Turnage great role model
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Editor,
The Missoulian article about Jean Turnage on Sept. 29 points out the differences between how our state and national legislative bodies used to work in the “good old days” versus how they don’t work so well in recent years. Turnage “liked people and respected people, and the respect was based on their humanity, not their importance.” Which is why when Turnage served in the legislature, he employed “his greatest gift … an ability to solve conflicts in a way that left everybody feeling they’d gotten their way.”
We see in the media that Congress does not function well because of ruthless competitive partisanship. We also see some of that “my way or the highway” attitude on the state level. However, there are many respectful people in our state legislature, who are making a real effort to work across the aisle to solve the issues we face in Montana. My hat is off to them, and I appreciate the progress being made in the last few years to turn around the trend of disrespectful partisan fighting. Over the last 10 years, Leadership Montana has also been fostering an attitude of working with, not against each other, with more than 40 people going through the program each year. A large part of the program’s mission is to teach leaders from all backgrounds how to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue. These collaborative skills are helping our state legislature get back on track in the last few years, learning to do what Jean Turnage practiced his whole life.
Thank you, Justice Turnage, for being such a great role model for us.
Judy Preston
Polson
