Rick Dow left his mark on Havre

Havre City Councilman Rick Dow will attend his last council meeting tonight.

Dow is moving to Minnesota where his wife, a doctor, has received a good position with the highly respected Mayo Clinic.

Dow's 16 months in office have been marked by controversy, just the way he wanted it. He has been an outspoken supporter of conservative causes. He's asked questions that aren't usually asked and made comments that are not usually made — at least not at City Council meetings.

If Dow were to compile a list of the 1,000 things he'll miss most about Hill County, Havre Daily News editorials will certainly not be on the list.

We have vastly different ideas on the Vibrant Futures program in particular and on whether the area should push to receive federal grants for programs that aid Hi-Line people and programs.

Our vision about the Hi-Line's future is irreconcilable with his.

But Dow's actions — some would call them antics — have made the political scene a little more colorful in recent years.

He's taken shots at some organizations that seemed above the fray until Dow came along.

He plopped down a giant sugary drink on his desk at a council meeting, and sought assurances from fellow council members that they wouldn't try to emulate New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and impose limits on the sale of the size of high-calorie drinks.

He spearheaded a drive to bring Chick-fil-A to town after it became the center of attention for its contributions to anti-gay marriage organizations. Some were thrilled, others repulsed.

He made pointed zingers at Recycle Hi-Line, a group that has pleased people of all political persuasion for its efforts to increase recycling opportunities in the area.

And he issued a broadside attack on, of all things, Earth Day. Some cheered him on. Others gagged in revulsion. And other just laughed at him.

His brief political career became intertwined with the Havre Daily News several times.

Almost four years ago, State Sen. Jonathan Windy Box, D-Box Elder, held a hearing at Northern Montana Hospital about the health care debate that was in full swing in those days. Windy Boy and Dow, as you might suspect, were like oil and water.

Dow didn't like the coverage our political reporter, Tim Leeds, provided. Dow's comments were not included in the story. Liberal bias, he was sure.

Could he write a letter to the editor, he asked. Sure, said I.

The letter morphed into a frequent column.

Conservatives cheered us for running it. Liberals threatened a tar-and-feather party for me.

Then came the election, and Dow was elected to represent the Third Ward. Dow often disagreed with our coverage and especially with our editorials that explained our vision of Havre's future, which was not at all in sync with his.

Now, it will be quieter around here. Dow has made his mark. He made people happy as often as he made people's blood pressure rise.

"Maybe Rick won't be as active when he gets to Rochester," one detractor told me, hopefully, not long ago.

Yes, sure.

Brace yourself Minnesota, you're in for a ride.

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The Havre Daily News and other Montana media got a lot of flak recently when we covered a Frontline documentary that pointed to the emergence of dark money as a key part of Montana politics.

The PBS program found that many Montana politicians, including State Rep. Wendy Warburton, had some kind of connection to what Frontline called a shadowy organization, Western Tradition Partnership.

Foes said the program was a poor excuse for journalism and that the program depended on stolen documents to make a point.

Investigative Reporters and Editors, the chief organization that advocates for in-depth reporting, feels differently. It gave "Big Sky, Big Money" one of its major awards this week.

"This project featured multiple partners breaking down a complicated subject — campaign finance in the post-Citizens United era — in a simple, entertaining fashion. Big Money 2012 tells a tale of money, politics and intrigue in a remote epicenter of campaign finance, Montana," judges said.

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And back to the topic of Rick Dow, his departure will leave a hole on this page.

We started running more local columnists lately. We've received good comments about our local emphasis on the page.

Some of the columnists have written nonpolitical columns and comments on interesting events in the area.

But most of the political columnists have been on the left side of the spectrum.

We have some conservatives lined up, but for one reason or another, they backed out.

So if you would like to give a try at adding balance to the page, we'd love to hear from you.

You don't have to be as strident or as colorful as the departing Dow, just somebody who believes in traditional values and holds conservative fiscal beliefs.

Do you think Second Amendment rights are jeopardized? We'd love to hear from you. Call, write or email.

(John Kelleher is managing editor of the Havre Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected], 406-265-6795, ext. 17, or 406-390-0798.)