Fat, Drunk & Stupid

I’m sure there were worse mayors in Missoula’s history than John Engen.
 
It’s just that I can’t think of any.
 
No, what we have now is a real piece of work.
 
First of all, the guy has so little self-control that he can’t stop eating.
 
Missoula taxpayers had to pay for his $23,000 gastric bypass surgery because of that fact.
 
Then the guy can’t stop drinking.
 
Currently he’s taking a break from drinking, but I expect he’ll be off the wagon again soon.
 
Remember, he’s admitted to beginning his drinking at noon on most days.
 
That means he was drunk at work during the afternoon, and it also means he was driving his city-provided vehicle around while drunk.
 
So the guy’s got serious self-control issues.
 
That’s not stopping him from running for a fourth term as Missoula’s mayor, however.
 
For some reason I got on his campaign email list and was getting fundraising emails as early as March.
 

 
That’s what Engen will be focused on for the next six months – winning that 4th term.
 
Your problems and concerns won’t matter during that time.
 
Anyone who’s gone down to the Missoula City Council to submit a comment to the mayor knows that’s standard operating procedure 12 months out of the year anyways, though.
 
It wasn’t always like this.
 
Missoula didn’t always waste so much money and city officials used to care about residents.
 
Back in 1985, for instance, Missoula passed a bond to help build Larchmont Golf Course.
 
It cost $500,000.
 
That’s parks and trails and open spaces with lots of landscaping.
 
Half a million bucks for that.
 
Now fast forward to 2014 when Missoula passed a Parks and Trails bond.
 
It cost $42 million.
 
In 1972 we passed a bond to build a new library, or give them more space or materials.
 
It cost $850,000
 
In 2016 Missoula passed a bond to build a new library.
 
It cost $30 million.
 
My, things have sure gone up in price, haven’t they?
 
How about your wages…have they kept pace?
 
And if not, how are you able to keep paying all this new money the city wants in taxes?
 
Here’s a quick list of some things you’ve paid for recently:
 

• $7 million for the mall developers to expand their mall

 

• $4 million for the Reserve Street ‘Pedestrian’ Bridge

 

• $3 million to buy EKO Compost

 

• $2 million for a new evidence room…which took 2 years.

 

• $1.5 million to Stockman Bank a year after their construction started

 

• $200,000 for a one-way street study in April 2017

 

• $12,500 for a workforce study in April 2017

 
All that stuff comes to $17.7 million.
 
That’s your tax money.
 
My God – imagine how much we could have fixed our roads with that!
 
How do you feel about that?
 
Probably not as good as that fat, drunk & stupid mayor of ours.
 
He’s laughing all the way to the bank, and with your money spilling out of his pockets.
 
How does that make you feel?
 
Personally, it makes me sick.
 
Then it makes me angry.
 
Then, when I realize there’s nothing I can do about it, it makes me depressed and despondent.
 
Engen knows that no matter how much he increases your taxes, you’ll keep voting for him.
 
Your taxes have gone up 95% over the past 12 years.
 
Missoula has seen a 3-5% tax increase each year since 2010.
 
When will it end?
 
It won’t.
 
The Missoula GOP doesn’t even have a candidate lined up to run against Engen.
 
Filing starts in 11 days.
 
So it’ll be another 4 years of the gravy train – you know…you provide the gravy and Engen rides it all the way to the bank.
 
That’s how you want it.