Payne's debacle only negative part of Libby City Council meeting

Letter to the Editor:

I was at the City Council meeting on June 16. It was good to see the community turn out in large numbers so they can see their leaders work. The proceedings were civil and many good points were made and expressed over a variety of issues.

There was one negative and that was the City Attorney, Allan Payne.

He outlined the caseload and work done by his department to date. Then he went into the current litigation concerning the mayor and City Council members in connection with the voter corruption charges. Mr. Payne proceeded to focus on the monetary amounts of the penalties of the case. He claimed that fines to individuals would be $67 and change.

He made it sound like the whole affair was no more than a traffic ticket. It’s obvious Mr. Payne has target fixation and he looks only at the monetary rather than the moral ethics of the case.

This scandal is as much a moral issue as it is a financial one. Not once did Mr. Payne indicate the moral factor and how the people of Libby were influenced and the vote count was influenced.

The people of Libby need to recognize this flaw in the City Attorney’s accounts, his overview of the situation and how serious it really is. It’s not a trivial matter. 

It is a good thing that the case is now out of the hands of the local prosecutors and in the hands of outside impartial people. The only reason I can see Mr. Payne’s view of the case lies in his criminal court dealings where monetary plea deals seem to be the order of the day.

Overall, with the exception of Mr. Payne’s debacle, the meeting was what all City Council meetings should be.

— Bill Cunnane,

Libby