A commissioner absent without leave

It's a great job if you can get it.

It comes with a $55,256-a-year salary, government benefits, and no requirement to actually show up for work.

At least in practice that's how the job seems to appear to county Commissioner Bob Watne.

Watne, who is indeed paid $55,256 a year by the taxpayers of Flathead County, managed to miss 19 of the first 78 days of the year on which the commissioners had meetings scheduled.

He already has the lightest workload of the three commissioners, since he begged out of doing his fair share of committee assignments. He serves on only four committees while his fellow commissioners serve on 10 and nine each.

And he's not exactly a regular committee participant - Watne has missed 13 of the last 23 landfill board meetings and one-third of the last 18 health board meetings. The landfill board even sent him a letter implying it might seek his removal if he doesn't start showing up.

In most other jobs, that rate of absenteeism would mean an employee would be shown the door. But not in Flathead County.

And not for Watne, who has evidenced a somewhat cavalier attitude toward representing citizens throughout much of his 11-year commission career.

Watne is typically unapologetic about his absences. He says he checks the agenda to make sure there are no controversial or important issues before he decides whether to skip work.

And while there are no official office hours for commissioners, the other two commissioners seem to spend quite a lot of time in the office or on county business. But not Watne.

The appalling thing about Watne's lack of concern about the business of running county government is that he doesn't seem to care that he's doing far less work than the other two commissioners.

We've long had concerns about Watne's dedication to his job - and those concerns are beyond his much-publicized brushes with the law (convictions for two DUIs and obstructing a police officer) over the last few years.

But when you consider his absenteeism, it appears that he is simply ripping off the taxpayers of the county.

His term is up next year, so it's pointless to call for his resignation now. And near the close of his two terms as commissioner, it's too much to hope that Watne will suddenly discover a newfound work ethic.

Instead, let's make sure next time we get someone in that office who actually cares about the job and the people he or she represents.

At least Watne will have demonstrated to his successor how not to be an effective and conscientious commissioner.