Published September 6, 2024
My fellow Americans,
2023-2024 MACo President
Ross Butcher, Fergus County Commissioner
The year has flown by and Joette has shown me the door! All good things must come to an end and there is nothing much better than spending a year in the trenches fighting the good fight with the best Montana has to offer. My appreciation for our team at MACo and all the amazing commissioners who have carried the mantle before me is beyond words, but I’ll give it a try.
E.B. White said “I get up every day to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult”. I believe we are meant for a purpose and when we engage life with purpose there is nothing we can’t accomplish. I feel like we have spent a lot of time working to better our world around us, but I had a pretty good time while I was at it! I hope I met your expectations when representing our association, I certainly felt privileged to serve you as your President this past year.
I can remember through the years hearing our President extol the virtues of the team we have assembled at MACo to serve the counties. I have always felt that as a whole MACo lives up to its reputation as a first-class organization. After spending a year working with this team, I have another level of respect for MACo. I just want to say thank you for what you do for us and assure you that you make a difference.
I also want to say thank you to all my fellow commissioners for trusting me to represent you on the state and national level. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve you and speak for our great Association.
I definitely had plenty of opportunities to try and get our message out to our constituents across the state about how efficient and responsive local government can be, despite the political rhetoric we have been wading through this past year or so. This just shows that our work is never done, and we must continue to carry that message forward. We know that the evolution of government is to consolidate power in a centralized government and our role is to resist that eternal push and maintain the constitutionally delegated authority of the people! God bless America and may God bless you in your service.
With deepest respect and a grateful heart, I humbly enter the auspicious realm of the has-beens!
Peace,
Ross
Commissioner Ross Butcher | Fergus County | rbutcher@fergusmt.gov | (406) 535-5119