Help Save 2nd Street in Troy
Please vote “NO” on closing 2nd Street on behalf of the Town Pump for the following reasons:
Tourism is our main industry (according to a study in the Flathead Beacon of 10/4/17). The quaintness of our town is what attracts people here.
If we let 2nd Street be closed and giant Town Pump Service Station & Quick Stop Store block access to our downtown, people who are going through Troy will only stop there, buy gas, beer, coffee, junk food, and move on out of Troy. Is our identity as a Town Pump? Are we willing to sacrifice the unique character of our town of Troy? WHY?
We do not need to give 2nd Street to the Town Pump. They can buy TCL Lube from Bruce Cole and expand to the North. But why would they buy it if Troy is willing to give them 2nd Street. The real question is WHY would we give them 2nd Street?
Small town charm is what Troy has to offer. Gambles Old Fashion Hardware Store, the VFW Bar, the Home Bar with it’s great outdoor patio, Candy’s food cart, the IGA Store & True Value, Shakti Soul Yoga Studio, the Bowling Alley and Restaurant, these will all lose business. Closing 2nd Street will funnel traffic away from other attractions: The boat launch, the park on the river.
Troy has a lot to offer people. Let’s encourage them to tour our town. Please vote “NO” to the Town Pump’s expansion across 2nd Street!
Submitted by Sherrie Garcia of Troy, Mont.
Physicians support tobacco tax
As an organization that promotes integrated primary healthcare for Montana’s most vulnerable populations, the Montana Primary Care Association strongly endorses I-185, the Tobacco Tax Initiative.
The impact on people from tobacco use is well-documented. Because we work with many of Montana’s vulnerable people, we know that tobacco companies have long targeted our lower income communities and their kids, creating generations of families addicted to tobacco. The impact on these families is substantial with both significant income impacts and serious long-term health consequences.
A tobacco tax, as a policy, is a critical component in our efforts to reduce tobacco use in Montana. Combined with good cessation programs (which I-185 provides funding for), I-185 has the potential to reduce tobacco use by 11,000 Montanans, including 1,700 youth, and reduce thousands of premature deaths caused by tobacco. Tobacco use costs the Montana taxpayers over $440 million each year and yet we haven’t raised tobacco taxes in over 13 years – we are all shouldering the cost of tobacco-caused illness, yet these products continue to be affordable and readily accessible to everyone in our communities.
It’s time to hold tobacco companies accountable and stop the cycle of tobacco addiction. Let’s use all of the policy tools we can to make it harder to buy and consume a product that is known to kill thousands of Montanans every year.
Support I-185. As a strategy to reduce tobacco use, it’s the most powerful way to get thousands of people back on track and off deadly tobacco.
Cindy Stergar is CEO of the Montana Primary Care Association