City Commissioner Joe McKenney - Serving our Community

06/11/2026

For generations, we've believed in Great Falls and its future. Today, that belief is paying off.

The latest example is the Janicki decision to invest in Great Falls. This is one of the most significant economic development announcements our community has ever seen. The news isn't just making headlines in Montana. It's drawing attention across the region and putting Great Falls on the map in a whole new way.

New housing is being built. Businesses are investing. Families are choosing Great Falls. Major projects are moving forward.

Momentum is building across our community, and one of the most significant manufacturing investments in our history is now headed here.

Will growth bring challenges? Of course it will.

But after decades of talking about decline, I would much rather be talking about opportunity and prosperity.

Some people see obstacles. Many of us see good jobs, stronger families, new investment, and a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.

None of this happened overnight. Together, we've rolled up our sleeves, solved problems, and kept Great Falls moving forward.

Business leaders, educators, neighborhood volunteers, entrepreneurs, city staff, elected officials, and countless others have all played a role in creating the opportunities we see today.

We've come a long way, and I believe we're just getting started. The future is arriving.

Together, we have a chance to shape what comes next.
How do we get to YES?

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for updates on housing, economic development, public safety, and the future of Great Falls.

🔄 If you're excited about the future of Great Falls, please share this post.

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06/08/2026

Family Fishing Day at Wadsworth Pond brought together kids, parents, grandparents, volunteers, and outdoor enthusiasts for a day of fishing, learning, and fun.

There was plenty of laughter, a few fishing stories, and smiles everywhere you looked. It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying the outdoors and spending time together.

Thank you to everyone who helped organize this event and to all who came out to participate.

This is another example of what makes Great Falls such a special place to call home.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for updates on what's happening in Great Falls.

🔄 Share this post and help spread the word about the people, projects, and opportunities that help our community thrive.

Great Falls Development Alliance Great Falls Chamber Great Falls Gazette Great Falls Association of Realtors

06/06/2026

Janicki, Welcome to Great Falls!

06/05/2026

Big news for Great Falls.

Touro University has announced plans to establish a law school campus in our community.

A few years ago, the idea of a medical school in Great Falls seemed like a long shot. Today, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Montana is here, and now Touro is looking to grow its presence even further.

This announcement creates new educational opportunities, helps address Montana's shortage of attorneys, and brings more students, faculty, and investment to our community.

Great Falls moves forward when we create opportunity. We need doctors, nurses, teachers, skilled tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and attorneys. This announcement is another step in that direction.

A lot of people deserve credit for helping make Great Falls a place where organizations like Touro want to invest.

Great Falls continues to earn opportunities like this because people are willing to work together, solve problems, and focus on how to get to yes.

Over the past few years, we've seen new housing, new businesses, major private investment, and continued growth in higher education. This announcement adds to that progress.

We're not standing still.

Momentum.

Another win for Great Falls.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for updates on the projects, investments, and opportunities helping build a thriving Great Falls.

👍 Share this post so others can see the positive things happening in our community.

Great Falls Development Alliance Great Falls Chamber Great Falls Gazette Great Falls Association of REALTORS

06/02/2026

Great Falls just landed one of the biggest economic development wins our community has ever seen.

Janicki Industries has chosen Great Falls.

That is big news for our city, our workforce, our families, and the future of Great Falls.

More than 1,000 jobs. Advanced aerospace manufacturing. Major private investment. A new chapter for our community.

This is not just another project. This is the kind of opportunity that can help change the direction of a city.

For years, many of us have believed Great Falls could compete for something bigger. Not just talk about growth, but go after it. Not just hope for opportunity, but prepare for it. Not just say we want good-paying jobs, but do the hard work to help make them possible.

This is how we get to yes.

Prepared sites. Strong partnerships. Trusted relationships. Responsive leadership. A community willing to compete for its future.

A lot of people deserve credit for helping bring this opportunity to Great Falls. Janicki Industries for choosing our community. The Great Falls Development Alliance for years of steady, determined work. City staff, county partners, state partners, business leaders, and community members who helped put Great Falls in position to win.

At the end of the day, this is about people. It is about families, young people seeing a future here, private investment, new technology, and a stronger tax base to help support the services our community depends on.

This is a big win for Great Falls.

And I believe it is just the beginning.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👉 Share this post if you believe Great Falls is ready for big things.
👉 Follow my page for updates on the ideas, momentum, and leadership shaping our city.

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06/01/2026

A question I occasionally hear is, "What does a City Commissioner actually do?"

The answer may surprise you.

Serving as a City Commissioner is a volunteer position. We receive a small stipend, but it is certainly not a career. Most of us have jobs, businesses, families, and responsibilities outside of City Hall. We serve because we care deeply about our community.

For me, that means balancing my responsibilities as a full-time Realtor, entrepreneur, husband, father, and grandfather while serving our community. Public service is not my career. It is my commitment to Great Falls.

Just during the month of May, that commitment included:

• City Commission work sessions, Commission meetings, and a special meeting
• My monthly one-on-one meeting with our City Manager
• The Mayor's Community Prayer Breakfast
• The JROTC Flag Ceremony
• Electric City Citizens for Public Safety meetings
• The JROTC Awards Ceremony, where I had the privilege of serving as the keynote speaker
• Historic Preservation meetings and awards
• The Upslope housing project groundbreaking
• The High School House dedication ceremony
• Meetings with Malmstrom Air Force Base leadership
• Business Improvement District meetings
• Great Falls Police Department Awards Ceremony
• Great Falls Development Alliance Board meeting
• Salvation Army Week proclamation activities
• Meetings with local housing providers
• Neighborhood Council of Councils meeting
• Great Falls Chamber Board meeting
• The Chamber's State of Great Falls luncheon
• The Sentinel missile campus groundbreaking ceremony
• Meetings with Calumet leadership and community partners

And that list doesn't include phone calls, emails, constituent conversations, reading agendas and reports, or the many discussions that happen behind the scenes.

Local government works best when people understand how much of it is powered by volunteers. Commissioners, board members, committee members, nonprofit leaders, neighborhood advocates, and countless others help move our community forward every day.

Great Falls is fortunate to have so many people willing to step up and serve.

Thank you to everyone who gives their time, energy, and talents to make our community stronger.

It is an honor to serve alongside you.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for updates on housing, public safety, economic development, and the future of Great Falls.
🔄 Please share if you support community service and volunteer leadership.

Great Falls Development Alliance Great Falls Chamber Great Falls Association of REALTORS Great Falls Gazette

05/31/2026

Update from Great Falls Development Alliance.

Email from Great Falls Development Alliance USAF Sentinel groundbreaking, new Love Living in Great Falls video, new businesses, River's Edge Trail expansion and more View as Webpage Groundbreaking for

05/29/2026

Most people don't realize how big this project really is.

This week, the Sentinel Project officially broke ground at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

The scale of this effort is hard to overstate. Sentinel will replace the nation's aging Minuteman III missile system and modernize the infrastructure that supports one of America's most important national defense missions. It represents one of the largest single military modernization efforts in history.

It is a massive investment in America's national defense infrastructure and sends a clear message that Malmstrom remains a vital part of our nation's security strategy for decades to come.

For Great Falls, this is another reminder that Malmstrom is not just an Air Force base. It is one of the foundations of our local economy and an important part of our community's future.

As construction moves forward over the coming years, the effects will be felt far beyond the fence line of the base. Local businesses, contractors, suppliers, housing providers, and many others throughout our community will help support this historic undertaking.

Projects of this magnitude do not happen by accident. They happen when communities are prepared, when people work together, and when there is a willingness to solve problems rather than stand in the way of progress.

Great Falls and Malmstrom Air Force Base have shared a strong partnership for generations. This groundbreaking marks the beginning of an important new chapter, and our community is well positioned to make the most of it.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for updates on Great Falls.
🔄 If you're excited about the future of our community, please share this post.

Great Falls Gazette Great Falls Development Alliance Great Falls Chamber Great Falls Association of REALTORS

05/25/2026

Memorial Day is real to me.

Every photo in this image is actually me during my time aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. America.

I served on the flight deck as a troubleshooter. It was dangerous work in every direction. Jets were launching and landing. Jet intakes could pull a man in. Jet blast could knock you down or blow you overboard. Props were spinning. Live ordnance was being moved. There was fuel, noise, heat, and pressure everywhere. Very little room for mistakes.

Not all of my shipmates made it home alive.

That is what Memorial Day means to me.

It is not about politics. It is not about sales. It is not about a long weekend.

For many families, Memorial Day is a day to remember someone who never came home.

Real people, families, and sacrifice.

This Memorial Day, I hope we all take a quiet moment to remember the men and women who gave everything for our country.

May we never take that freedom for granted.

Joe McKenney
Your Voice, for a Thriving Great Falls

👍 Follow my page for more community updates and conversations.
↗️ Please share this post as we remember those who gave everything for our country.

05/24/2026

Update from Great Falls Development Alliance.

Email from Great Falls Development Alliance Business expansion loan, working on housing, infrastructure, energy, and industrial sites, pitching our region for private investment and more View as Webpa