by Jim Edwards, Helena
I am writing to share my long connection with the Tranel family. I grew up in Miles City. Ned and Virginia Tranel moved their young family of 10 children to eastern Montana in 1970. Dr. Tranel had taken a position as Psychologist with Eastern Montana Mental Health. The Tranels took up a full pew at mass on Sundays at Sacred Heart Church.
My younger brother Bob and I attended Sacred Heart Grade School; when the Tranels arrived, Monica‘s oldest sibling Dan and brother Bob became close friends (7th grade). Monica is kid number five. The Tranels fit right in, they along with the Edwardses, Sweeneys, Connors and other big Catholic families lived in what I now call the Catholic slums, so all of us kids could walk to grade school.
Four years later, the Tranels moved to Ashland where Ned took a position with St. Labre Indian School. I lost contact, however, Bob and Dan remained close friends (Best Man in Dan’s 2nd wedding). I reconnected with Dan 25 years ago – Dr. Dan has been a Professor of Neurology at the University of Iowa for 35+ years. Monica moved to Helena in the early 2000’s and we reconnected; she had gotten her undergraduate degree from Gonzaga, law degree from Rutgers and was an Olympian… I was a health insurance dude!
My third foray into anything political was being asked by Monica to be her campaign treasurer in about 2003, she was running for City Council? Previously, I had worked on Marc Racicot’s campaign for AG and for a friend who ran for, won and served 25 years as District Judge in eastern Montana. Politically, I am a D-lite, different from my wife, who is a proud Butte-born Democrat. Don K (Chairman Republican Party) is a longtime friend and his Whitefish auto dealership was a client – to know Don K is to love Don K.
I held a fundraiser for Troy Downing when he ran for Commissioner of Insurance and have contributed to his Congressional campaign and will vote for him for Congress, District 2. I am not a fan of Matt Rosendale, he was not a very good Commissioner of Insurance (my partner and I founded the Mountain Health Co-op).
The reason I’m highlighting my friendship with Monica Tranel and her family is to draw a contrast between Monica and Ryan Zinke, in their race for Congress, District 1. I have three areas of concern about Zinke:
1 – John Tester and Ryan Zinke served in the Montana legislature together. In 2014, Tester had a net worth of $1.5M, today it’s $4M; Zinke’s net worth in 2014 was $1M, today it’s $25M. (source for both Tester & Zinke: Quiver Quantitative). What is Zinke doing that Tester isn’t? I am a retired business owner, a capitalist – I believe in hard work and the rewards that come from it. I don’t begrudge anyone having a significant net worth, I just think they should earn it the old-fashioned way. How did Zinke get rich?
2 – I’m bothered by Zinke‘s position on a woman’s right to choose. I have three daughters and a granddaughter. Why does Ryan Zinke think he should make laws dictating my daughter’s/granddaughters healthcare decisions – I understand he’s opposed to abortion even in the case of rape or incest – that is disgraceful.
3 – Relates to concern #1: ETHICS. Zinke is now rich, it looks to be as a direct result of politics? If you “Google” (Siri) Ryan Zinke and ‘ethics complaints’, you will get a boatload of information, i.e. — “the Inspector General’s report concluded that Zinke had repeatedly violated ethical rules and then lied to investigators.” I believe this helps explain how Zinke got rich in 10 years as a politician – that’s disgraceful.
Whose interests do you think Ryan Zinke is looking out for?
Everything you might want to research about Monica Tranel and why you should vote for her, you can access from her mother’s (Virginia) book: “Ten Circles Upon the Pond,” about the 10 remarkable Tranel kids. While each Tranel is an overachiever, Monica is the most remarkable of all. Unlike Zinke, a Congresswoman Tranel will make ALL Montanans proud.