Evans will do better for us

I served on the non-partisan Sanders County Commission for 27 years, and I’m proud to endorse Elena Evans, an Independent candidate for District 4 of the Public Service Commission, which includes Sanders and six other counties in Western Montana. I know Elena. She’s a hard worker, a true independent, and laser-focused on lowering our utility bills.

I also know her opponent, Jennifer Fielder. You’ve probably heard that Jennifer Fielder voted to raise your utility rates by 28%, which is true. I feel obligated to share additional serious concerns about her past conduct as a citizen of Sanders County, a state legislator, and current Public Service Commissioner.

Almost immediately after Fielder moved to Montana, in 2007, she sued the Sanders County Commission. She wanted to stop her neighbor from exercising his right to subdivide his property. She lost in district court. Then, she appealed to the State Supreme Court, and she lost again. I was on the County Commission at the time, and her attempt to limit the rights of a fellow property owner cost county taxpayers thousands of dollars in time and legal fees.

In 2013, Fielder was elected to the Montana Senate, and her reckless behavior continued. During her tenure, she often ignored legislative rules and ethics standards. In 2015, her personal legislative aide was forced to resign because he registered as a lobbyist for Fielder’s employer, the American Lands Council, which is a clear violation of legislative rules.

Fielder also hid her emails much like Hillary Clinton did during her presidential campaign. In 2016, a non-profit organization had to file a lawsuit forcing her to turn over her senate emails, which are public records according to Montana law. Then, in 2017, a few of Fielder’s fellow legislators inserted language in a bill that would have appropriated $100,000 of taxpayer dollars to cover her legal costs. This scandal forced the state to create a new system for storing legislator emails, in 2018, to prevent lawmakers from hiding their communications like Fielder.

Even after leaving the legislature, Fielder continued making headlines for her poor decisions. In the fall of 2021, Fielder called St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena to demand that a former legislative staffer be given a treatment that was not advised by her doctors or approved by the Federal Drug Administration. In the call, Fielder said she and other lawmakers would be upset if the treatment wasn’t provided immediately. Her actions triggered a special counsel investigation by the state legislature, wasting more public resources.

Fielder still hasn’t learned how to behave in a professional manner. In 2020, she was elected to the Public Service Commission, which is responsible for ensuring “affordable, reliable, and sustainable” power to the customers of NorthWestern Energy and other utility companies. Shortly after she assumed office, the Legislative Audit Division released a report that described many examples of “deficient or improper” behavior including the falsification of expense reports. One Republican lawmaker called commissioners’ decisions “despicable” and another said some commissioners should resign. In January 2024, a new audit detailed a toxic work environment due to commissioners’ decisions and recommended a commissioner code of conduct to restore public trust.

The obvious question is whether we can trust Jennifer Fielder to hold public office, and the answer is no. She’s cost taxpayers too much already. It’s time to invest in a true leader. Our power bills are increasing at historic rates. We need to elect a hard-working, nonpartisan commissioner to fight for affordable power. I encourage my friends and neighbors in Sanders County and my fellow Montanans across PSC District 4 to vote for Elena Evans.

Carol Brooker, Plains