Oops!

Really Verdell, let's be serious. My recent questioning of your voting record and legislative performance on the water rights issue was not a personal attack. Rather, it was a serious look at your performance as a legislator—the voters deserve no less. Though I earlier refrained from mentioning your affirmative vote on Senate Bill 468, which closed new water rights on the Montana portion of the Clark Fork River Basin, I will do so now. As you recently revealed on the local radio show, "KOFI Talk," you did not know what the bill did until you were subsequently denied approval for your request to actually increase the head capacity of your own pumping equipment. Oops! We may not always agree with everything our legislators do, but cannot we agree that they should at least know what they are doing?

I respect Verdell for stepping forward and willingly serving the people located northwest of Kalispell. However, as he seeks to circumvent the intent of constitutionally mandated term limits and move down the valley to represent the people of our Senate District 5, I believe he will find our standards have little room for "oops."

Don Loranger

Loranger is a resident of Bigfork and a Republican candidate for SD 5