Scary Progressive Majority On Missoula’s City Council Looms Large

October 31, 2011 in Montana

by lizard

The Indy came out with it’s endorsements for city council last week, and apparently there is reason for concern:

The way we’re reading the wind, the conservative bloc should expect to lose two seats. Meanwhile, a Copple victory would give progressives unprecedented control of city government. For some, that’s an exciting prospect. But perhaps they should be concerned. The last time the left had the Missoula Council locked down, back in the mid-’90s under the banner of the New Party, they handled it so badly that within a few short years the group’s label had become political poison and it disbanded.

The Indy’s endorsement for Adam Hertz in Ward 2 appears to be the prescribed antidote for this “unprecedented control.” Adam, who is trying to unseat Pam Walzer, is a 26 year-old mortgage broker and retail-pricing analyst for <a href="a mortgage broker and retail-pricing analyst for Moody’s market. Hmmm, should that pedigree be concerning at all? I wonder what Adam thinks about the housing crisis that blew up our economy three years ago (he was 23), and the role of rating agencies calling shit sandwiches prime rib.

Well, that wasn’t one of the questions Adam got in this KECI story, but here’s a question and response I found very illuminating—about, ironically (because he’s a mortgage broker and Moody’s analyst) homelessness:

RECENT EFFORTS TO RELOCATE AND REBUILD THE POVERELLO CENTER HAVE MET SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY BLOWBACK AND DEBATE. WHERE DO YOU THINK THE SHELTER SHOULD REBUILD? ON A BROAD LEVEL, HOW DO YOU VIEW THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS IN MISSOULA?

Where the Poverello Center should relocate or rebuild is not the city’s decision. The decision ultimately lies with the Pov’s Board of Directors. If the Pov decides to move into the Westside neighborhood, I would not support the move and I would vote against any TIF funding for the project. Urban renewal funds are meant for neighborhood revitalization, not for the degradation of property values and neighborhood safety. In their desire to appease the Mayor and the Missoula Downtown Association, current Ward 2 representation has failed to stand up for the Westside.

If ending homelessness is truly the goal of the Poverello Center, their desire for expansion suggests that the organization is not meeting its goal. Homelessness is a serious issue, especially in difficult economic times. Missoula would be best served by a community organization that addresses the homelessness of locals, especially families, and works to give the homeless a hand up rather than a hand out. Catering to transients takes much needed resources away from our local homeless population and will only result in a growing transient population and crime in our community.

If Adam Hertz thinks homelessness is a serious issue, then he needs to educate himself a bit about the services he’s criticizing. I would suggest he start with the 2010 needs assessment looking at homelessness and housing instability in Missoula

Now, go vote Missoula!

***correction: I implied Adam Hertz worked at the ratings agency Moody’s, which was incorrect. The link has been updated with the correct Moody’s Market that employed Adam, which is his father’s Grocery Store.