Missoula County Democrats accuse a City Councilman of deliberately deceiving voters. They say Ward 2 Councilman John Hendrickson aired a misleading radio ad.
Earlier in October, City Council Candidate Roy Houseman distributed a flyer with an endorsement from Mayor John Engen.
A few days later, an ad for Houseman’s opponent, incumbent Ward 2 Councilman John Hendrickson hit the airwaves. The ad ran for three days. But the problem, according to County Democrats, is that the ad contained the same words Engen used to endorse Houseman. Hendrickson says he felt he embodied the traits Engen listed for qualified City Council members.
The Missoula County Democrats filed a complaint with the Montana Office of Political Practices on the grounds that the ad was misleading and was unethical. But Hendrickson says he didn’t do anything wrong and never said the Mayor had endorsed him.
If the complaint meets certain criteria, it will be investigated. But the Commissioner of Political Practices, Dennis Unsworth explained that it wouldn’t be resolved quickly. He says he has 38 other campaign complaints on his desk and reviews them in chronological order.
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