Here is why I am not voting for Tom Woods for Public Service Commissioner. Electing Tom Woods would result in higher power bills for me and my family. How do I know this? Because after spending eight years on the public dole as a state legislator, Tom Woods has a clear record of supporting bills that increased my power bill. During the 2019 legislative session, Woods voted for House Bill 411. This bill imposed a $3 million dollar tax on people like you and me who have power bills — and not for any electric generation or power line safety purposes. No, the $3 million dollar tax is being routed to Montana FWP for zebra mussel control. Further, Woods actually carried a bill to impose deregulation once again on Montanans. This bill, HB 438, was a repeat of the worst bill ever passed in the Montana Legislature. The bill to deregulate the Montana Power Company. For those of us from Montana, we all remember how deregulation sent our power bills into space and resulted in the loss of good paying Montana jobs and the loss of retirement savings for many elderly folks. Woods’ deregulation bill was opposed by unions, the AARP and environmental groups alike. But, this is the kind of poor decision making from a guy who is from Cleveland, like Woods is. Vote no on Woods.
—Lee Bruner, Whitehall
