Larry Kline
Havre Daily News
lkline@havredailynews.com
It is three little words.
Well, almost three little words.
It's been plastered on car bumpers and buildings, and it's caused some confusion and stirred a bit of controversy.
Mayor Bob Rice said Thursday that "Get 'er Done" is not a motto for the city of Havre. And contrary to what some people might think, he said, the slogan has no connection with Larry The Cable Guy, a comedian who regularly tells his fans to "Git-R-Done."
Rice said he has received five phone calls and a letter in regard to the saying.
"They're under the impression that it's a city motto, and it's not," he said.
Rice said deputy public works director Gary Schaub came up with the phrase after the Great Falls Tribune printed a Feb. 13 article about Rice with the headline "Havre's get-it-done mayor."
"It's just something he tagged me with - get it done, Mayor Bob," Rice said.
After Schaub and Rice talked about it, Rice was visiting with a friend, Robert Floren, who owns Hill County Printing. Floren printed 500 of the bumper stickers for free, with the aim of encouraging Havreites to be active in their community.
Havre Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Debbie Vandeberg said the article that appeared in last Friday's Havre Daily News has caused some confusion.
"I've had people ask me (about the phrase) because of the article," she said. "The way it was written confused people and led them down the wrong path."
Vandeberg said the chamber's slogan, "Havre: It's the People," still exists.
"It's still alive and well, and will be, hopefully, for years to come," she said.
Some people thought the bumper stickers were a reference to Larry The Cable Guy, a comedian known for raunchy humor.
Havre resident Charles Bottom made that connection. In a letter to the editor printed in today's Havre Daily News, he said "Get 'er Done" might bring ideas to the minds of visitors that Havreites might not want associated with their town.
"I wonder if Havre wants visitors to the area to associate Havre with raunchy humor," Bottom wrote.
"It has nothing to with Larry The Cable Guy, at least for me," Rice said. "I've heard of him, but I've never watched him."
Delores Welter, past state president of the Rebekahs, a national service organization associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, sent Rice a letter about the bumper stickers.
"I think it needs clarifying," Welter said. "Get what done? Who's going to get it done? People are sort of laughing at it, and I just thought Bob should know what the feeling is."
Welter said the stickers might seem odd to people from out of town. Many people do not know of all that Havre has to offer, she said.
"Most people, they have no concept of what a nice community we have," she said.
