Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Updated with response from Melissa Lewis. Working wives can make campaigning interesting for politicians. John Lewis, the Democratic candidate for Montana’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Democrat since 2000 with a fighting chance of winning that seat, may have what I would call a conflict of interest problem with Initiative 172, which would lower taxes for Charter Communications. Both Montana Cowgirl and the Helena Vigilante have excellent stories on the issue, and there’s even a new website devoted to the matter, FU CI-172.
If I-172 makes the ballot, and voters approve it, the net result is that the taxes lowered for Charter probably will be offset by higher taxes on the rest of us.
The potential conflict of interest problem for Lewis is that his wife, Melissa, receives money for lobbying for Charter. The Vigilante reports:
According to filings with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, by May 5, an incidental political committee called Bresnan Communications LLC—not coincidentally named—had already spent a little over $139,000 gearing up for the offensive, including the following in-kind expenditures:
$1,500 to Melissa Lewis and Associates for political consulting work (Lewis is married to U.S. House of Representatives hopeful John Lewis). [Emphasis added.]
Did John Lewis sign a petition to put I-172 on the ballot? If he did, why does he think I-172 is good for Democrats?
In my judgment, I-172 is a scandalous attempt to shift corporate taxes onto people who work for wages and sometimes for minimum wages. No Democrat in good conscience can support it. And no spouse or child of a Democratic candidate should be employed by or take money from Charter or any of the entities associated with I-172.
In fact, neither spouses nor children of candidates and elected officials should work as lobbyists. Yes, it’s legal — but it should become a criminal offense with mandatory hoosegow time for violators.
John Lewis’ wife should cut her ties with Charter and I-172. Right now. And if Lewis signed a petition for I-172, he should forthwith publicly repudiate his doing so. Is he a Democrat who represents the corporations? Or, a Democrat who represents Montana’s working Joes and Jills?
Hi James,
I just read your recent story on the Charter ballot initiative. I am hoping that you’ll consider an addition to the piece that clarifies my work. I was involved early on in the exploratory phases, but as it became clear that they were moving forward with a ballot initiative I recused myself immediately and have done no work on the ballot measure.
Thanks for your consideration,
Melissa