Julie Baron Potter, a Hamilton resident, urged the Ravalli County Board of County Commissioners on June 19 to draft and send a letter condemning recent firings at a federal laboratory and to seek rehiring of affected employees. "I will reiterate fourth generation just because ... I will expect that this is on letterhead with the edits that you need to have done to send this out to the applicable parties," Potter said during the meeting's public-comment period.

Potter told commissioners she had drafted a letter after county staff informed her no such county letter had been prepared. She cited news reporting when asked about numbers: "There were 41 fired and 9 took early retirement or took the payout," she said, and attributed those figures to the Montana Free Press and The Washington Post.

Potter said the firings carry local consequences beyond loss of jobs. "As the gentleman last week Archie mentioned, I mean, this goes deep into our community. It's mental health for our community. It talks about, you know, the money that comes through. We are losing people coming for conferences," she said, referencing canceled events and reduced local hotel revenue that she said have followed the staffing changes.

A resident who identified herself as Veil Peters asked Potter where she had obtained some of the facts she cited; Potter said she had sourced the numbers to news reporting. County representatives told Potter they had not prepared the letter she sought and discussed next steps with her after the public comment period ended.

The remarks occurred during the meeting's public-comment period; no formal action or motion regarding the letter was taken by the board on June 19.

Potter left a printed copy of her draft letter with the county before the meeting ended.