By Max Smith, Stevensville
Getting to know Daniel Carlino has been one of the best parts of my last year. We met at one of his neighborhood Public Service Commission campaign events. We then hosted a Fall meet-and-greet event at my Stevensville farm and together we’ve walked the streets of Missoula discussing issues with citizens door-to-door months before the June primary election. He’s impressive–marshaling volunteers knocking 4,000 doors and calling 1,000 people isn’t easy. It takes follow-through.
What resonates for me is his incorporation of worker issues. He advocates a stable transition for the Colstrip community. I’ve seen him lead the discussion on how the PSC can transition our energy grid to benefit electricity users and workers alike. Twenty-two years after deregulation of Montana Power Company, he’s ready to decide court cases that steer our monopoly utility before Northwestern Energy jeopardizes ratepayers by stranding fossil fuel assets. Routinely he challenges their CEO, Bob Rowe, who himself served on the PSC to come up with a better 20-year plan and stop evading responsibility to invest in renewables. Carlino represents young Montanans’ will to combat greenhouse gases with cheap renewable power and battery storage proposals while promoting equity for workers. He needs your vote this June.