After reading Mr. Floyd’s letter to the editor, we were very disappointed by both his lack of compassion and his lack of knowledge regarding the residency requirements set forth in the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Mr. Floyd asserts that the Mayor of Stevensville was not a resident during the months his wife recovered from hip surgery. In fact, according to MCA 20-25-501(a), a person’s domicile (residence) is a person’s true, fixed, and permanent home and place of habitation. Mayor Mim Mack temporarily relocated to a friend’s home that was handicapped accessible and adjacent to the town limits to facilitate his wife’s recuperation; he continued to maintain his permanent home in the town limits; and he had obtained the unanimous consent of the Town Council and the support of the Town Attorney, Mr. Brian West, who cited case law and state statute directly supporting the Council’s approval.
Mayor Mim Mack has been a competent, influential, pragmatic leader. He has fostered effective, civil communication and ended the divisiveness that had existed on the prior council; he has taken steps to reduce the impact of water rates (water rates increased by 45% during Mr. Floyd’s term on the Council), and strengthened the town’s finances with $1.5 million in grant money, most of which will be spent on water and sewer infrastructure.
We wholeheartedly support Gene Mim Mack for Mayor.
John and Patricia Meakin
Stevensville