Complaints pile up in Kalispell School Board dispute

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices has found nine current Kalispell Public School board trustees in violation of campaign finance practice laws for failure to register with the commissioner in a timely manner in past school elections and the upcoming May 4 election.

Trustees named in the complaints include Sue Corrigan, Vice Chairman Jack Fallon, Will Hiatt, Chairman Lance Isaak, Mark Kornick, Amy Waller, Scott Warnell, Ursula Wilde and Kim Wilson.

The Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) referred the matter to the county attorney of Lewis and Clark County. These kinds of matters typically are then referred back to the commissioner and generally are handled with fines. According to the COPP, most matters are resolved through a negotiated fine and cooperation in correcting issues raised in the complaints. In one settlement letter, which trustee Sue Corrigan forwarded in an email to the Daily Inter Lake, a fine of $200 was offered to resolve the matter.