Mutiny at the Montana PSC: Commissioners oust their own president Brad Molnar

The Montana Public Service Commission voted Tuesday afternoon to remove its own president in a 3-2 vote.

Former President Brad Molnar will remain on the all-Republican five member Public Service Commission (PSC), but will no longer hold a leadership position.

For the time being, Vice President Jennifer Fielder will take on the duties of the president until the group holds a vote on who will replace Molnar, which is expected to take place Oct. 28.

The PSC regulates private natural gas, electric and telephone companies, among others, and is also tasked with ensuring that Montanans receive reasonable rates for those services. The president of the commission sits atop the entire state agency.

Tuesday's vote comes as Molnar is embroiled in an internal HR investigation for his workplace conduct at the PSC, a matter that has spun out of control and been escalated to Gov. Greg Gianforte and got a hearing before a Lewis & Clark District Court judge. The details of the allegations against Molnar that spurred the internal investigation are unclear, but Molnar has consistently denied wrongdoing and personally publicized the internal matter earlier this year.

Molnar was also accused by at least one commissioner and PSC staff of intentionally derailing the investigation and retaliating against those involved, which in part led to Tuesday's vote to remove him from he post.

Commissioners Annie Bukacek, Jeff Welborn and Fielder voted to remove Molnar, while Commissioner Randy Pinocci and Molnar himself voted against the motion. The contentious meeting included raised voices, numerous interruptions and personal attacks.

Bukacek brought the motion to remove Molnar saying that she's skeptical that any of the duties of the presidency were met "with any level of consistency this year."

"So we have had close to 10 months of experience with our current choice, and it is time to make a change for the good of the order of the Public Service Commission and the public we serve," Bukacek said.

Molnar has known this vote was coming for weeks and has long described it as a power grab by Fielder, who he says wants the presidency position herself.

He added that taking away his title "doesn't change anything."

"I can do everything ... that I've ever done, whether people like it or not ... except for 'OK' travel budgets. That's it," he added.

He ended his response by calling the situation as a whole "a sham."

Before Tuesday's meeting, removing commissioners from positions of power required four votes, but Fielder also brought a successful motion Tuesday to lower that threshold to three votes. If the four vote threshold had remained in place, they would not have been able to remove Molnar as Pinocci sided with the former president.

Pinocci, an ally of Molnar, argued during Tuesday's meeting that lowering that bar may invite politicking into the PSC.

"I want the constituents and other commissioners to understand that moving the vote to three can really have some unintended consequences if you have three Democrats and two Republicans that can be abused against two Republicans and vice versa," Pinocci said.

He also said that the policy change from four to three votes "is serving the goals of one commissioner."

"That's exactly why I think we should be very careful before we support moving this to three votes," he added.

Towards the end of the meeting, Fielder said, "you gave it your all" to Molnar. He responded by saying he will continue to do so.

"It’s my prayer that we can all move forward with genuine good will for each other," Fielder concluded.