Who Influences The Governor?: Montana Magazine Circa 1977

Great Falls Tribune reporter Thomas Kotynski wrote an article in 1977 about the people and organizations that influence the Governor.

Montana Governor Thomas Lee Judge, who served two terms from 1973 through January 5, 1981, was the focus of the article and at the time his Lieutenant Governor was Ted Schwinden.

Mr. Kotynski listed ten people and organizations that he believed had the most influence over the Governor's direction; the list was compiled through a survey and his own experience.




Who Influences State Government!
The 10 Most Influential
Montana Magazine Summer 77 - by Thomas Kotynski'It is pretty safe to say that Tom Judge, as Montana’s governor, is the most influential individual involved in and with state government. But, have you ever wondered who those people and forces are who can influence Judges direction? Or, in and of themseleves[sic] work an influence on the state? Who are these people, businesses, groups and coalitions that make state government work, or even
change its course?

As a newspaper reporter it is part of my job to be aware of who and what these forces might be. The following is a list of who I think the “Top Ten” in influences are in and with state government.

My list is drawn from my own experience as a reporter working the Capitol beat and a survey I conducted.

I surveyed 30 people from a broad range of interests in Montana including those involved with business, industry, politics, agriculture, the environment, education, labor, low income interests, the minorities, the public interest, women and journalism.'
...Mr. Kotynski's lengthy piece has many interesting aspects, but perhaps the most interesting to me was ranked at number 4, The Press ...'While few mentioned “The Press,” per se, almost everyone had some member of the Montana press mentioned on their surveys.

Among members of the press mentioned were: Great Falls Tribune Editor, William D. James, The Tribune Capitol Bureau and its columnist Frank Adams; Billings Gazette Editor, William Roesgen; the Lee Newspapers State Bureau; Missoulian editorial writer, Sam Reynolds and the Associated Press.

From my perspective I’d pick Associated Press reporter J.D. Holmes as the most influential among the Montana Press although he was not mentioned by name on any of the surveys. Holmes has covered the state capitol scene out of Helena for AP since 1949. His stories are picked up by all of the state’s daily newspapers and many of the radio and television stations as their sole source of state news. To avoid duplication,the Tribune and Lee news bureaus in Helena discourage coverage of stories which Holmes might originate from his beat. Therefore, Holmes has an almost virtual lock on news from the Capitol “beat.” Over the years he has been able to pick and choose the news.

I estimate that no other man has had his name in print more times in the history of the state. Because Holmes rarely analyzes the news and because his reports are little more than barebones information it has been said that his uncritical coverage of the Supreme Court led to the 20 years of “Castles Court.”

Much credit has been given the Tribune’s Frank Adams for exposing that court and causing Castles’ unseating in the 1976 election.

Likewise, in other areas Holmes has chosen for 30 years what information about state government Montanans should or should not read. That is real influence. I was quite tempted to choose “J. D.” ahead of Schwinden as “No. 1.”'{emphasis added}

In 1999, Representative Hal Harper successfully moved House Joint Resolution No. 36 through the legislature. Some excerpts of the Resolution titled "Designate capitol newsroom as J.D. Holmes memorial" ...'WHEREAS, Joseph Defrees Holmes, more widely known as J.D. Holmes, served the people of Montana as the Associated Press Capitol correspondent, exemplifying the conduct and appearance of the Capitol journalist, during a career spanning 30 years; and'
...
'WHEREAS, he served the people of Montana in an exemplary manner by providing accurate and unbiased reporting of actions and activities of their state government, facts attested to by Governor Tim Babcock who praised him as, "the fairest person I ever knew," adding, "when he wrote something, you didn't have to worry about its accuracy"; and'
...
'That, following Capitol renovation, the Press Room on the third floor of the Montana Capitol be named "The J.D. Holmes Press Room" to permanently honor the professionalism and citizenship exemplified by the life of Joseph Defrees Holmes.'HJ 36 of the 56th session of the Montana Legislature is currently available here.

For those interested, the 1977 article referenced above can be seen in five parts: page 38, page 39, page 40, page 41, and page 42.

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So if by some chance the seas parted, and a Montana State Capitol beat reporter dared publicly released a realistic list of today's most influential, who would make the top ten?

Which corporations would make the most influential, and just how closely do the reporters of today follow their Governor, do they know who really influences his decisions?

For example, how many Montana based reporters and Montanans know whose ears get bent where?

Are his decisions based on what is best for Montana and the people of Montana, or are his decisions based on what is best for him and his future?

Would the current Lieutenant Governor, John Bohlinger, make the top ten? (LOL)

We'll likely never know the answers to these and similar questions, and from what very little time (in the grand scheme) that I've followed the press and their relationship with our current Governor, I won't hold my breath.