Good morning, Mayor Tooley,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying a pleasant spring day. I wanted to thank you for hosting me at the “Use Your Voice: A Civil Conversation on Tax Policy” conference. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the sessions and was honored to have time to address those in attendance on Montana’s tax competitiveness. As I mentioned, the Tax Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax research and policy organization. In this sense, we have the privilege of interacting with lawmakers and policymakers from across the political spectrum. Because of this, I truly appreciate the Wheeler Center’s dedication to fostering civil public policy discussions.
I have the privilege of traveling to a lot of conferences as both an attendee and speaker. The Wheeler Center’s recent tax conference represented the highest quality civil dialogue that I have seen. I truly appreciated the varied views represented throughout the day (and the keynote the night before), and I learned more at the conference than I had at any other. I also enjoyed the opportunity to engage with those at my table who represented the many interests in Montana: two state lawmakers, a local government official, a statewide nonprofit representative, and two business leaders. It was abundantly clear that everyone wanted the very best for Montanans despite some disagreement as to how to achieve the shared goal. Nevertheless, throughout our discussions, everyone listened to each other and found common ground. As I continue to travel, I will be sure to share my very positive experience with the Wheeler Center’s approach, which should be the model.
Thank you again for hosting me, and for allowing me such a unique opportunity to participate in a very valuable discussion and conference. I also enjoyed meeting you, your spouse, and the other board members and staff. I hope you enjoy a great day and weekend ahead, and I hope our professional paths cross again in the near future.
Best,
Manish
Manish Bhatt
Vice President of State Tax Policy