Yesterday, former Director of the Montana Department of Transportation, Jim Lynch, announced his candidacy to become Montana’s next Governor, as a Republican. His announcement comes just a couple of months after he was fired from his position within Governor Schweitzer’s bureaucracy of Democrats, for corruption. He becomes the latest of several candidates to enter the crowded field for the Governorship.
This announcement is odd because Mr. Lynch must be suffering from a case of political identity confusion, as by all accounts, he should be running as a Democrat. After reading his announcement article, Montanan’s will notice that everything he says is either a lie or points towards the fact that he is a Democrat.
Mr. Lynch was fired by Governor Schweitzer in August for breaking Montana’s nepotism laws, by offering a high level position in the DOT to his daughter. However, he hired his daughter four years ago, which has led to speculation of other covered up charges of corruption. The scandal has engulfed Schweitzer’s executive bureaucracy, and has even involved Attorney General Steve Bullock. This will surely complicate the Governor’s race, as Steve Bullock is running for Governor as Democrat, and may also be prosecuting Lynch.
Lynch said he is running for Governor for “economic development” he is quoted as saying:
“We have ensnared ourselves in the way things are done… Most of these projects had been approved and planned but were bogged down in the bureaucratic process…We need to bring that same urgency to state government, be accountable to our citizens as customers.”
This is almost laughable as Lynch has been a member of the very administration that he is criticizing since Schweitzer first took office in 2005, and he was fired for corruption. Is this how Governor Lynch would keep his administration “accountable”?
Lynch’s only other experience running for office was when he ran for the State Senate as a Democrat.
Lynch attempts to use his media slot to assure conservative voters that he is a Republican, and always has been. He does this by twisting his record and saying”
“”Most of my views are Republican. I’m a Republican. I’ve never voted for a Democrat for president in my life.”
Well Mr. Lynch, you are going to have to do a lot of convincing, because even if you never have voted for a Democrat for President, Montanans know that liberals within the State have done more damage to our economy than any liberal President could. This includes your anti-business colleagues in the legislature, and even your former boss Governor Schweitzer, who I’m sure you did vote for.
Dylan,
It seems you aren’t up to speed on what is going on. Seems you aren’t aware that Lynch wasn’t asked to reign because of nepotism. The governor himself has backtracked on that. There are publish state legal opinions that nepotism did not occur. This is about Lynch’s support of the heavy loads at odds with the administration.
And you say he is a liberal. Maybe you need to ask Rep Rehberg about that, because Lynch has held MT Republican fundraisers at his house for Rehberg.
The fact is that he ruffled union feathers at MDT, and then unilaterally approved and was critical of the crazy approval process for the heavy loads for ExxonMobil. How is that liberal?
He has increased private contractor payments for infrastructure payments without raising revenue. How? By stopping wasteful spending and employment practiced allowed to go on within MDT for so long. Just ask what the Labor union lawyers think of him. Again, not the traits of a liberal.
Has Schweitzer become a megalomaniacal governor setting forth terrible policy decisions now that he is approaching the end of his term? Yes. Was Lynch the only one standing up to these moves, the record, which is indisputable and documented, unlike your borderline slander, says yes as well.
Do us all a favor, do your homework before posting raving inaccuracies. Otherwise, you will remain the laughing stock of the young conservative community. You have an issue with any of Lynch’s policies, please, detail proof of what that policy is, and attack it where it is lacking.
Otherwise, study more, write less please. We can’t afford another democrat as governor at these times. Retreads like Hill, even without the baggage, can’t win against Bullock and his labor union and Washington Lawyer following.