A week after removing its former president from that job, the state’s utility regulator has elected first-term commissioner Jeff Welborn to its top leadership post.
The Montana Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to put Jeff Welborn in the position previously occupied by Brad Molnar, who was voted out of the president role on Oct. 21. Commissioners Welborn, Jennifer Fielder and Anne Bukacek voted to demote Molnar, arguing that he hasn’t satisfactorily executed his duties and the time had come for a commission “reset.” Welborn is a former state lawmaker from Dillon who joined Montana’s utility board in January.
The same coalition that ousted Molnar, who remains on the PSC, voted to install Welborn as the agency’s president, describing Welborn as a thoughtful, communicative and fair arbiter of disagreements.
The pair of votes followed months of interpersonal strife at the PSC that has generated an ongoing investigation into professional misconduct, a request that Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte remove Molnar from the commission, a lawsuit over that request and a handful of staffing shake-ups at one of Montana’s smallest government agencies.
As Montana’s utility regulator, the PSC is tasked with ensuring that the financial health of monopoly utilities is balanced against the needs of its customers, who are unable to secure service from other providers. All five of the PSC’s commissioners are Republicans.
Fielder, the commission’s vice president, conducted the day’s proceedings. She nominated Welborn for the position, describing him as someone who is “very respectful” and a “good listener.”
“Commissioner Welborn and I served together in the [Montana] Senate, and many times we were not aligned on policy positions, including [on] issues which were of the highest importance to me. But he was always well-reasoned, respectful and never ever vindictive,” she said. “He has demonstrated the wisdom and integrity to recognize and avoid impropriety, both publicly and privately. I commend him for that. He treats his colleagues, our staff and the parties that come before the commission with fairness.”
Speaking briefly on his own behalf, Welborn said respect and communication work as a “two-way street.”
“I do believe that the only way any organization can move forward is to keep both of those lines open in both directions,” he said. “It’s perfectly fine to disagree with somebody, but I would always try to promote an environment where you can disagree without being disagreeable.”
Molnar attempted to continue the conversation after Fielder called for a vote. She deemed the discussion “closed under Robert’s Rules,” a manual used to guide parliamentary procedure, and urged Molnar to issue a “yes-or-no vote.”
“It was going to be a yes, but I’m thinking no,” Molnar said in response.
“Alright — we have three votes ‘yes.’ We have two votes ‘no.’ Commissioner Welborn is the president,” Fielder said.
From the recording of the Oct. 28 meeting, it’s unclear how Molnar and Commissioner Randy Pinocci voted. Neither immediately responded to MTFP’s questions about the matter.
Next month, the commission is expected to issue a decision on an $874 million rate hike request by NorthWestern Energy, the state’s largest monopoly utility. Commissioners have disagreed about how best to scrutinize that request, with Molnar generally pushing for more public discussion and transparency, and Fielder generally seeking the counsel of the agency’s staffers.
This story originally appeared in the Montana Free Press, which can be found online at montanafreepress.org.