As was reported this morning, Denis Pitman appears to have won the race for Yellowstone County Commission, since he was well ahead of incumbent Republican Jim Reno in Tuesday’s election and there was no Democratic candidate. The Gazette also reported that the commissioner job comes with a base salary of about $64,000. That’s not quite right—it’s closer to $68,000—but it’s pretty decent pay in Montana by any measure. However, and I think you will agree, the benefits attached to the job are at a level that most people in the private sector can only dream of. Bill Kennedy, the only Democrat on the commission, recently announced that he will be stepping down Aug. 1 to take a new job as president and CEO of the Montana State University Billings Foundation. Continue Reading →
