Danette Harrington served as auditor of Butte-Silver Bow for 24 years.
She was first elected in 1992, and she was re-elected five times. Those years as auditor, though, account for less than half of her years serving the public as an employee of the local government.
Harrington attended St. Mary’s Grade School and Butte Central. She grew up in the Dublin Gulch.
That storied Butte neighborhood appears to be under attack as the Superfund partners zero in on the Gulch as a dumping ground for toxic waste. That waste will come from a long-overdue cleanup of the center of town, and a lot of people are outraged by the prospect of dumping in the Gulch.
Those outraged included former residents of the Dublin Gulch, those who remember the Gulch and those of us who grew up hearing stories about the great neighborhood. It also includes people whose houses are within shouting distance of proposed toxic dump site.
For some reason, they think it is ok to remove that toxic slime from one Butte neighborhood only to put it right next to another. Talk about robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Also, that dumping would be the death knell for the great neighborhood, which still shows off remnants of its special past.
Harrington is one of those who is fighting that dumping.
Listen in as Harrington describes what it was like to grow up in the Dublin Gulch and why the place is still such a special place. Listen to the names and the nicknames as she brings the old neighborhood back to life with her stories.
Listen in, and you just might see why the Dublin Gulch is worth fighting for.
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The ButteCast with Bill Foley 