HB 971 is a standout example of bad policy passed by GOP lawmakers this session. Removing a key provision of MEPA, HB 971 erodes Montanans rights to a clean and healthful environment.

Originally shared as a part of the Gallatin Democrats March 24 newsletter. Everyone poops. The title of a funny children’s book is a key issue in the current Montana legislative session.  When you flush your toilet it can go to one of two places, either an off-site wastewater treatment system or an on-site one. Off-site systems, […]

I attended my first Mansfield Metcalf Dinner last weekend. It confirmed for me a presentiment I have had for a while. Every part of the political cycle–the state legislature session, the declaration of candidates, the campaigns for office themselves–are opportunities to bring more people into the process, to bring awareness and shine light, and to […]

Being a precinct rep in a very red precinct can be lonely work; It’s been almost two years of hitting the red brick wall.  Knocking on doors, working with candidates, and wondering if I’ll ever have any consistent volunteers.  But last week something changed.  I received a text about an upcoming meeting of the town […]

What a wild ride the first four weeks of the legislative session has been. My initial takeaways are that the system is not made so that the working person can easily participate in these proceedings. Things move at lightning pace: if there is a bill you care about, you may only have a couple days notice to try […]

To my co-workers, my friends: I got home from the watch party at Colombo’s Pizza last night not knowing the national  results, and I have not checked them this morning. The local count was put on hold at 2:29am, as the election officials needed to stop for some rest (most had worked since the previous […]

Sitting in the audience at the Belgrade Candidate Forum last week, I was struck by a stark difference between the Democratic and Republican candidates. While there was certainly an ideological contrast, I find that sort of disagreement uninteresting and not very insightful into our current political moment. I could easily write a list detailing the […]

My name is Alaric and I am a student and cross country athlete at Gallatin High. Every single summer we have many days, sometimes weeks straight, where my teammates and I cannot run because of the smoke caused by the fires every year. That was not an issue when my mother was in high school […]

The housing affordability crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing the United States today. In Bozeman the trend is particularly bad, but the problem is national and results from policy failures at the local, state, and federal levels. The massive increase in housing costs is deeply harmful to people, communities, and the American […]

Today, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and overturned half of a century of legal protection from the government interfering in our most personal and private decisions. As access to abortion becomes a state-by-state patchwork, we have work to do on behalf of Montanans who value the right to privacy, bodily autonomy, and […]