Schweitzer: 'A new day' for state

Gov.-elect Brian Schweitzer will be at the Cat-Griz game today, roaming the sidelines rather than in a box seat.

The newly elected Democrat from Whitefish said that type of hands-on, up-close approach will be a trademark of his administration.

"My approach is not going to slow down from campaign mode," said Schweitzer, who criss-crossed the state for months leading up to the Nov. 2 election in which he defeated Republican Bob Brown. "I believe the people of Montana need to meet and see the governor. So I'll be out there."

Over the last three weeks, Schweitzer has been neck deep in a transition effort aimed at establishing a new executive administration in Helena.

That task has involved long days of interviews.

"There are 43 paid positions that we will fill between now and Jan. 1," Schweitzer said. "There are 73 boards and commissions that are appointed."

In all, Schweitzer said his transition team and administration will have a hand in filling about 700 positions.

Schweitzer's transition efforts have attracted attention because of a rancorous meeting involving a request that current Gov. Judy Martz allow two state employees to work on the transition team. Martz refused and Schweitzer didn't like it.

Also, members of Schweitzer's team confiscated garbage from the doorway to the governor's office of economic development, thinking it contained important documents. It turned out the garbage was just garbage.

Asked if there is cooperation between the incoming and outgoing administrations, Schweitzer said that "on the staff level, there is a great deal of cooperation. We are not whiners. We are going to do what we can with what we are given."

Schweitzer's transition plan was developed weeks before the election, largely to avoid problems that had developed in transition efforts experienced by previous administrations, Schweitzer said.

The team's headquarters amounts to a table set up in the rotunda of the state Capitol, Schweitzer said, but it's an effort that involves many volunteers.

"We have taken open government to the next level," he said. "My office is in the Capitol rotunda. That's all I have. I haven't been provided with anything else, so you can't be more open than that."

Once he takes office in early January, Schweitzer said he will aggressively pursue an agenda.

"The people of Montana, they're going to be watching and they are going to expect us to do good," he said. "As I've said, it's a new day in Montana, a time for people to work together, a time to find new ways to agree."

The first priority for the new administration, he said, will be legislation that will enable the establishment of an ethanol industry in Montana. Schweitzer has long contended that type of industry will provide economic opportunities for rural agricultural areas, as well as urban areas where most economic growth has been concentrated in recent years.

He will also pursue a bill with tax breaks and other incentives aimed at encouraging the film industry to pursue more projects in Montana.

And he said there will be legislation that would make use of tobacco tax revenue and targeted tax credits designed to encourage small businesses to pool together for health insurance coverage for employees.

Schweitzer said he intends to make frequent visits to his ranch in the Flathead, where his wife and three teenagers will live until the end of the current school year.

"Many of our major policy announcements will be made at the ranch," Schweitzer said.

Eventually the family will move to Helena, but Schweitzer intends to keep his ranch in the Flathead.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com