Vote Fred Burow-Mayor of Great Falls-The Superior Choice-
As city elections are rapidly approaching statewide (Tuesday, November 2nd), there are mounting concerns in several cities about who is the better candidate for the job.
Changes need to be made throughout Montana, as many running are qualified and capable for the position, whereas others are not no matter how long they’ve held that position. Just because a candidate is an incumbent and has served several terms does NOT mean they are the most preferred or eligible to hold that position.
Bob Kelly, current Mayor of Great Falls, is one of those who just isn’t the right choice.
A myriad of different problems have come to light (and many have been issues for some time) which we will cover here, and some are subtle and yet troublesome. For example, when you read through an article published by the Great Falls Tribune back in January of 2020, you will see where Kelly back peddles ever so sneakily.
The Tribune wrote:
“Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly apologized Wednesday for a letter he signed last year asking President Donald Trump to support an increase in the number of refugees allowed to settle in the United States.
While Kelly said that he remains deeply concerned about displaced people in the world, including 25 million refugees, he apologized for using the mayor’s office to support the cause.
“I realize, however, that as mayor of our community, it may not be a concern you share,” Kelly wrote to residents in a post on his mayor’s Facebook page. “By implying your inclusion in my concern, I misrepresented you. For that, I am sorry. As mayor of our wonderful community, I try very hard to navigate local issues or state issues that affect local communities. The national issues that currently divide us deserve little if any role in our decision-making process at the local level.”
Read the following excerpt of the article to see where the problem lies.
“The apology came Wednesday after a story about Kelly’s signature on the letter was reported in E-City Beat, an online news blog.”
Although Kelly apologizes in the upper paragraphs in the Tribune article, he does so only after being caught. Would he have done so otherwise? We suspect not.
In other sly moves, Kelly seems to do and say whatever will get him the most votes and contradicts himself when presenting issues. Listen and read here to see where the concern lies. Also, if you listen towards the end, the radio host asks him if he’s looking forward to the election being over on the 2nd, to which Kelly replies, “It’s kinda like waitin’ for Christmas or your birthday; you never know what you’re gonna get when you look under the tree.”
With a statement such as that, Kelly is assuming he will WIN. Not so fast, Kelly.
There are other less than favorable characteristics about Kelly which can be seen here and here. To recap, Kelly is sneaky, vague, and can be quite evasive. One who lacks transparency is not to be trusted especially in public office.
There’s another candidate who is running, and he is credible and trustworthy. Montana Daily Gazette received a heartfelt endorsement regarding Fred Burow, also running for mayor of Great Falls.
“I am voting for Fred Burow for Great Falls Mayor because when he was City Commissioner, he was the only member of our local government who spoke out against the conflicts of interest in the city’s HUD Community Development Block Grant process. During an April 2017 meeting where the Commission was to vote on the grants, Commissioner Burow stated the following concerning HUD CDBG conflicts of interest.
“I think it’s a black eye on us; I do not intend to support it…. I’m sure in the public’s mind, we’ll see quite a lot of comments in the paper in the coming days about backroom deals and things of that nature, and I just refuse to have any part of that.”
Burow has proven that he has the courage and integrity that is sorely needed here in Great Falls government. I wholeheartedly support him.” -Jeni Dodd
Another Great Falls resident in favor of Burow gave some excellent bullet points to consider regarding voting well.
“Fred Burow is the better choice for Mayor of Great Falls.
1. Fred will ask citizens for their input before making city-wide decisions.
Kelly has proven he thinks he knows citizens’ opinions without even asking, like when he proclaimed Great Falls would invite all illegals with a grand welcome.
2. Fred is a self-employed auctioneer that will bring his business sense to the Commission, thus helping grow our business side of Great Falls.
3. Fred is a solid republican that uses Republican principles to the Commission problem-solving equation.
4. Fred has served as a previous city commissioner, so he brings experience to the Commission.
5. Fred takes the time to listen to the citizens of Great Falls then takes action with citizens’ concerns.
6. Fred isn’t just a great guy; he’s a great addition to our City Commission.
7. Kelly’s too green for Great Falls.
“Let’s elect fRED whose name even says how RED he is.”