New ideas governor?

It is long past time for our Governor to quit beating up on an exemplary 20 year-old college student.

After highly praised State Board of Regents student member Kayla French jettisoned her lobbyist position, the Governor shifted his opposition to her remaining term of two years. Kayla then explained the elementary point that it now took at least a year to learn the ropes and become effective in an increasingly complex University system and offered to step down after one more year.

But this experience benefit to the University students would delay by twelve months the Governor's ability to reward his Missoula campaign supporters with a political spoil, and thus a gentleman who campaigned on "new ideas" now pretends to prefer the outmoded and ineffective policy of one-year appointments of prior governor. He is only willing to "consider" her recommendation if there are "others recommended" whom he obviously would select instead.

Brian, in Montana we do not play political hardball with the head of an effective and hard-working college sophomore who is trying to serve her fellow students the best she knows how. We try to build these kids up, not tear them down. And we elected you to be a "new ideas Governor," not "Bully-in-Chief."

Andy Palchak

Kalispell