Montana’s Office of Political Practices Needs Reform

Before I get too far into this rant, I want readers to know that I personally like the current Commissioner of Political Practices. James Murray has always been very accessible to the press and is more than willing to speak about a variety of topics without getting upset about the line of questioning (this is not the case with all of our leaders). From my conversations with him, Murray seems to be honest and forthright. On the other hand, I think that the office that Mr. Murray currently runs needs dramatic reforms . . . here's why.

Currently, the Office of Political Practices is poisoned by the perception of partisanship. Whether or not the commissioner acts in a partisan way, the fact that the commissioner is appointed by the Governor makes the charge of partisanship easy for anyone on the other side of the political aisle to claim. It is no secret that Mr. Murray is a personal friend of Governor Schweitzer and even worked on the governor's campaign, because of this, it is almost impossible for republicans accused of political malpractice not to claim that the office is being used as a political attack dog. Whether it's true or not, the charge of political partisanship rings even louder in an election season when  investigations can easily break a candidates stride.

In order to reform the office, I believe that the Commissioner of Political Practices should be replaced by a bi-partisan committee similar to the way our apportionment and redistricting committee is structured. This would ensure that when accusations of partisanship arise, there would at least be a voice inside the Office of Political Practices to balance inaccurate charges. Furthermore, a bi-partisan commission will be more likely to get necessary funding and proper staffing because it will have a unified voice when requesting funds (funding and staffing are Murray's main complaints about the office). Because the office of Political Practices can so easily sway an election, Montana voters on both the left and right deserve to have a voice inside the office no matter which party is in power.