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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-31-21 Public Comment - J. Karjala - Tom WoodsFrom:agenda@bozeman.net To:Agenda Subject:Thank you for your public comment. Date:Wednesday, March 31, 2021 1:47:34 PM A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted. Form Name:Public Comment Form Date & Time:03/31/2021 1:47 PM Response #:1005 Submitter ID:36625 IP address:2600:6c67:497f:e660:b112:9b6c:1fec:9fbb Time to complete:1 min. , 29 sec. Survey Details Page 1 Public comment may be submitted via the form below, or by any of the following options. Public comment may also be given at any public meeting. Email: agenda@bozeman.net Mail to: Attn: City Commission PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59771 First Name Jessica Last Name Karjala Email Address jessica.karjala@gmail.com Phone Number 406 672 8681 Comments Dear Members of the Bozeman City Commission, I am writing to express my strong support for Tom Woods for the vacancy appointment to the Bozeman City Commission. I served with Mr. Woods in the Montana Legislature from 2015 until 2021. In those 6 years I got to know him pretty well serving with him during the session, but outside of the session, too. In fact, I consider Mr. Woods a very good friend and I want to tell you why. Serving in the Montana Legislature is difficult enough, but when you serve in the minority in a political climate that is so highly partisan and contentious like it is now, is particularly trying. It requires a rare skill set to navigate treacherous political waters the way that Mr. Woods did and he accomplished it with flair. I cannot name one person who does not like Mr. Woods. This may not seem like an extraordinary claim, except that when you consider it in the context of today's politics which quite often veer into the personal, it is an exceptional claim and one I hope to briefly delve into so that you better understand why Mr. Woods is so beloved by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle and why you should choose him to represent the voters of Bozeman on the city commission. Even in the midst of the most contentious policy debates Mr. Woods had the ability to rise above the clamor in a way that he was listened to and respected by both sides of the aisle. In fact, he held sway and could often persuade people on both sides of the aisle to vote with him on issue they might not have otherwise. These were no small policy issues, either, they were in fact, quite significant. Mr. Woods took on no less than the Montana Hospital Association and Noethwest Energy, two of the most wralthy and powerful lobbies in the state and won, on policy, that is. He did this without alienating anyone and kept standing friendships intact. Perhaps Mr. Woods' brilliance played a part, no doubt his kindness and passion did, too, but no one is funnier than Tom and in the midst of conflict nothing works better to cut through the tension than a perfectly timed joke everyone finds funny. In closing I would like to share what I think is arguably Mr. Woods most amazing capability. Tom is empathetic, a form of intelligence I believe only a few possess. I know this because whenever anyone was having a bad day Tom seemed to know ajd went out of his way to let them know he was there to listen and would try to lift them up in any way he could. This was also apparent when considering legislation. Whenever we debated reproductive rights bills in the House I would ask the men of the caucus to stand up with the women to fight bills that attacked our bodily autonomy. To a number none of them would do it, excpt Tom. Tom did not hesitate and stood and fought alongside us just as fiercely as any of the women in the caucus. In fact, he asked to champion legislation to extend the length of time insurance covered birth control to a year. In spite of his offer he was turned down by deciding parties, but I have no doubt he would have gained as much ground as any woman who sponsored the legislation. To sum up my recommendation, Tom cares. He is brilliant, he is kind, he is funny and fun, but no one will give more of themselves to the job than my friend Tom Woods, so I humbly ask that you choose him. With Respect, Jessica Karjala P.S. Please overlook my typos and other errors as I wrote this while on the floor of the House. If you would like to submit additional documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .gif, .jpg, .png, .rtf, .txt) along with your comment, you may alternately address agenda@bozeman.net directly to ensure receipt of all information. Thank you, City Of Bozeman This is an automated message generated by the Vision Content Management System™. Please do not reply directly to this email.