I know it might be confusing for those who continue subscribing to tribal politics, but if one gets beyond the rhetoric to see how policy ACTUALLY PLAYS OUT on the ground, the title of this post isn’t all that challenging.
If the last few years haven’t conveyed to you the importance of language and, even more importantly, WHO gets to define the meaning of words and phrases, then I’m not sure this post will be of much value. For those of you who DO understand the significance, let me introduce you to WORKFORCE HOUSING.
Before we get to Martin “Gomer” Kidston’s piece on how MRA is exploring opportunities under the state’s new definition of workforce housing, let’s consult Wikipedia for a more objective sense of what we’re talking about here (emphasis mine):
Workforce housing is a term that is increasingly used by planners, government, and organizations concerned with housing policy or advocacy. It is gaining cachet with realtors, developers and lenders. Workforce housing can refer to any form of housing, including ownership of single or multi-family homes, as well as occupation of rental units. Workforce housing is generally understood to mean affordable housing for households with earned income that is insufficient to secure quality housing in reasonable proximity to the workplace.
Yes, if you want to understand how a conservative state legislator and ardent critic of Tax Increment Financing changed his tune, it’s right there in the bold. Now, let’s see how Gomer reports on this exciting new opportunity being explored by Ellen Buchanan’s minions (emphasis mine):
With a change in state law regarding workforce housing, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency plans to convene a working group with a number of stakeholders to determine how it may apply tax increment financing to certain projects.
The term workforce housing may mean different things to different groups, and cities across the state are wrestling with how to define it. But if MRA can ramp up a new program around such housing using tax increment as a catapult, it could help spark a new tool for development.
If you’re not excited, I emphasized the exciting parts about RAMPing up things to CATAPULT them in order to SPARK this NEW TOOL! I hope that helps.
I guess since the market is fucked with central bank shell games while a senile pervert plays President, the new ways to ensure developers get paid while Rome burns have to be REALLY sold to the pitchfork-sharpening public.
The change that will be explored by the working group that will be convened could mean DIRECT investment in housing, which is very exciting.
MRA has long-invested in both affordable and market-rate housing. While that investment doesn’t go directly into the development of housing, it can be used to fund the infrastructure needed for the development to take place.
Most recently, that has included road and infrastructure work in the Scott Street district where several housing projects are under way. That direct investment in infrastructure, including utilities, can help lower the cost to the developer, with the savings being passed on the end user.
But the change in state law could enable MRA to invest directly into housing if it’s viewed the same as infrastructure.
“If it is a new grant program, it would be a set of guidelines for that grant program if they’re different than the infrastructure program we have now,” Gorski said. “We’ve got some ideas and concepts.”
Yeah, I bet they’ve got some ideas and concepts. It’s easy to dream big with other people’s money.
Meanwhile, taxpayers in the County gave our Commissioners some “pushback” on KGVO yesterday. Josh Slotnick didn’t like being depicted as a spending addict because damn it they do say no sometimes! (emphasis NOT mine):
One caller accused the County Commissioners of being ‘addicted to spending’ the taxpayers’ money, to which Slotnick forcefully responded.
“The last little piece on this ‘addicted to spending’,” he said. “Such an easy thing to say, and it’s actually ridiculous. We said ‘no’ to more than three million dollars worth of requests. In terms of how much we spend attracts inflation; no more. We didn’t spend way more money than we actually did spend in terms of requests from our staff who want to get those requests honored so they can do better give and provide better services to people. We held the line on spending.”
While I commend our Commissioners for going on the radio and taking the heat, the reality is not going to be pretty come November 8th. I’m sure the plan on how to message the blame game is already being devised as I write this.
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I see the Sheriff’s Office behind the tree, but that’s because I’ve worked really hard to clear my field of vision of antiquated law enforcement notions, like serving, protecting and upholding the Constitution.
That was yesterday, people. Today things are different.
Another antiquated notion is the idea that the media will help ensure that the public is informed, thus capable of making informed decisions about who should be sitting in judgement of those facing allegations in our criminal justice system.
I can’t say how many ballots have already been turned in, and I can’t say how many people will see this post before election day on November 8th, but I CAN say that, in my opinion, there is NO WAY former Missoula Sheriff Captain, Bill Burt, should be a Justice of the Peace.
The candidate who would like to keep his Justice of the Peace position, Alex Beal, released a letter yesterday demanding the full release of information relating to Bill Burt’s time under the “leadership” of our current Sheriff, T.J. McDermott.
Here is a portion of that letter:
The part about us being an informed public is also pretty relevant, considering this information has gone unreported by the Missoulian, despite them having it. Why? Beal’s letter continues:
Yes, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, I see you pretty clearly. And if the media would do their job, so might the public.
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Narrative control is a fascinating process to behold, especially when it comes to a controversial topic like homelessness. And who better to dislodge some of that control than a former insider who was actually quoted in the plan?
The template for a piece like this tends to be a feel-good story to start off with, and this article attempts that with Austin French’s story, but if this is the best example the Missoulian could find, as one commenter put it, then it doesn’t feel like we’re off to a good start–if quality spin is the desired effect, that is.
The most obvious part of the messaging around this awkward anniversary is the consistent point being made that NO ONE DIED during the cold months these last two years. It’s something that every official and service provider involved in promoting the crisis levy has been doggedly repeating, like a mantra.
It’s important to note that the means of death being discussed by our local officials is death by the elements, not death by a psychopath. Because if we’re talking about death by psychopath, Lee Nelson was brutally beaten to death in November of 2020 by a psychopath who targeted him at the Poverello Center.
Another death I’d like to mention, the death of a man who’s name is offensively included in a tacky memorial of names scrawled on cardboard boxes and hung on a fence pictured in this article, is the death of Sean Stevenson.
It’s true, Sean’s death, like the “officer involved shooting” of the young man who allegedly strangled Sean unconscious inside the Poverello Center, were not the result of Montana’s harsh winters, but I doubt that fact is any consolation to their families.
In order to make the focus on this slice of non-deaths seem more significant than it really is, our officials are making it sound like there was an epidemic of people dropping dead due solely to weather before 2020. Yet after claiming those types of deaths were common, the example that follows was actually the result of a violent teenager drunk of vodka (emphasis mine):
When the city launched its Reaching Home initiative to end homelessness in 2012, people in positions like French’s used to face far grislier outcomes on Missoula’s streets.
Exposure deaths were common in the winter, and people in crisis had few official resources to turn to.
In 2007, an unhoused Missoulian named Forrest Salcido was beaten to death near the California Street footbridge, a tragedy that captured local attention and catalyzed coordinated efforts to address houselessness in and around the city of Missoula.
Some of the people quoted in this article I’m going to intentionally avoid mentioning, since their fragility has led to some pretty underhanded shit behind the scenes, so let’s fast-forward to our new Mayor expounding on the delusion of Missoula exceptionalism (emphasis mine):
“I think that as a community we should be really proud of the way we’ve responded,” Hess said a few weeks before the official 10-year mark. “We’ve responded in a very Missoula way. We’ve responded in a way that’s compassionate, that provides the care that people need, but that’s also evidence-based and reliant on best practices.”
That last bold part is a powerful incantation for service providers. When all else fails, phrases like BEST PRACTICES can be deployed to mesmerize critics, rendering them timid and unsure of themselves. Since I’ve used this tactic myself, I know how effective it can be.
About those critics, how does this article frame their criticism? Let’s take a look:
Despite the many developments attributed to Reaching Home, homelessness remains a persistent issue and the plan has its detractors.
2022 Point-in-Time survey data, which is gathered on a single day each year, indicated that 325 homeless people currently live in Missoula.
2012 Point-in-Time data was not available. But anecdotally, community members believe the homeless problem has grown worse throughout the past decade.
This part really confuses me. Why not show some of the OTHER years that Point-in-Time data is available? Because it IS available, right? I mean, I recall helping to directly administer the questionnaires that produces the data, so why just depict critics as merely relying on ANECDOTAL evidence?
Back in 2019 I wrote about the Point-in-Time survey and quoted our own officials skepticism about the numbers the survey produces. Here’s the quote:
Concerning the Point in Time survey, Theresa explained they are also examining the question of how the homeless element can be measured. Current systems do not accurately capture this. Missoula receives 50% of statewide allocation for NOPA funds, of which The Point in Time count is a required condition. It takes place during the last week of January, and it is a literal headcount of the homeless population. The addition of real-time tech solutions greatly enhanced the logistical aspects of the count this past January. Despite program efforts which has led to a 10-20% reduction in homelessness in Missoula over the past several decades, Missoula still has the highest homeless population in the state, 27% by count, followed by Kalispell, Billings, and Great Falls. This is likely due in part to the availability of services in the Missoula area. Point in Time is a winter count, and the count is estimated to double in July, but despite any inaccuracies, the count satisfies HUD requirements.
That last part is really all that matters; that HUD requirements are met so that Federal money keeps rolling in.
Some of the years that I recall, when Ellie Boldman was Executive Director of the Poverello Center (before her meteoric political rise), a lot of effort was put into this “literal headcount”, with incentives like pancake breakfasts and, in later years, gift cards. Then Project Homeless Connect was launched, providing a little more consistency in the headcount efforts.
The anecdotal stories aren’t even all that compelling, coming primarily from the glass business across from the Poverello Center.
Then, along comes COVID! And everything that was GOING to be amazing just turned to crap. Because COVID!
Those at the frontlines of houselessness efforts acknowledge the plan has encountered road bumps. The most severe, they all agreed, was the impact of COVID-19.
“I think we were on track to really have some good success before the pandemic,” said Jill Bonny, executive director of the Poverello Center.
While we can’t say whether or not Bonny’s speculation is accurate, we CAN say Covid brought MORE Federal money to try new things out, while also giving the Poverello a good excuse to reduce how many people they were temporarily housing, something they’ve stuck to ever since.
Another opportunity the crisis of Covid provided was the chance to use “ingenuity” to buy a motel with Tax Increment Financing. This was like moving from smoking meth to just straight up injecting it, something Mayor Hess thinks is a crowning achieving of city strategy (emphasis mine):
Hess is also proud of the city’s use of the Sleepy Inn, a property that the city purchased to employ as a non-congregate shelter for unhoused Missoulians during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That absolutely, without a doubt saved lives during the pandemic,” Hess stated.
Hess trumpeted the city’s creativity in purchasing the property using $1.1 million in Tax Increment Financing, as well as its ability to turn the property around for a future sale. The city hopes to sell the Sleepy Inn for eventual use as affordable housing and potential commercial space.
“It’s this great ingenuity at the local level,” said Hess.
Another irony of this Missoulian article for me is the image of a tearful homeless woman taken in 2017 during the first Reserve Street homeless camp cleanup I didn’t coordinate, since I left my position as Homeless Outreach Coordinator in 2016.
This image was a major contributor to agencies like the Clark Fork Coalition pulling out of the cleanups, helping to scuttle the efforts, which led to an environmental crisis. Here’s the image:
A major cleanup at the scale this disaster required didn’t happen until just this past spring, and THAT only happened thanks to the effort of Kevin Davis.
Since I’ve heard some OTHER people claim undue credit for Davis’ achievements, let the record show who the Burk/Brandonburg Conservation award actually went to (Davis pictured center):
So, what comes next? Another plan, of course. But the uncertainty over the $5 million dollar mill levy must be given its proper platform (emphasis mine):
The next steps to address houselessness in Missoula are uncertain.
Most stakeholders are waiting on an evaluation from JG Research firm at the beginning of 2023 to put together the next plan. But some preliminary ideas include focusing on housing and prevention as top priorities, as well as incorporating more lived experience into the efforts to end homelessness.
“We know the solution to homelessness is housing,” Bonny said.
Perhaps the most immediate determinant of future local efforts will be the fate of the crisis services levy up for a vote on the November ballot. The levy aims to raise $5 million to support programs that include the Mobile Support Team, the Emergency Winter Shelter and the TSOS.
“That’s just something the community will have to decide for itself,” Armstrong said.
Yep, I guess we will. Which reminds me, I haven’t filled out my ballot yet. I better do my part to give these addicts some tough love!
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Two stories I’ve written about are starting to look a little more interesting with Jean Curtiss throwing shade and the Missoulian throwing ink on ’em, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The title of this post is a reference to the alleged ploy by the Carlyle Group to dangle a disingenuous Water Company offer to our Mayor, only to flip at the last minute, temporarily thwarting his Water Company ownership dreams.
Since our Mayor was drinking at the time, and nothing was put into writing about this supposed offer, it’s hard to say what actually happened, which is why this part of the VERY costly lawsuit alleges a “deceitful scheme” (emphasis mine):
In 2015, a district court judge found the City of Missoula had the right to use its power of eminent domain to buy the utility, and three water commissioners set the price tag at $88.6 million for the system, now Missoula Water. All told, the city calculated it paid $99 million for the utility, lawyers and related development agreements in the condemnation case.
But the City of Missoula believed the Carlyle Group plotted a “deceitful scheme” by promising to sell the system but then declining offers prior to condemnation. In a separate lawsuit, the city alleged Carlyle Infrastructure Partners reneged on a deal to sell the utility to the city, and its representatives breached their “duty to deal fairly and in good faith with the city,” forcing the city to “incur significantly higher costs” in acquiring the water system. So Missoula asked the court to make Carlyle pay.
The Jean Curtis shade comes in the form of an op-ed at the Missoula Current where a similar reneging is being described. According to Curtis, the Missoula County land gift to build the Trinity Apartment complex was supposedly on the condition of TWO requests from outgoing Sheriff, T.J. McDermott, and now those requests are being rebuffed:
Sheriff McDermott was asked what he needed to protect the detention center and his officers. He had two, very clear, requests. He needed a new, dedicated access to the back side of the detention center as the project would cut off his current access. His second request was for a secure, fenced parking lot for the officers in that same area.
The City and HomeWord agreed to those reasonable requests. But apparently, nothing was put in writing with the transfer of the land.
Now, HomeWord and Blue Line have backed out of those promises saying they do not have enough money to meet those promises because the cost of the project went up. If you google Trinity Project Missoula MT, the website clearly states there will be no local tax dollars used to fund this project.
Not true. Earlier this year, the county commission agreed to use $460,00 of general fund money to build this access road and fence a parking area. Those are local tax dollars. The bid just came in for the project at $830,000.
Jean Curtiss, for those who don’t know, used to be a County Commissioner. Now it appears she’s taken a new position as cheerleader for our pathetic Sheriff’s Office under the political doughboy himself, T.J. McDermott.
The op-ed by Curtiss about the road and parking lot (which I wrote about here) is making me reassess the MILLIONS of dollars Missoula taxpayers will be shelling out to the Sheriff’s Office because of a pay-parity scheme going back YEARS. If Jean Curtiss didn’t know about this ticking fiscal time-bomb, then she’s an idiot (I don’t think she’s an idiot).
The alleged pay discrepancies began in 2018 when the county started paying elected officials additional salaries under the umbrella of “parity adjustment.” By 2019, the adjustment totaled $6 per hour. County officials, through their compensation committee, voted to raise all elected officials’ parity adjustments by $8.04 per hour. But the sheriff’s salary, and therefore detention officers’ pay, wasn’t included in this.
“A sum which statutorily should have been included in the sheriff’s salary … was withheld from Sheriff (T.J.) McDermott in violation of the statutory uniformity requirement,” the filing reads.
…
“Both the parity adjustment and the county longevity payments were part of an ongoing and interconnected continuing scheme to give elected officials salary increases while depriving detention officers of the corresponding salary increases,” it continues.
Because of the county’s alleged failures to accurately calculate wages, the attorneys are asking it to remedy the situation and award plaintiffs back wages from adjustments created by the longevity pay, parity adjustment and overtime.
Here’s a question I’m now asking myself: is T.J. McDermott so pissed about his road and parking lot that he’s using this parity scheme to blow up the County budget?
The situation with the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office is even MORE interesting when you factor in the power play made in February of 2021, a move that wrestled control of the jail from the courts. If you didn’t think this was even possible, here’s the quote I used to emphasize this power shift in my post from 2021 (emphasis still mine):
Jenks tells us it’s gutted the ability to function as a court, and she’s concerned it will stick around longer than expected.
“I think that back in March that made sense in an emergency situation, but we are in this for the long haul now, and its causing a lot of issues, and I think it’s putting the community at risk in a lot of ways,” said Jenks.
Slotnick says he doesn’t think the resolution is putting the community at risk.
Jenks says people are only showing up for their hearings 30% of the time, because they know no one will come get them if they don’t.
She adds control now rests with the Sheriff’s Office, not the courts.
If you’re wondering if this is still in effect, the political race for Justice of the Peace between Alex Beal and the hilarious candidacy of former SHERIFF CAPTAIN, Bill Burt, offers this reminder from Beal about what the Sheriff’s Office is doing to keep control of the jail AWAY from judges.
Here’s a screenshot from the KGVO article where Beal blames the Sheriff’s Office for taking control away from judges:
Wow! And, in my opinion, quite accurate, as the situation with the homeless sex offender assault on TWO Department of Transportation staff clearly showed.
Readers will recall those TWO assaults resulted in only ONE misdemeanor assault charge, because arithmetic under McDermott’s leadership means 1 + 1 = 1. Maybe our local media could give the ONLY Sheriff candidate, Jeremiah Petersen, a little heat on this issue? I won’t hold my breath.
Don’t worry, Zoom Chron readers, I don’t plan on acting like the gelded media in this Zoom Town. For example, let’s take a look at Mr. Sheriff Candidate and his use of STATISTICS on his candidate issues page. The emphasis will definitely be mine:
There was a decline in reported Rapes, which showed 72 reports in 2018, an increase to 80 reports in 2019 and then a decrease to 60 reports in 2020. Robbery followed a similar trend, 2018 there were 67 reported Robbery’s which declined to 44 reported Robbery’s in 2019, and then there was a very slight increase in reported Robbery’s in 2020 with a year ending total of 48.
Why is the word I highlighted important? Because I have a theory, and it goes something like this: the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office is SO FUCKING TERRIBLE at handling rape cases that victims of rape and sexual assault, thanks to word of mouth (this is still a relatively small town), have simply stopped reporting.
How could this be, you might be thinking? Didn’t Missoula have an intensive investigation into our community’s handling of sexual assault cases?
For the PDF report of that investigation, click here. Here’s a screenshot of the institutions involved. Notice anyone missing?
That’s right, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office was NEVER investigated during the DOJ investigation over a decade ago. Maybe that needs to change?
If there isn’t awareness of the rot emanating from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) then the cancer will undoubtedly spread. When one takes into account the expanding influence of the LifeGuard Group (headed by MCSO Chaplain, Lowell Hochhalter) across the state, thanks to the financial and political support coming from the Governor’s office, and other political moves by MCSO-connected people, the picture coming into focus is quite alarming.
Two political candidates in this election cycle have MCSO connections, and that’s the failed candidacy of Michael Burks and the HOPEFULLY failed candidacy of Bill Burt, mentioned above.
As for our outgoing Sheriff, T.J. McDermott, I’m glad he has strong women to help him out, women like Jean Curtiss and his mom, who one source has told me played underhanded political games to help get her son elected.
I’m glad because T.J. McDermott is going to need all the help he can get if he wants to put his big boy pants on to run for Mayor.
The timing is what makes this stuff so much fun! You might not hear the sarcasm yet, but trust me, it’s there.
I’ve been using Jung’s term, synchronicity, to describe the phenomenon of meaningful coincidence, and it’s one that can be both affirming, in a positive way, and sometimes, disorienting.
Earlier this week I grabbed a thick file of mail I received from a mentally ill woman many years ago. Since this woman sent letters to my HOME address, and mentioned my kids several times, I decided to take steps to better protect my family.
Here’s an example of one of the letters I received:
The piece of fan mail I got this week was typed, but the enveloped was hand-written. Here is what my name looked like on the envelope:
And here is the content of letter:
Whoever wrote this lovely letter shouldn’t worry about being identified. I’ve pissed off so many people, the list of possibilities is pretty long.
The author of this letter is ultimately a coward hoping to land something against me, but all they did was deepen my resolve to keep exposing what I know about what’s happening here.
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