Political activist Matt Singer thinks pharmaceutical companies are driving the country's health care policy, oil companies are getting undeserved tax breaks and billions of dollars are disappearing into Iraq. Although political corruption is not easy to spot, Singer, like many, believes it exists.
“There's not always a lot of direct proof, but there's certainly a lot of circumstantial evidence,” he said.
Three speakers are slated to speak at Wednesday night's event, at the Badlander bar in downtown Missoula.
One speaker is David Donnelly, who works at a national nonprofit watchdog group called Public Campaign Action Fund. Donnelly, who lives in Washington, D.C., works to hold elected officials accountable for special favors they do for political contributors.
Best-selling author, journalist and political activist David Sirota also is scheduled to speak. The soon-to-be nationally syndicated columnist has appeared on “The Colbert Report,” CNN and MSNBC, and plans to speak about how money influences elections.
Rep. Diane Sands, D-Missoula, carried a key piece of clean-election legislation at the 2007 Legislature. The bill to regulate constituency accounts was signed into law the middle of last month. She will speak about the benefits of public financing for Supreme Court justice races.
Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle,
D-S.D., spoke to 200 people about health care at Forward Montana's first “Naked Truth” event in October. Singer said hopes for the same turnout. Plus, the first 100 people through the door get discounted drinks, he said.
“It's an opportunity to restore your faith in the political process,” said Sands, who stressed the need to educate the public on issues of campaign finance. “The public still thinks we (state lawmakers) are bought and sold. The perception is as important as reality.”
Sands doesn't want an inaccurate perception of politics to keep voters from getting to the polling booths.
The event begins at 7 p.m., but the doors open at 6 p.m. Although Forward Montana focuses its efforts toward young voters, Singer said everyone is welcome.
By CHELSI MOY of the Missoulian
Polson to hire Oregon man as city manager
POLSON - All that's left for Polson to have its first city manager is for the top choice to put pen to paper.
The city has reached a verbal agreement with Jay Henry, community development director for Klamath County, Ore., to take charge of city operations starting July 2. That's the day Polson switches from a mayor-council form of government to one of manager-council.
Henry has verbally agreed to accept the job at an annual salary of $65,000 according to Polson Mayor Jules Clavadetscher, who negotiated with the council's top choice out of the three finalists who interviewed for the job.
“I know his wife is a medical doctor, an internist who has the opportunity as well to work at St. Joseph's Hospital, and the two together have a situation here they find desirable,” Clavadetscher said.
The mayor said Henry is a former cattle rancher who decided to pursue a career in public service, and left ranching to obtain a degree in civil engineering from the University of Oregon Institute of Technology, and a master's in business administration from Marylhurst University in Oregon.
He served as a parks and solid waste supervisor before becoming Klamath County's community development director.
“He was here over Memorial Day weekend, when we had our Freedom Days celebration going on, and that may have been a factor” in his interest in accepting the job, Clavadetscher said. The events drew large crowds despite inclement weather.
Ryan Evans, city economic development planner for San Leandro, Calif., and a Montana native, was the council's second choice, and the person Clavadetscher would negotiate with should Henry's hiring hit an unforeseen snag.
Lewis Griffin of Spokane, former city administrator in Colfax and Liberty Lake, Wash., was the third finalist.
Henry did not return a phone call from the Missoulian on Tuesday.
By VINCE DEVLIN of the Missoulian
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