Our View: The tough job of monitoring elections

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices is one of the most important offices in state government, though it has a tiny staff and a slim budget.

It is the job of the office to monitor elections in the state, making sure that candidates know of and follow the regulations for financing campaigns.

It was always a daunting task — trying to remain independent and fair in Helena, a city known for brass-knuckled politics.

It has become more difficult in recent years with the advent of dark money and secretive groups that favor attack ads over honest discussion of ideas. These kinds of tactics seem contrary to the way Montanans have traditionally conducted campaigns — brash and in your face, but not secretive and back-stabbing.

Jonathan Motl, the present political practices commissioner, has done, we think, an exemplary job under difficult situations.

He has been criticized by some conservatives because of his crackdown on American Tradition Partners, the shadowy group that by most accounts has violated the spirit if not the letter of Montana campaign laws. We can’t imagine any commissioner worth his or her salt dismissing charges against the group, which appeared for a while to be out of business, but it now appears to be resurfacing.

Motl has been even-handed and fair from we have seen.

The only problem is perception.

Motl was appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat and a strong foe of dark money groups. He was appointed despite the reservations of Republican legislative leaders.

Is Motl doing the dirty work for the governor? We haven’t seen the slightest indication of that. His work has been very praiseworthy.

But the perception remains. And the trust of all parties is essential if the office is to run effectively.

Sen. Larry Jent, D-Bozeman, and members of the State Administration and Veterans Affairs Committee, the interim body that oversees the commissioner’s office, is looking at ways of changing the appointment process. They think there might be a better way.

Under their plan, four legislative leaders — two Democrats and two Republicans would submit the names of people to the governor to be selected. The governor would be required to name someone from the list.

Now, we’re talking Helena here, and it’s hard to imagine that two Republicans and two Democrats could agree on much of anything. If they reach a stalemate, lawmakers have different ideas. Perhaps the members could elect a chairman from outside the Legislature to cast the deciding votes. Or maybe the Montana Supreme Court could make an appointment for a chair who could message an agreement or bash heads.

In any event, the new system would remove some of the perception problems the commissioner’s office has.

The next Legislature, we’re sure, will be filled with partisan bickering and disputes. Sometimes that’s good. But we hope that on the issue of restoring confidence to the political practices commissioner’s office, they work together for a common solution.