“Citizens United dealt with federal elections and the presidential election. It doesn’t take a copper king to buy a $17,000 state legislature race”, says Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. Schweitzer was describing a time in Montana’s history when a couple of wealthy copper magnates openly bought themselves a senate seat or two that prompted the state to establish the Corrupt Practices Act over a century ago and why it is still necessary today. For profit special interests, that is groups focused upon maximizing a return to shareholders and not for the benefit of the public at large, are buying seats at all levels of government and we are witnessing it first hand right here in Coos County in all three commission races.

By now everyone is aware that a local PAC, the Coos County Alliance for Progress, spent heavily to secure three seats on the Coos County Commission raising $26,300 from local business $5,000 from ORC and a recent $10,000 contribution from Sause Bros. The PAC has backed candidates committed to being part time rather than full time commissioners and who plan to centralize the local power structure by hiring a county administrator. One of the PAC money recipients, candidate John Sweet, only wants the job for two years, long enough to enact governance changes without a vote of the people.

Please watch the panel discussion of campaign finance laws “It’s rough out there for plutocrats” and listen for the local parallels. The panelists agree that money buys ads and ads, not morals and competence, not knowledge or talent, are what get people elected. The PAC, formed by five anti-government, anti-union and pro-deregulation individuals is determined to control the county.

Interim commissioner Fred Messerle has been the biggest recipient of PAC largesse with a total of $7,500 in contributions so far and as State Representative Wayne Krieger (R) admits contributions buy access to the elected official otherwise not afforded to the average citizen. There is little doubt in anyone’s mind who is influencing Messerle’s decisions. Messerle, whose only business experience has been working for his family, isn’t really the commissioner at all, just a talking marionette while the de facto commissioner, Jon Barton, et al, is hiding behind the curtain jerking the chains and blowing the smoke.

Jon Barton is one of the founders and a board member of the PAC and is essentially a professional board member inserting himself on many committees and boards, but who is he really? Like Al Pettit, another board member, the public only know what Barton tells us and both men have managed to go through life leaving remarkably little trace on the internet considering their self proclaimed accomplishments.

The only defense against organized money is organized people so unless candidates Don Gurney and Bob Main can organize an army of volunteers to go door-to-door or start knocking on doors themselves, the chamber rats will own the commission come November.