Letter to the Editor - Pinocci opposed water compact and deserves your vote

Editor,

Ahead of us is the June primary and some very important races. One important race is the Public Service Commission race in PSC District 1 which includes 19 counties. Please allow me to tell you just how important this race is.

There are two main candidates. One who supported the disastrous Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe water compact that will cost the Montana taxpayers $55 million and in Federal tax dollars $2.3 billion and hand over control of virtually all the water in western Montana. This compact is also against the Montana Constitution as our constitution states the waters within Montana’s boundaries belong to our state for the benefits of Montana’s citizens, that’s you and I.

The taxpayer money and invaluable water will forever be given to a supposedly sovereign nation, the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe of western Montana. Only a fool would have supported this. The candidate who supported this disastrous water compact is Rob Cook. Clearly he should hold no office as he has done much damage to Montana already.

However, there is a great candidate who fought hard for us to kill this disastrous water compact while serving as a state legislator in House District 19 and he is Randy Pinocci. Pinocci also realized that a precedent could be created for other tribes to ask for off-reservation water effecting all of us across the United States.

A Billings Gazette article stated that Cook lives out of this district and is moving in with his significant other in Shelby. Cook’s voting record is so poor that perhaps he should have moved to Missoula which would be a better fit.

Pinocci brings a level of knowledge, experience, and work ethic that no other candidate has.

Pinocci had a perfect attendance record serving in the Legislature never missing a single day, while many others did, working hard for us. Vote for Pinocci.

Thank you.

Ron Hepp

Great Falls