more about the May 6th ballot. C’mon down to Helena College from 7-8 am; or Zoom in from home, courtesy Aja Rail and her colleagues at Pinion Global, Inc.
Jim Smith
406-949-1002
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