#MTGov Daily Rundown: Bullock's Bad News Weekend

It was a bad weekend of news for Governor Steve Bullock as State Rep. Ken Holmlund called out Bullock's Commerce Department over major issues with the awarding of a $7 million marketing contract.

"One such event is the Montana Department of Commerce granting a Montana tourism contract to a Wisconsin firm with little or no experience in destination or tourism marketing, even though several Montana firms applied for the contract and had the necessary credentials to do the job. This contract is for $7 to $9 million in Montana tax dollars a year.

Let’s look at the known facts. A deadline had been set for applications and was known by all parties for months. A few hours before the deadline it was extended to allow for all parties to have time to submit the application.

The extension alone is not terribly troubling until you realize that the Jennifer Pelej, the Department of Commerce Bureau Chief, who is heavily involved with awarding this contract, just happens to have a cousin who is a VP account supervisor with the Wisconsin firm Hoffman York. Suddenly the plot thickens, but it gets worse." -Rep. Ken Holmlund, Billings Gazette, 9/10/2016


Holmlund then asked the important question of why a lack of oversight exists at the Montana Department of Commerce.

"I am sure there is more to be revealed about this contract but at best it stinks of blatant cronyism when an out-of-state company gets a contract this large even though they have no experience in the field. Why weren’t Gov. Steve Bullock and Commerce Director Meg O’Leary paying closer attention to this process? Were they complicit in allowing this to happen? I believe honest answers to the citizens of Montana are required from our leaders. No more cronyism and favoritism with our tax dollars." -Rep. Ken Holmlund, Billings Gazette, 9/10/2016

ICYMI - #MTGov Daily Rundown: More Questions Raised About State Marketing Contract

On Friday, it was revealed by KGVO radio that Montana taxpayers had not only paid for Gov. Bullock to fly to the Paul McCartney concert in Missoula, they had also paid for the Commerce Director Meg O'Leary to make the trip.

"When the state plane flew to Missoula for the Paul McCartney Concert in August of 2014, Governor Bullock was joined by Montana Department of Commerce Director Meg O’Leary. Oddly, Meg O’Leary wasn’t specifically invited, but Montana taxpayers funded the trip anyway." -KGVO, 9/9/2016

KGVO also discovered that O'Leary, as a state official, has been attending functions for the dark money DGA, including while Bullock was chairman.

On May 1, 2015 O’Leary appeared with Bullock at the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. Photos of both were snapped by a team of photographers from the Voice-Tribune that includes Max Sharp, Chris Humphreys, Bill Wine, Tim Valentino and Amber Chaflin on May First and published in a photo gallery titled Kentucky Oaks 141." -KGVO, 9/9/2016

Pictures:

http://voice-tribune.smugmug.com/Kentucky-Oaks-141/i-4wjqZJr

http://voice-tribune.smugmug.com/Kentucky-Oaks-141/i-v3sPtc4

Then, on Sunday, the Helena IR broke reported that former state auditors were accusing Bullock of wrongdoing.

"Former Montana auditors have accused state officials of discouraging Department of Health and Human Services staffers from investigating a variety of questioned payments dating back to 2005." -Helena IR, 9/11/2016

"Emails from current and former DPHHS staffers, along with court filings and whistleblower complaints obtained by the Independent Record, identified at least seven long-tenured state employees who raised red flags before they were demoted or fired. At least three staffers who raised questions were accused of insubordination before being fired. 

Two of those staffers claim high-level administrators, acting on orders from Bullock, pushed through “questionable” welfare payments to important Democratic voting blocs on Indian reservations and ignored DPHHS auditors’ questions about hefty checks cut to major welfare program contractors. Bullock, through a spokeswoman, flatly denied those claims." -Helena IR, 9/11/2016

Now, at least one independent commentator is saying that "trouble may be brewing in Helena."

https://twitter.com/banville/status/775348629661847556

Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen is saying that legislators are taking this news "very seriously."

https://twitter.com/RepKnudsen/status/775337205489209345

This comes after the shocking news that all of the emails on state accounts from Governor Steve Bullock's 2009-2013 term as Attorney General have been destroyed. This is despite emails clearly being considered "public record" in state law and guidance from the Secretary of State's office that public officials turn over their emails to the state archives when they leave office.

“Note the email accounts for former Attorney General Steve Bullock and his appointed staff members no longer exist, so neither the accounts nor their archives are available to search,’ he wrote. Blixseth has asked state officials for a copy of the minutes of the meeting in which they followed proper protocols and requested destruction of emails." -Great Falls Tribune, 8/31/2016