Benson should be ashamed of herself

Letter to the Editor:

It’s Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder Robin Benson’s dishonesty that shocks me the most. Robin was one of the ringleaders in the Olsen harassment case which earned her the title of co-defendant along with six others. Robin was the one with knowledge, because of her job in the Courthouse, of the election laws that the Chicago 7 broke.

The Olsen case hinged on MCA 1-1-215. Residence – Rules for determining. The Judge ruled, rightly, that Olsen established his legal residence by a union of act and intent as per the law. Olsen signed a voter registration form, in Robin Benson’s Office, which was the act denoting his intent to use 703 Louisiana as his legal residence. He legally established residence at 703 Louisiana with that voter registration. 

The Judge, rightly, took no action on the Chicago 7’s claims that Allen Olsen violated MCA 7-4-4111 because Olsen’s legal residence is 703 Louisiana. He is a City resident. That ruling makes the claims under 7-4-4111 moot. MCA 1-1-215 allows a city resident to go outside the city limits for employment. 1-1-215(1) says a residence is “the place where a person remains when not called elsewhere for labor.” The law does not control Olsen’s pursuit of his business.

Olsen was not “absent from the City or town” while conducting business 300 feet outside the city limits. MCA 7-4-4111  is about accessibility to the public, not residence. Allen is accessible.

Residency is still the legally controlling factor. He is a city resident. The Judge says. Rightly.

Robin Benson knows that her latest attempt to harass Olsen has no legal support or she would have filed papers in court. She is taking highly public action just to harass a witness in the prosecution of the Chicago 7. That is called witness tampering (MCA 45-7-206). She is abusing her authority as Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder to distract from the fact that her prosecution is nearing its end, and she will be humiliated by another legal ruling against her very soon. Rightly.

She, as a Christian, should be ashamed of her dishonesty. She should be ashamed that she didn’t have the conviction of her principles to actually file any action in court on this issue. Especially when she already knew the Judge would not entertain a revisit of this local governmental embarrassment because he already ruled on it. Rightly. 

It’s difficult to have a principled argument with unprincipled people. Just because Robin won’t be reasonable or honest doesn’t mean Olsen is doing something illegal. Her lies don’t have any legal authority. Rightly.

D.C. Orr,

Libby