HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-10-25 Public Comment - J. Krauss - email chainsFrom:Jeff Krauss
To:Chuck Winn; Bozeman Goverment Study Commission
Subject:[EXTERNAL]email chains
Date:Thursday, July 10, 2025 7:42:49 AM
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Dear City Manager and members of the Bozeman Local Govt. Study commission
I read this in the Montana Free Press article: "City Commissioner Emma Bode told MTFP thatthe Pride flag issue has divided Bozeman lawmakers. She said it was removed from the
commission’s agenda on July 1 due to the mayor’s absence and postponed until Tuesdaynight. In the meantime, Bode said, several commissioners created an email chain debating
whether the issue had become too divisive and controversial, and the commission tabled thescheduled discussion." (bold and italics mine)
Are email chains in the spirit or letter of Montana's sunshine laws? Are there not numerous
court cases including one with FWP not too long ago that required the release of any and allemails that occurred as chains especially where decisions were made?
Should the public not hear and participate? Or at least be able to read what was said? There is
no doubt the subjects, flag, and tabling, were ones of significant public interest.
Are there other similar email chains and would you investigate and release them? I canimagine both the public and public hearing applicants would be interested if they've become
the subject of "chains". If there is a violation of the open meeting laws by commissionerswhat happens next?
Should there be weekly disclosure of email chains as part of each public meeting?
It could be that a lack of transparency would be part of the reason, or one of the reasons, that
members of the public are skeptical of local government.
While my position on the Gallatin county study commission is not intrinsically concerned withthe City of Bozeman, the city and county governments do work for much of the same
constituency, and the city does affect many who may live in the county but whose businessesare located within the city. The city does partner with the county and the reputation of one is
linked to the reputation of the other. For example, when we got together to ask voters to pass a911 levy despite it being voted down twice before, promises were made by the government to
replace and not use the existing levy. The voters rely on the reputation of the overlapping governments for honest and representative government.
Both constituencies cast votes to elect me into a position to study the county government and
it is one government casting a shadow on the other that concerns me. I have not discussed thiswith other Gallatin County Local Government study commissioners. I reach out to my
colleagues on the city study commission as I suspect the issue of transparency and trust hascome up in their study. It may be that they will incorporate a discussion of transparency and
open government in any recommendations they make.
Jeff Krauss
Here is the link to the article.
https://montanafreepress.org/2025/07/09/bozeman-commissioners-hear-debate-over-city-adopting-pride-flag/