Patience with Missoula’s County Commissioners is wearing so thin now, that even their hometown newspaper is calling them to the carpet over their lawsuit against the Big Rigs.
(You remember the Missoula County Commissioners: the people who lost a major employer in the last year, and yet had “mail-in ballots” as their top legislative priority.)
In a lengthy editorial, The Missoulian’s editorial board listed their own names as they blasted the commissioners, calling the lawsuit a “rash move” that “will hurt taxpayers,” win or lose.
It’s one thing to have concerns, but some of these concerns border on the ridiculous. How could these rigs possibly hurt tourism? And commissioners are actually complaining about “unneeded improvements” to highways 12 and 200?
The MDT’s analysis has already concluded that no significant damage is likely to occur. Apparently, Missoula’s commissioners and their fellow plaintiffs would like the MDT to keep digging until they find some evidence of irreparable harm – even though common sense indicates no such evidence exists.
Click here to read the full editorial.
Spook Stang, with the Montana Motor Carriers Association, was highlighting the editorial and added a few criticisms of his own:
“Every working family in Montana should be outraged by the idea that a handful of out-of-touch individuals in Missoula, backed by out-of-state special interests, have the ability to pick and choose what kind of industries are acceptable in our state. Missoula County politicians clearly have an ideological point to make, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of investment and jobs for the rest of the state.” said Barry ‘Spook’ Stang, Executive Vice President of the Motor Carriers of Montana. “Next door in Idaho, the legislature has taken real action to move this opportunity forward. What is Montana doing?”
“When 65% of residents support an economic development project, and the hometown paper of Missoula’s county government calls its actions ‘meaningless,’ perhaps it’s time the commissioners engage in some honest self-examination and reconsider their ill-advised suit,” added Stang. “Montana needs jobs, plain and simple. The companies involved have demonstrated a commitment to our communities and our state, investing tens of millions of dollars in road repairs and infrastructure improvements. It’s simply outrageous that these delays continue.”