Havre Leaders Stand Against CI-97 and the Deceptive Games That Supporters are Playing with Montana Voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

CONTACT:
Marissa Kozel, Not in Montana, 406-465-0283
Kirk Miller, Chairman, State Board of Public Education, 406-265-4456

Local educators, health care workers, and advocates for senior citizens talked about Constitutional Initiative 97 with the Havre community Wednesday, at an informational forum on CI-97.

The Havre forum is the first of several statewide forums sponsored by the Not in Montana Coalition, AARP Montana and the League of Women Voters.

A panel of Have community members explained how CI-97 will gut essential services for Montana families, children, seniors and businesses. CI-97 will hit the heart of local communities, choking out funding for education, health care and emergency services. Local taxpayers will end up with fewer services or higher property taxes - likely both.

"This year the Legislature provided public schools a funding increase that exceeded inflation for the first time in 12 years," said Kirk Miller, Chairman of the State Board of Public Education. "If you cap funding for public schools that are underfunded, they will continue to be underfunded. Or their needs will be balanced through increases for local property taxpayers."

"CI-97 is a dangerous state budget cap that threatens my ability to give Havre children a quality education," said Marie Deegan, an English teacher at Havre High School.

Colorado voters approved an almost identical initiative in 1992. It devastated their economy and damaged the quality of basic services. As a result, Colorado voters suspended their law in 2005.

CI-97 supporters claim their version of CI-97 is a grassroots campaign, yet they spent over $274,000 paying out-of-state signature gatherers, and they refuse to say where they're getting their money and support.

In the past few weeks Nevada, Michigan, Oklahoma and Missouri have removed similar measures from their ballots because of fraudulent signature gathering practices. (MORE)
Panelists said that wealthy, out of state interests appear to be bankrolling the campaign for CI-97. New York City multi-millionaire Howard Rich is using his deep pockets to play politics with Montana's future, and Montanans aren't going to take it, they said.

Governor Brian Schweitzer and more than 50 Montana organizations have joined the effort against CI-97. They're urging all Montanans to stand up and vote "No" on CI-97.

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Not In Montana: Citizens Against CI-97 is a broad-based, nonpartisan coalition formed to oppose CI-97/SOS. Members include hundreds of individual Montanans and nearly 50 groups representing business, firefighters, education, economic development, health care, aging services, and others.