Letters to the editor May 17
Don’t believe the RINOs
Ballots are out, folks. Please be informed voters.
I am Tanner Smith, the national committeeman for the Montana GOP and I sit on the state GOP executive board.
As many of you know, myself and the executive board have rebuked and censured the “Nasty Nine” senators and “The Dirty Dozen” representatives. These folks have, time and time again, used our Republican brand to get elected, and when in office they vote against our Republican party platform and policies.
Republicans don’t shift taxes and redistribute that wealth to others, we are fair to everyone. Republicans don’t fully fund Medicaid expansion, with no regulations, when we know it uses taxpayer dollars to fund abortions and child transition surgeries. There is a middle ground between funding local hospitals and keeping our kids safe from the big hospital chains. These RINO’s didn’t even offer the opportunity for discussion.
Republicans don’t keep and withhold $1 billion surplus tax dollars (HB 924), we return it back to the people who paid too much. You will hear these folks talk about “serving their constituents” rather than serving the Republican party bosses. The “Republican party bosses” are elected local precinct people and working stiffs like myself. It’s the grassroots folks who vote on and develop our Montana Republican party platform — fair taxation, limited government, individual liberty, protecting the most vulnerable among us.
When they say they’re “serving their constituents” they are actually serving a cadre of folks in their home districts that are receiving some form of your tax dollars, be it a grant or a handout. One example (among thousands) is Bainville, Montana that received $50,000 to finalize their growth plan. $50,000 for a town with a population of 300 people? A town with millions of dollars of Bakken oil money flowing under, around and through it? Bainville is a great place with great people, but the folks here in Flathead County would like to keep our money here to fix our own issues.
If these bad actors truly want to represent their constituents, then they should be running as independents, because as a Republican, we have a party platform and principles that work and always help the greater good.
— Tanner Smith, Lakeside
Eddy has served without bias, favoritism
Montanans will soon face a pivotal election for a new associate justice on the Montana Supreme Court. I offer my insight in support of Judge Amy Eddy.
I began practicing law in 1983, as a general practitioner, prosecutor and defense attorney. I served as a judge in Flathead County for 17 years, first as a justice of the peace and then as a district court judge. In 2017, I began serving as an assistant attorney general teaching at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. From 2021 until 2025 I served as deputy lieutenant attorney general, and deputy attorney general. I am now a law enforcement trainer and certified use of force expert.
Over time, the practice of law and judging have changed. What has not changed, and is needed more than ever, is the need for impartiality, nonpartisanship and a dedication to legal excellence in the judiciary.
I met Amy in the early 2000s in a trial advocacy program. Amy’s intelligence, ability and professional but friendly demeanor were immediately apparent. In 2015, she was appointed to the 11th Judicial District bench where I was serving. Judge Eddy assumed a heavy case load in a new environment. I took it upon myself to ensure that she had the resources she needed, and a judicial colleague with whom she could consult while learning the judicial process. As her exemplary record shows, Judge Eddy’s intelligence, work ethic, demeanor and ability to communicate with all those appearing before her are unparalleled.
She has served without bias, favoritism or allegiance to political affiliation. Her commitment to the rule of law is unwavering. I know first-hand that her character, ethical foundation and commitment to the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct are beyond reproach.
Judge Eddy is the right person at the right time.
— Retired Judge David Ortley, Kalispell