Trego's Mountain Ear

An Opinion & Accountability Piece

Let me make something perfectly clear before somebody runs off screaming that I am accusing someone of a crime.

I am not.

I am looking at the public record, looking at the calendar, looking at who is currently running our election office, looking at who is participating in election-related decisions, and asking questions that Lincoln County taxpayers have every right to ask.

And right now, I have a lot of them.

Melanie Howell was placed on paid administrative leave on June 24, 2026.

Today is August 13.

That is 50 days.

Seven weeks and one day.

And counting.

The county has publicly said Howell received a formal due-process notice outlining a number of “work-related concerns.”

The county has also explicitly said that placing her on leave “does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing.”

Commissioner Brent Teske subsequently described the investigation as involving personnel issues and said there had been allegations from different people and places that needed to be investigated.

Okay.

Then investigate them.

But after 50 days, taxpayers are entitled to ask a very simple question:

HOW LONG DOES THIS TAKE?

This isn’t an accusation against Howell.

It isn’t an accusation against Williams.

It isn’t an accusation against Boris.

It is an accusation against silence and a complete lack of public clarity.

If there are serious substantiated findings against Howell, finish the process and deal with them according to law and county policy.

If the allegations aren’t substantiated, say so and put her back to work.

If some allegations are substantiated and others aren’t, complete the due-process process and make a decision.

But keeping an employee on paid leave for seven weeks while simultaneously scrambling to train somebody else to perform one of the most sensitive government functions in the county deserves an explanation.

Because taxpayers are paying for this.

And we are rapidly approaching a general election.

THIS GETS STRANGER, NOT SIMPLER

While Howell remains on paid leave, Lincoln County appointed County Administrator Matt Williams as interim Election Administrator.

According to Montana law, an appointed election administrator reports directly to the county governing body.

The election administrator is responsible for administering the procedures surrounding voter registration and elections.

That’s not a ceremonial title.

That’s the person responsible for administering the election.

Yet when Williams was appointed, he wasn’t already fully trained for that position.

On July 27, Williams told The Western News that he expected to undertake all available online Secretary of State training by the end of that week and planned to attend the clerk, recorder and election conference in Anaconda for additional training.

Commissioner Teske likewise said Williams would go through the training necessary to run the election.

Think about that.

We have an experienced Election Administrator sitting at home on paid leave while the county is training the County Administrator to replace her temporarily.

Maybe there is a perfectly legitimate reason.

Then explain it.

Nobody is asking the commissioners to publicly dump a confidential personnel file onto the courthouse steps.

We are asking for basic governmental accountability.

Is the investigation active?

Who is conducting it?

Has an outside investigator been retained?

How many interviews have been completed?

Is there an anticipated completion date?

Has Howell been given an opportunity to respond to every allegation?

Has the investigation uncovered conduct serious enough that returning her to work would create a risk to the election?

And if not, why is she still out of the office?

Those are not unreasonable questions.

AND THEN THERE IS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY

This part bothers me perhaps more than anything else.

County Attorney Marcia Boris is herself a candidate in the November election.

That is a fact.

She is listed by Lincoln County as the Republican candidate for County Attorney.

It is also documented in county records that Boris has participated in election-related legal discussions.

County commission records from May 26 show Boris reviewing election statutes concerning signed or marked ballots.

Earlier reporting documents Boris providing legal interpretation concerning ballot-drop-box requirements.

Now, I understand something important:

The County Attorney is the County Attorney.

Providing legal advice to county government is part of that office’s job.

Being a candidate does not magically strip an elected county attorney of her official responsibilities.

But elections require something beyond simply being technically lawful.

They require public confidence in neutrality.

So here is the question Lincoln County should answer:

At what point should an elected official who is herself on the ballot step away from election-specific decision-making?

I don’t know the answer.

That’s precisely why I’m asking.

What exactly is Boris’s role in the 2026 general election?

Is she merely responding to isolated requests for legal opinions?

Is she participating in operational discussions?

Is she advising Williams?

Is she advising the commissioners concerning Howell?

Has she participated in any part of the investigation that resulted in Howell’s continued absence?

Has she participated in decisions concerning staffing, procedures, ballots, election judges, drop boxes or other election operations for November?

And most importantly:

Has Lincoln County obtained independent counsel regarding election matters in which Boris’s own candidacy could create an actual or perceived conflict?

Because there is a gigantic difference between saying:

“Marcia Boris has a conflict of interest.”

and asking:

“Why hasn’t Lincoln County taken obvious steps to eliminate even the appearance of one?”

I am asking the second.

Montana’s election laws themselves recognize the importance of recusal when conflicts or appearances of impropriety arise in certain election-law enforcement contexts.

That particular statute applies to the Commissioner of Political Practices, not automatically to Boris, but the principle is hardly radical:

Public confidence matters.

THERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION NOBODY SHOULD IGNORE

What exactly was so urgent that Howell had to be immediately removed from the Election Office on June 24, yet apparently so difficult to establish that seven weeks later the county still hasn’t announced a resolution?

Remember what the county itself said:

Her placement on leave was not a finding of wrongdoing.

If this investigation concerns workplace conduct rather than election corruption, ballot manipulation, fraud, criminal conduct or some other threat to election integrity, that distinction matters enormously.

Because we’re now approaching another election.

At some point the commissioners need to explain why the disruption caused by keeping the experienced Election Administrator out of the office is preferable to allowing her to perform her duties while whatever remaining personnel process is completed.

Maybe they have a compelling answer.

I want to hear it.

THEN THERE’S THE MONEY

How much has this cost taxpayers?

How much salary has Howell received while on administrative leave?

How much additional county staff time has been spent covering her responsibilities?

How many hours has Williams spent learning election administration instead of performing the County Administrator job taxpayers already pay him to perform?

What has the training cost?

What has travel cost?

Has outside legal counsel been used?

Has an outside investigator been used?

Have employees worked additional hours because of the situation?

If so, how much?

Fifty days of paid administrative leave isn’t free.

Training a second person isn’t free.

Government investigations aren’t free.

County employees’ time isn’t free.

Taxpayers are paying both sides of this mess.

We deserve an accounting.

AND I WANT ONE MORE QUESTION ANSWERED

What is the exit plan?

Suppose this investigation drags another month.

Or two.

Who runs the November election?

Williams?

Howell?

Someone else?

When is that decision going to be made?

And how close to an election does Lincoln County intend to get before the public knows who is actually going to administer it?

That matters because election administration isn’t something you learn on Friday and start doing Monday morning. <—- Insanity!

There are ballots.

Voter registration.

Election judges.

Equipment.

Security.

Chain of custody.

Testing.

Absentee voting.

Military and overseas voters.

Deadlines.

Canvassing.

Records.

State reporting.

And about a thousand tiny procedural requirements that become enormous problems when somebody gets one wrong.

We already watched confusion surrounding ballot instructions and drop-box hours during the primary.

This is precisely the time when Lincoln County should be reducing uncertainty.

Instead, we have created more of it.

SO HERE IS WHAT I WANT FROM LINCOLN COUNTY

Not gossip.

Not personnel-file details that legally cannot be released.

Not another vague statement that an investigation is “ongoing.”

I want answers to questions government can answer without violating anyone’s rights:

What is the status of the investigation?

Is it still actively being conducted?

Who is conducting it?

When is it expected to conclude?

What has the administrative leave cost taxpayers?

Has the county determined that Howell’s return would present an actual risk to election administration?

Has Matt Williams completed every training requirement necessary to administer the November election?

What precisely is County Attorney Marcia Boris’s role in election-related decisions while she is herself a candidate on that ballot?

Has independent legal counsel been considered or retained for election matters presenting an actual or apparent conflict?

Who does Lincoln County presently expect will administer the November general election?

And finally:

When will the public get an answer?

Because this isn’t about whether you like Melanie Howell.

It isn’t about whether you like Matt Williams.

It isn’t about whether you support Marcia Boris.

I don’t give a damn which personality somebody prefers.

This is an election.

The people administering it should be trained.

The lines of authority should be unmistakable.

Candidates should be separated as much as reasonably possible from decisions affecting elections in which their own names appear.

Personnel investigations should be conducted fairly and promptly.

And taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to finance an indefinite administrative limbo while government officials tell us essentially nothing.

Maybe Howell did something warranting discipline.

Show us when the process is complete.

Maybe she didn’t.

Then put her back to work.

Maybe Williams is completely capable of administering the election.

Show us the completed qualifications and training.

Maybe Boris’s involvement is entirely routine legal work.

Define the boundaries and remove the appearance problem.

That’s what transparency looks like.

Government doesn’t build public trust by telling people:

“Don’t worry about it. We’re handling it.”

Government earns trust by being able to answer the simplest question a citizen can ask:

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

SOURCES & LEGAL REFERENCES

1. The Western News, “County administrator takes over election duties,” July 28, 2026. Reports Howell was placed on paid administrative leave June 24; Williams was appointed interim Election Administrator; Commissioner Teske characterized the investigation as involving personnel issues; Williams described the matter as a review of work-related concerns and said the leave itself did not constitute a finding of wrongdoing. The article also documents Williams’s planned Secretary of State online training and election conference attendance.
2. The Western News/Hagadone News Network, “Lincoln Co. election administrator placed on leave,” July 3, 2026. Documents Howell’s June 24 placement on paid administrative leave and the county’s statement concerning its due-process investigation.
3. Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, May 26, 2026 minutes. Documents County Attorney Marcia Boris reviewing election statutes during discussion concerning signed/marked ballots and Howell’s election procedures.
4. The Western News, May 19, 2026, reporting concerning Lincoln County election administration. Documents earlier involvement by County Attorney Marcia Boris in interpreting statutes concerning ballot-drop-box requirements.
5. Lincoln County Elections, Current Candidate Biographies/Candidate Listing, 2026. Lists Marcia Boris under “County Attorney — Republican.”
6. Montana Code Annotated § 13-1-301 — Election Administrator. Provides that when a county governing body appoints an election administrator, that individual reports directly to the governing body and is responsible for administration of procedures relating to voter registration and elections.
7. Montana Code Annotated § 7-4-2611 — Role and duties of county clerk and election administrator.
8. Montana Code Annotated § 2-2-121 — Rules of conduct for public officers and public employees.
9. Montana Code Annotated § 2-2-122 — Use of public resources for political purposes.
10. Montana Code Annotated § 13-37-111 — Investigative powers and duties; recusal. Note: This provision concerns the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices and is cited here only as evidence that Montana election law expressly recognizes recusal for conflicts or appearances of impropriety in that context. It is not being represented as a statute automatically requiring Boris’s recusal.
11. Montana Code Annotated § 13-37-125 — Powers of county attorney to investigate. Establishes certain county-attorney authority concerning campaign/election-law investigations and records.

© Amberli Emery