Let’s get facts straight
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Editor,
In regards to Jerry Laskody’s letter to Flathead irrigators, dated April 20, 2015, I wish to correct some of the false assumptions he holds in regards to irrigator members of the Flathead Irrigation Project.
First and foremost, Mr. Laskody, you hold the opinion that it was “strong support from the executive branch of state government in combination with a ton of tribal money and federal collusion allowed this to happen.” Did you not see or hear all the testimony from your neighbors and others who live on the Flathead Reservation who supported the passage of the compact? You state “that the people of Montana would be cowed with threats of litigation by the tribe” when in fact many people throughout Montana came forward and supported the passage of the compact by their letters, testimony and personal funding.
So, how about facing some facts:
Fact one: 45,000 acre owners in the Flathead Irrigation project support the compact.
Fact two: 31,688 are anti-compact and voted for candidates opposed to the compact in the last election.
Fact three: 30,186 acres were either undecided or unknown.
You do not represent a majority of irrigators on the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project. This data was gathered by Flathead irrigators and we collected letters of testimony from irrigators who had enough of the FJBC commissioners running a dictatorship on their project and budget.
I believe you, as chair of the FJBC, have on numerous occasions acted inappropriately in your determination that irrigators should support lobbyist costs against the compact, the Dutton study and other litigation costs. It is time to stop misrepresenting the irrigators of the Flathead irrigation project. You have cost the irrigators thousands of dollars in your pursuit of an agenda that is not an irrigator agenda but one of a personal nature.
The irrigators are finally realizing what a mistake they have made and I personally look forward to a new day in the FJBC — the day when the board will act as a board and focus on our issues.
Please consider this your swan song.
Jan Tusick
Polson
