Valley Journal
Valley Journal

This Week’s e-Edition

Current Events

Latest Headlines

What's New?

Send us your news items.

NOTE: All submissions are subject to our Submission Guidelines.

Announcement Forms

Use these forms to send us announcements.

Birth Announcement
Obituary

Salomon not representing constituents

Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local. You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.



Subscribe now to stay in the know!

Already a subscriber? Login now

Editor, 

Rep. Dan Salomon (R-Lake County) has betrayed his constituents in Lake County. We write to call attention to his actions, which are unbecoming of his station as a representative, unwelcome and non-responsive. Our concerns stem from Mr. Salomon’s role as a member of the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission. Despite sitting on the compact commission for two years, Mr. Salomon has never held a public forum for his constituents to explain his support for the compact, has been unable to answer questions about the details of the compact or even how much water is involved. He has simply dismissed constituents’ concerns as unworthy of his attention. We wonder publicly if Mr. Salomon even knows what is in the compact.   

Mr. Salomon tells us the compact is a “good deal” but can’t say why. He tells his constituents that the compact is “a done deal” but has not bothered to listen to any discussion that raises legitimate questions or that even requests more time for citizen consideration of a “deal” that affects 11 counties in Northwestern Montana and more than 350,000 people.   

A recent court decision on the proposed “FIIP Water Use Agreement” — a key element of the proposed CSKT compact — ruled the agreement an unconstitutional taking of irrigators’ water rights. Thus, Rep. Salomon has presided over the taking of property rights in Western Montana. Despite this clear ruling by the court, Mr. Salomon is likely to vote on Feb. 26 in favor of sending the incomplete CSKT compact forward for consideration to the Montana Legislature.   

We voted for Dan Salomon in the last election because he said he would represent all citizens within his district. Now we can see he represents only a few citizens and himself. His support of this compact will serve to throw everyone else under the bus. 

With representation like this, who needs enemies? 

Terry Backs, on behalf of Concerned Citizens of Western Montana 

St. Ignatius

 

Sponsored by: