Business owners must be politically engaged
Pub Date: 9/1/2008
When you own a business that is licensed and carefully regulated by the state, it is prudent to pay attention to politics. For what is the state, after all, other than the people who comprise it?
Three government entities are of primary concern to owners of businesses licensed for the sale of adult beverages and to operate gambling: the Executive Branch, headed by the Governor'; the Department of Justice, led by the Attorney General, and the Legislature.
The importance of legislative elections is obvious: this is the body that made the laws that allow licensees to be in business, and makes the laws that determine if those businesses will remain viable. Operators must be involved in legislative politics at this grassroots level to assure the elected lawmaking body will be fair to small business.
The Governor may advance his/her own legislative agenda, including laws that affect business. Perhaps more importantly, the Governor exercises veto power over legislative bills that make it to his desk. The veto is a powerful tool of governance that, used wisely, can help maintain a healthy business environment.
Current Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, running for his second term, has promised to veto increases in the gaming tax rate and any legislation that would dismantle the painstakingly built up system of regulation that effectively controls and limits the production, distribution and retailing of adult beverages.
Republican gubernatorial candidate State Senator Roy Brown has expressed similar commitments.
These candidates deserve serious scrutiny by the owners of Montana's licensed hospitality businesses. Whichever candidate individual owners prefer, that candidate also deserves support with their campaigns and the funding required to run one.
The Attorney General is the state's chief law enforcement officer and thus exerts considerable influence in the way laws are interpreted and enforced. In addition, the "AG" appoints the administrator of and indirectly oversees the Gambling Control Division. The importance of this appointment is obvious.
As well, the AG appoints seven of the nine members of the Gaming Advisory Council (the Legislature appoints the two others). This body has earned increasing responsibility in providing the Gambling Control Division and the Legislature with thoroughly considered guidance in the realm of lawmaking, regulation and enforcement. The importance of the AG appointments to this body cannot be overstated.
Current Attorney General Mike McGrath has run into the term limit law that prohibits a third term. He has opted to run for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court.
Under his administration, and under the direction of his Gambling Control Division Administrator, Gene Huntington, and the Gaming Advisory Council, gaming regulation has been characterized by fairness, balance and stability.
Any business benefits from that kind of approach to regulation and enforcement. Because of this stability, we have not been seeing the wild swings in gaming tax collections and radical fluctuations of business fortunes so characteristic of the past. The public as well as business benefits from such an environment.
Republican Tim Fox and Democrat Steve Bullock are now vying to be our next Attorney General. Fox has been characterized as "conservative" while Bullock has been said to be "liberal."
While such all-encompassing labels are often worthless, the two philosophies have a bearing on how gaming laws and regulation could be applied.
It has been said in gaming business circles that licensees are disliked by the extreme conservative right because the products and entertainment Licensees provide are perceived to be "immoral," whereas it has been said they are equally disliked by the extreme liberal left because these products and services "don't lend themselves to the engineered betterment of society and individuals."
Either way, extremism isn't something any business owner should relish. But from what we've seen and heard from Bullock and Fox, these men are cut from more moderate cloth. Both have expressed a reasonable attitude toward licensed businesses and both have vowed to continue McGrath's even handed, fair and stable approach to regulation.
Nevertheless, there are important differences in the way these men perceive the world and the administration of justice. Business owners indeed, all voters need to make themselves familiar with these men and their philosophies of governance. Then support with your time, money and vote the one you think will do the better job.
The best opportunity to become fully informed as to our election choices will be at the Montana Tavern Association convention in Great Falls September 8-11.
Gov. Schweitzer will be there and so will Sen. Brown. Bullock and Fox will be there, too. These folks are exceptionally open to facing a room full of small business owners as well as meeting citizens one-on-one.
Or, working through your local tavern association and in concert with MTA, consider organizing a local candidate forum where you could hear local legislative candidates and perhaps schedule some of the state-wide office seekers as well.
Either way, you owe it to yourself, your business, your family and your state to, at minimum, be informed, but more so to participate in the coming election.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, September, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.