Secretive Dirty Deeds by Democrat Commissioners Come to Light

It would appear that partisan politics is alive and well in the Hill County Commissioners office.

Upon the resignation of Senator Rowlie Hutton from Senate District 17 the Hill and Blaine county Republicans meet to compile a list of three candidates to be submitted to a joint committee comprised of the Hill and Blaine County commissioners. The local Republicans submitted the names of Harlem Insurance agent Don Richman, Havre Chevrolet dealer Craig Tilleman and retired state highway department foreman Les Bender. The Republicans ranked the choices Richman first choice, Tilleman second choice and Bender last. After the names were submitted Tilleman expressed to both the Hill and Blaine county commissioners that he would like them to vote for Richman because he didn’t think he had the time to campaign for the office. On Tuesday night the potential replacement candidates met with the commissioners at a public hearing where they were questioned extensively by the commissioners and audience members for over 1 ½ hours. Tilleman was absent from this meeting as he had business in Detroit relating to his dealership.

After hearing from the candidates the commissioners took a “secret” vote as to their preferences. State law dictates that the vote be weighted according to the votes cast for Hutton this last election which meant that if two Hill County commissioners voted together they could decide the outcome of the Senate replacement process. Not surprisingly Democrats Kathy Bessette and Mike Wendland decided to muck up the process and ignore the wishes of both the Hill and Blaine County Republicans as well as the wishes of Tilleman and went ahead and voted for Tilleman. What is appalling about this whole scenario is that they not only wasted the audience’s time but that they also violated the trust of those that depended upon them to do the right thing. Interestingly the “SECRET VOTE” didn’t stay secret for long as we were told that the 3 Blaine County Commissioners as well as Hill County Commissioner LaVoi all came forth and have publically stated that they voted for Richman and were disgusted by the actions of Bessette and Wendland. Funny thing is that 2 of the Blaine County commissioners are Democrats and they did the right thing and voted for Richman  in spite of their party affiliation. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that Democrats Wendland and Bessette thought that because Tilleman had told them he didn’t think he had the time to adequately campaign for the seat they would just go ahead and appoint him and insure that their political bedfellow Democrat Greg Jergeson would handily win the seat. After all it was another of those infamous “top secret” votes common to Havre and who would know they had done a dirty deed.

Sadly these kinds of partisan political shenanigans are exactly why those of us in Hill County can never make any progress with anything. Call the 2 commissioners that unsuccessfully tried to hide behind the “secret” vote at 265-5481 and thank them for their underhanded dirty deed and poke in the eye they just gave the Hill and Blaine County Republicans.

It is no wonder the elected Democrats have been getting turned out to pasture in record numbers here in Havre. Keep up the “good” work you partisan hacks because you are next.