Watne has no immediate plans to leave

Flathead County Commissioner Bob Watne said he has no immediate plans to resign his office or pursue early retirement, despite ongoing rumors to the contrary and his recent conviction for obstructing a police officer.

"Not right now," Watne said Tuesday. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

"There are a lot of rumors out there, but until it comes from the horse's mouth it doesn't mean anything."

Watne pleaded no contest to the obstruction charge Nov. 18 and received a $360 fine and a six-month suspended sentence.

The charge stemmed from an April 5 confrontation with a sheriff's deputy at the home of Beth Benjamin, who was then Watne's fiancee, when her barn burned.

His sentencing also included a rebuke from Justice of the Peace David Ortley, who said public officials "should always be beyond reproach."

It wasn't Watne's first brush with the law during his term as commissioner. He was cited for driving under the influence in 2001 and 2002, with the second charge coming before he was sentenced for the first one.

Tests from the second DUI showed a blood-alcohol level of .18, nearly twice Montana's legal limit.

Fellow Commissioner Gary Hall said he does field questions from the public about Watne, and that commissioners across the state who go astray become fodder for discussion whenever elected officials get together.

Some commissioners lead colorful lives.

In the past year, a Cascade County commissioner was charged with DUI, and a Beaverhead County commissioner was accused of DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia in separate incidents.

A different Cascade County commissioner resigned his chairman position after admitting to giving false statements to police. He initially said a stab wound to his shoulder occurred during a robbery, but later admitted that his girlfriend had knifed him during an argument over her problems with alcohol.

Hall recalled a conversation he had with a colleague at a Montana Association of Counties meeting, the thrust of which was, "What commissioners do reflects on all commissioners."

"We do live in a glass house," Hall said. "It scares the heck out of me. It really keeps me on my toes."

Watne's outside life hasn't intruded on his official duties, Hall said.

"I do not believe it affects his work as commissioner at all," he said. "He's been a commissioner for 10 years. He knows the ropes. When he's in the office, he's professional - he takes care of business."

On Wednesday, Watne also acknowledged rumors that he might buy credit in the Public Employee Retirement System and retire before his term ends in 2006. He said he's not sure that such a move would benefit him very much.

His county employment - he was a heavy equipment operator before being elected commissioner in 1994 - began in 1980. It's possible to purchase up to five years of credit in the retirement system, meaning he would have to work another year before he could buy enough to claim 30-year retirement benefits.

At that point, he said, he would have only a year of his term left to serve.

"The less you have to buy, the better off you are," he said.

Reporter Alan Choate may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at achoate@dailyinterlake.com