Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Seventy-year-old Max Lenington, Yellowstone County’s treasurer and a man unafraid to speak his mind, is in the news again — and again, it’s for speaking his mind in an ugly letter he ought not have sent to the editor of the Billings Gazette.
Lenington has apologized for the letter, which he admits was “over the top.” But he can’t seem to help himself and plenty of people, Democrats and Republican alike, think he should resign now instead of finishing his term, which expires at the end of the year, and retiring, which he says he’ll do.
Over at The Western Word, Mike Brown writes:
Two things come to mind with this embarrassment. The state legislature needs to work on plan to make recalling elected officials a little easier in these situations. It has to be well thought-out and not a knee-jerk reaction. Secondly, these fringe members are harming the Republican Party. Someone in the Party needs to step forward and be the adult. The silence of the leaders in the GOP make it look like they are afraid of losing votes or of getting a primary challenger if they speak out.
I agree that Lenington, et al, do the Republican Party no good, and that the muted response of GOP leaders has its downside. I’m leery, however, of making it easier to recall elected officials.
And I’m not in favor of recalling anyone for uttering politically incorrect comments. Punishing free speech that way is far more dangerous to democracy and good government than suffering — and rebutting — the politically incorrect remarks until the next election.
But I do favor hiring treasurers and other county offices instead of electing them. These are policy executing instead of policy making positions, and the people occupying them should be appointed on the basis of their professional skills, not elected.