by Helen Sabin, Corvallis
First, Michele Binkley is highly respected in the legislature by both sides as well as the leadership in Helena because she uses common sense and does a lot of research when she votes on a bill. In addition, she has been given many assignments from the leadership that has earned her the title of a “go to” legislator that enables her to speak with both sides about many issues. She is also an independent candidate from the standpoint that she will NOT vote for a bill just because it is for the GOP, a faction, or to “make nice” with others. She states firmly that she will ONLY vote for “her people” as she calls us, if the bill is good for us. She is a strong supporter of the Military, and her two sons were Marines! OOrah!
Wayne Rusk and David Bedey are the same type of quality candidates. They are strong defenders of the Military, the Montana and U.S. Constitutions, and especially the Second Amendment and Article V. Rusk’s knowledge of the Constitution allows him to determine the constitutionality of proposed legislation, saving research time.
Bedey’s ability to write bills compliments Rusk’s knowledge. Both men, like Michele, HD85, vote for what’s right for their constituents in SD44 and HD86. Both also fare well when working with both sides as their demeanor is calm, both listen carefully, and they are NOT confrontational like Manzella is known to be.
Kathy Love is much calmer than Manzella, but she cannot match the experience, knowledge, and working relationships that are the tools that make Binkley so effective. Her business as a firearms instructor is only marginally relative to the many issues that would confront her as a legislator. She does not understand the fundamentals of a bill even when it is explained to her. She is a follower rather than a leader like Binkley, Bedey, and Rusk.
Theresa Manzella unfortunately is not the woman people think she is based on her behavior during this election season. She cannot tolerate being criticized and becomes pugnacious when anyone questions her actions. One time when I asked her a simple question, “Have you read the bills that form the basis for House Bill 402,” she became agitated and raised her voice at me. Both women seem to be obsessed with Bedey’s Bill 402, but you decide for yourselves. Go to leg.mt.gov and click on LOOK AT BILLS. Click on HB and type in 402.
Online, you can read for yourselves the National Voting Rights and Registration Acts, and the Help America Vote Act to see that Bedey did his homework when he wrote his bill about which Manzella and Love constantly state half truths to denigrate and demean both the bill and Bedey.
Bedey is a superb bill writer as opposed to Manzella who is NOT, and she seems to dislike him for that ability. He presented 18 bills last session with 16 of them passed to become eventual laws. Contrast that accomplishment with Manzella who presented 17 bills but 12 were voted down in committee.
Lastly, Manzella, on Friday, May 3, at the North Valley Pachyderm Club, was the featured speaker yet she refused to speak to the attendees! Instead, she issued an ultimatum, that unless she was allowed to video herself, she would not talk to the attendees and would leave.
She objected to the club having the rule of NO videos for meetings, the reasons for which were explained to her, yet hypocritically, she voted to ban videos for the GOP Central Committee meetings of which she is a member. Rules for thee but not for me?
After she stormed out of the meeting with her supporters trailing behind, Manzella sent out a text with selected video cuttings – from various videos – including those that had NOTHING to do with the Pachyderm’s event.
If the intent was to make herself look good and the others to look bad, she conveyed the opposite message. The abuse of videos for propaganda purposes is exactly why VP Hudson did not allow her video to be made and it certainly answered the question, to what lengths will candidates go to win.
Binkley, Bedey, and Rusk are my recommended choices for your vote for legislators in the 2025 legislature. While not mentioned here, Greg Overstreet is my recommended candidate for HD 88.