HELENA – The Butte lawmaker who was named second-in-command at Fish, Wildlife and Parks last summer is resigning his legislative seat.
Rep. Art Noonan, a Democrat, filed the paperwork Thursday with the secretary of state to resign from the seat. Noonan could not be immediately reached for comment.
Noonan originally was appointed to the seat after the death of George Groesbeck. Prior to that he was director of the Montana Democratic Party.
Noonan was picked for a top post at FWP last summer — drawing complaints of cronyism from Republicans. At least nine Democratic legislators have taken state jobs since 2006.
The agency says that Noonan’s credentials on land-use issues when he was a congressional staffer and later a lawmaker qualified him for the job.