Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
The Billings man funding an anti-marijuana campaign says the state's political practices commissioner might be facing jail time after the election for protecting medical marijuana growers advocating for a ballot measure in November's election.
In an email to the Chronicle late Tuesday night, Steve Zabawa, treasurer of the Safe Montana ballot committee, said if Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte "gets elected he will put a special prosecutor on (Commissioner of Political Practices Jon Motl). He may go to jail for this one."
Zabawa, co-founder of Rimrock Auto Group in Billings, added that he is supporting Gianforte because incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock is "pro-pot" and a "career politician."
"Greg certainly has no plans to assign a special prosecutor to investigate the commissioner of political practices," Aaron Flint, a spokesman for Gianforte, said Wednesday. "That being said, citizen complaints should always be taken seriously."
Zabawa's comments came after Motl on Tuesday dismissed Zabawa's campaign complaint against the Montana Cannabis Industry Association and the Montana Citizens for I-182 ballot committee. If passed by voters, I-182 will remove some regulations placed on the medical marijuana industry by state lawmakers.
Zabawa said Motl should have recused himself from considering Zabawa's complaint because of Motl's prior association with C.B. Pearson, who works for a campaign services firm in Missoula. The campaign hoping to remove restrictions on the medical marijuana industry hired the company Pearson works for.
Zabawa's complaint said that the medical marijuana growers' association, which is registered as an incidental committee, was donating to the ballot initiative with money from illegal marijuana sales. Zabawa showed no evidence supporting that claim.
Motl told the Chronicle on Wednesday that he was "extremely disappointed" in Zabawa's statements. He said if Zabawa had a major concern with an incidental committee that would require an investigation, then he should have filed his complaint months ago, not so close to the election.
"I treat this issue the same as any other that comes before me. That means there is no recusal," Motl said.
Motl said he wrote a detailed decision explaining to Zabawa the process of differentiating ballot committees and incidental committees.
"If he would have taken time to read the decision, which he apparently didn't, he would understand why this decision was a positive step for anyone in the ballot process," Motl said.
Motl also ruled last week that Zabawa's committee had been late reporting a $20,560 contract with billboard company Lamar. Those billboards are up in several Montana cities urging people to vote against I-182.
The commissioner also found that Zabawa had violated Montana's campaign law limiting a ballot committee to supporting or opposing a single ballot measure.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Zabawa said the billboard contract was only a reservation and that he did not receive a copy of the contract until late August when he paid the invoice.
In response to a public records request, the commissioner on Tuesday provided the Chronicle with records obtained from Lamar. The records show Zabawa received a copy of the contract by email in February after he and Lamar employees electronically signed it.
Zabawa did not respond to a request for clarification.
Jeff Krauss, treasurer of the ballot committee supporting I-182, said now that the commissioner has dismissed all of Zabawa's complaints, they will focus on protecting access to medical marijuana for people who are suffering, critically ill, and dying.
"That's what it's all about," Krauss said Wednesday. "We're not in it to win victories in the campaign complaint arena. We're hear to win on Election Day for those people."
"I would hope people would stop giving (Zabawa) any credibility," said Krauss, who is also a Bozeman city commissioner. "His argument lacks substance and his billboards are a campaign violation. Giving him credibility at this point is a disservice to the election process."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Anti-Marijuana Campaigner Wants Political Practices Commissioner Jailed
Author: Troy Carter
Contact: 406-587-4491
Photo Credit: SafeMontana.com
Website: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
In an email to the Chronicle late Tuesday night, Steve Zabawa, treasurer of the Safe Montana ballot committee, said if Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte "gets elected he will put a special prosecutor on (Commissioner of Political Practices Jon Motl). He may go to jail for this one."
Zabawa, co-founder of Rimrock Auto Group in Billings, added that he is supporting Gianforte because incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock is "pro-pot" and a "career politician."
"Greg certainly has no plans to assign a special prosecutor to investigate the commissioner of political practices," Aaron Flint, a spokesman for Gianforte, said Wednesday. "That being said, citizen complaints should always be taken seriously."
Zabawa's comments came after Motl on Tuesday dismissed Zabawa's campaign complaint against the Montana Cannabis Industry Association and the Montana Citizens for I-182 ballot committee. If passed by voters, I-182 will remove some regulations placed on the medical marijuana industry by state lawmakers.
Zabawa said Motl should have recused himself from considering Zabawa's complaint because of Motl's prior association with C.B. Pearson, who works for a campaign services firm in Missoula. The campaign hoping to remove restrictions on the medical marijuana industry hired the company Pearson works for.
Zabawa's complaint said that the medical marijuana growers' association, which is registered as an incidental committee, was donating to the ballot initiative with money from illegal marijuana sales. Zabawa showed no evidence supporting that claim.
Motl told the Chronicle on Wednesday that he was "extremely disappointed" in Zabawa's statements. He said if Zabawa had a major concern with an incidental committee that would require an investigation, then he should have filed his complaint months ago, not so close to the election.
"I treat this issue the same as any other that comes before me. That means there is no recusal," Motl said.
Motl said he wrote a detailed decision explaining to Zabawa the process of differentiating ballot committees and incidental committees.
"If he would have taken time to read the decision, which he apparently didn't, he would understand why this decision was a positive step for anyone in the ballot process," Motl said.
Motl also ruled last week that Zabawa's committee had been late reporting a $20,560 contract with billboard company Lamar. Those billboards are up in several Montana cities urging people to vote against I-182.
The commissioner also found that Zabawa had violated Montana's campaign law limiting a ballot committee to supporting or opposing a single ballot measure.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Zabawa said the billboard contract was only a reservation and that he did not receive a copy of the contract until late August when he paid the invoice.
In response to a public records request, the commissioner on Tuesday provided the Chronicle with records obtained from Lamar. The records show Zabawa received a copy of the contract by email in February after he and Lamar employees electronically signed it.
Zabawa did not respond to a request for clarification.
Jeff Krauss, treasurer of the ballot committee supporting I-182, said now that the commissioner has dismissed all of Zabawa's complaints, they will focus on protecting access to medical marijuana for people who are suffering, critically ill, and dying.
"That's what it's all about," Krauss said Wednesday. "We're not in it to win victories in the campaign complaint arena. We're hear to win on Election Day for those people."
"I would hope people would stop giving (Zabawa) any credibility," said Krauss, who is also a Bozeman city commissioner. "His argument lacks substance and his billboards are a campaign violation. Giving him credibility at this point is a disservice to the election process."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Anti-Marijuana Campaigner Wants Political Practices Commissioner Jailed
Author: Troy Carter
Contact: 406-587-4491
Photo Credit: SafeMontana.com
Website: Bozeman Daily Chronicle
