Accountability In State Government

09/09/2026

Want to show off the beauty of the working landscape of our great state while supporting property rights?
Choose the Glory of the West license plate when licensing your vehicle!

06/18/2026

06/17/2026

Property taxes will only increase in Montana . Sending the wrong people to the legislature will not fix the problem

Montana leaders have failed to fix our unsustainable property tax growth — and now some want to pile on a statewide sales tax for good measure. They’re ignoring the real problem: government growing like wildfire while families get squeezed.

We’re calling for real taxpayer protections at every level — state, school, and local. Governments should grow no faster than Montana families can afford. Cap government budgets at inflation and automatically return overcollections to taxpayers.

Cap the growth. Refund the rest.

Join the fight at ProtectMontanaTaxpayers.com

If you agree, SHARE this post.

04/14/2026

https://www.yellowstonecountynews.com/category/politics/

Eye Opening. State legislators that use their positions to enrich themselves need to go

Apr32026Legislator Takes Advantage of ARPA Business Loans Evelyn Pyburn Montana-Statewide • Politics • Top Stories • Yellowstone County 1 Comment Significant federal funds flowed into Montana—and all other states—during the COVID-19 pandemic under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), with ...

04/01/2026

HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) Executive Board passed a
resolution on Tuesday rebuking 17 Republican legislative candidates and three elected
party officers for working with progressive political groups tied to out-of-state billionaire
donors.

According to publicly available records, these progressive billionaires are attempting to
advance their agenda in Montana through a multi-layered, deceptively designed
network of political action committees (PACs) and dark-money nonprofits, including
Helena-based Fireweed Campaigns Inc., which manages political candidates and liberal
ballot initiatives.

Fireweed began billing 11 Republican primary candidates thousands of dollars in
January 2026 for “campaign management” services. Additionally, Fireweed’s staff made
maximum contributions to the 11 candidates for whom they provided services, as well
as six other Republican candidates.

The same candidates supported by Fireweed are also backed by Conservatives4MT, a
phony group that shares leadership with progressive organizations like Big Sky Fiscal
Guardians, Treasure State Stewards, and Montanans for Election Reform Action Fund.
Three elected officers of MTGOP county central committees are tied to the progressive
PAC infrastructure.

The resolution passed by the Executive Board rebukes the candidates and officers for
betraying the MTGOP and Montana Republican voters by coordinating with out-of-state,
far-left organizations to elect primary candidates who are antithetical to Republican
policies and principles.

The resolution calls on the candidates to return any money received from Fireweed or
related organizations and calls on the officers to resign from the PAC infrastructure and
disavow the progressive groups. The Executive Board will consider further action to
protect the trust of Montana voters if the candidates and officers continue to coordinate
with the liberal network.

The 11 Republican primary candidates paying Fireweed for campaign management
services include:

● David Bedey, SD 43 (Hamilton)
● Llew Jones, SD 09 (Conrad)
● Kenneth Walsh, HD 69 (Twin Bridges)
● Brad Barker, HD 55 (Roberts)
● Michele Binkley, HD 85 (Hamilton)
● Linda Reksten, HD 13 (Polson)
● Shelley Vance, SD 34 (Belgrade)
● Curtis Cochran, HD 90 (St. Regis)
● Susan Geise, HD 17 (Helena)
● Russell Nelson, HD 67 (Belgrade)
● John Fitzpatrick, HD 76 (Anaconda)

The six candidates who received contributions from Fireweed include:

● George Nikolakakos, SD 12 (Great Falls)
● Melissa Nikolakakos, HD 20 (Great Falls)
● Valerie Moore, HD 29 (Plentywood)
● Eric Albus, SD 14 (S**o)
● Ed Buttrey, SD 11 (Great Falls)
● Doug Martens, SD 18 (Forsythe)

The three elected party officers involved in the progressive PAC infrastructure include:

● Ross Fitzgerald, Chair of Teton County Central Committee
● Roger Hagan, Precinct Committeeman of Cascade County Central Committee
● Ted Kronebusch, Chair of Pondera County Central Committee

“Montana Republican voters need to be confident that the candidates and officers
they vote for are actually working in their best interest and promoting Republican
policies and principles, not doing the bidding of out-of-state progressive
billionaires,” MTGOP Chairman Art Wittich said.

03/25/2026

Courtenay Sprunger voted to raise property taxes on Flathead Valley businesses.

During the last legislative session, Sprunger supported Senate Bill 542 and House Bill 231—measures that increased commercial property taxes across the region.

According to the Montana Department of Revenue, commercial property taxes in the Flathead Valley are estimated to rise 12.26%, with some local businesses seeing increases as high as 30% to 50%.

As the Flathead Beacon reported, residents are saying that this new tax structure places a heavy burden on Flathead Valley businesses.

And when businesses pay more, families pay more.

Flathead Valley families deserve leadership that protects local jobs, not policies that make everything more expensive.

03/11/2026

You know what’s wild?

In a community built on hunting and fishing, Wayne Rusk voted against protecting the right to hunt and fish.

House Bill 372, 2023 simply stated, “The citizens of Montana have the right to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wild fish and wildlife”

It locked our Montana harvest heritage into the constitution so no one could chip away at it later.

Wayne Rusk voted no.

Maybe Wayne thinks our Montana way of life doesn’t need protecting.

03/11/2026

Lyn Bennett voted to raise property taxes on Flathead Valley Businesses.

Lyn Bennett voted for HB 542 and Senate Bill 231, legislation that increased property taxes across the Flathead Valley.

According to the Montana Department of Revenue, commercial property taxes in the Flathead Valley have risen 12.26%, with some businesses seeing 30% to 50% increases.

As the Flathead beacon reported, "many Kalispell business owners say the new tax formula has placed a disproportionate burden on local businesses."

That means higher prices for everyone.
Flathead Valley families deserve better.

03/01/2026

During the 2023 legislative session, Republican Michele Binkley made it clear that she believes books like Gender Q***r should be available in your libraries for your children at your taxpayer expense.

When HB 264, a bill to stop obscene material from being shown or given to minors in school, came to a vote - Michele Binkley voted no.

Why would Michele want to keep that kind of content in front of Montana's children?