Time for Accountability in Lewis & Clark County, Montana

It's time for some accountability in Lewis & Clark County, Montana. Not just for what they did to local business owners in the name of COVID-19, but also for how they continue to pile on to the burden of local taxpayers.

That was the message of Steve Bartmess, the owner of the beloved Bob's Valley Market in Helena. He was being bullied by overzealous county officials during the COVID-19 era, simply for trying to keep people fed and well supplied during all the madness.

Steve Bartmess: "It was a trying time, but we got through it. The thing that bugs me most about that is- none of those folks that are trying to shut me down ever even come close to apologizing or anything. They didn't care about my livelihood or about my help's livelihood. They just cared about that they had the power."

Bartmess says that is why he is backing local farmer/rancher Joe Dooling to run for county commissioner and against the incumbent Andy Hunthausen. He also says local officials need to be held accountable for constantly raising taxes instead of properly budgeting the increased funding they've been getting.

Steve Bartmess: "They're not giving teachers raises unless all these mill levies pass, and it's like- wait a minute, you know. The higher ups all get their raises. Our teachers should be taken care of first before any of the administrators or any of that. I mean, it's just, it's getting ridiculous. We need to hold our school boards accountable, our county commissioners accountable. All the local folks need to be accountable for what they're doing to us."

Full audio of our chat with Steve Bartmess: