Montana’s political referee has called a foul on the campaign to block a medical marijuana measure on the November ballot, saying the group interfered with his investigation.
Commissioner of Political Practices Jon Motl issued a decision Thursday finding evidence that Safe Montana, the ballot committee founded by Billings businessman Steve Zabawa, had failed to report financial expenditures for a statewide billboard campaign urging voters to reject ballot initiative I-182.
The commissioner also reported that the Safe Montana committee had disrupted his office’s investigation by instructing billboard company Lamar to not provide a copy of Safe Montana’s contract. The contract, signed by Zabawa, was obtained by the commissioner, who served the company a subpoena. It showed that Zabawa had contracted for $20,560 in billboards in February, but did not report it until October, which was too late, the commissioner said.
“It’s the first time we’ve encountered a person who had been provided with the standard conditions of investigation that still impeded the investigation in my three years here,” Motl said. “It is the most substantial offense in this decision.”
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Commissioner of Political Practices Jon Motl issued a decision Thursday finding evidence that Safe Montana, the ballot committee founded by Billings businessman Steve Zabawa, had failed to report financial expenditures for a statewide billboard campaign urging voters to reject ballot initiative I-182.
The commissioner also reported that the Safe Montana committee had disrupted his office’s investigation by instructing billboard company Lamar to not provide a copy of Safe Montana’s contract. The contract, signed by Zabawa, was obtained by the commissioner, who served the company a subpoena. It showed that Zabawa had contracted for $20,560 in billboards in February, but did not report it until October, which was too late, the commissioner said.
“It’s the first time we’ve encountered a person who had been provided with the standard conditions of investigation that still impeded the investigation in my three years here,” Motl said. “It is the most substantial offense in this decision.”
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