Skees plans run for state auditor post

State Rep. Derek Skees, R-Whitefish, intends to run for Montana Auditor next year with a focus on resisting federal health-care reform in every possible way.

Skees, who was elected to represent House District 4 just last fall, cannot seek re-election for that seat once he files as a candidate for auditor, a move that he said he has no reluctance in making.

“We need some bold new leadership in government and this continuing trend of growth of government and regulation is destroying the private sector,” said Skees, who found his first session among 150 legislators to be somewhat frustrating.

“What really became obvious to me is that it really comes down to the control of individual departments and agencies,” he said. “If you don’t control the reins of the executive you don’t control anything.”

While the state auditor traditionally has been a relatively low-profile executive position overseeing insurance and securities, Skees doesn’t see it that way anymore because of pending federal health-care reform mandates on states.

“I think the state has the constitutional right and strength to resist Obamacare and a lot of us in the Legislature felt that way” in resisting a variety of bills that current Auditor Monica Lindeen advocated to implement the federal law, Skees said. All of those bills were stopped by GOP majorities in the House and Senate.

Earlier this week, Lindeen issued a press release announcing her plans to form an advisory council that would recommend the best ways to develop an online health insurance market, which the federal law requires all states to do by 2014. The release states that Lindeen seeks to “prevent complete federal control” over the state’s online market.

“Our auditor is supposed to be an advocate for us,” Skees said. “She is totally for Obamacare ... and I know she’ll say that’s because it’s the law of the land.”

But many states have taken legal or legislative action to resist the federal law and Skees believes Montana’s auditor should do the same.

Skees stresses that Republicans are obliged to provide alternative measures aimed at controlling health-care costs and health-insurance rates. He noted that many Republicans backed legislation that would have allowed Montana to join health-care compacts with other states, but that legislation did not pass.

He noted that the auditor’s office has been controlled by Democrats for about 20 years, and he asserts that during that period there has been no relief in rising insurance costs for most people.

Skees said he would advocate deregulation and other measures to encourage competition in insurance markets to curb costs.

Skees said he is suited for the position because he is a consumer rather than an insider with ties to the insurance business.

“What you want is a person who pays for insurance rather than a person who has been in the business,” said Skees, who is a general construction contractor.

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