Dear Editor,
During the April 16, 2025 Heights Water Board Meeting, one of two current candidates running for reelection to the Heights Water Board voted against the $7,378,153 proposal for the Northwest Transmission line. Greg Erpenbach voted with President Doug Kary, Vice President Frank Ewalt and Jeff Essman to defeat this questionable expenditure. Ming Cabrera, true to his nature, voted to spend the $7,378,153 to fix pressure issues in a small portion of the Heights. Louis Engels, a Billings water engineer, told the board that for $500,000 or less, they could alleviate the problem for twenty years. The more than 7 million dollar project would have increased average monthly bills by at least $4.46. Louis Engels’s $500,000 solution wouldn’t increase the bills since the board has the cash to complete the project.
While on the Heights Water Board, Cabrera has a history of wasting our money by consistently voting to increase the Heights water employee’s remuneration. Ratepayers already compensate the employees of the Heights Water District more compared to those who do similar work at Billings Public Works.
Ming Cabrera and David Graves wasted about $50,000 when they filed a frivolous lawsuit. Scott Twito and the District’s attorney informed them that they had no grounds to file this lawsuit; it wasn’t allowed by law. Cabrera and the managers were told that the only way to remove a board member is with a recall election. Cabrera and Graves filed their illegal lawsuit anyway because ratepayers would bear the cost of the lawsuit, not Cabrera and Graves.
Do we want David Graves and Ming Cabrera spending our money on the Heights Water Board?
Bob Ellis
Billings, MT
