Howlett named chair of Montana Transportation Commission

By B.L. Azure

HELENA — Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer recently announced the appointment of a new commissioner to the Montana Transportation Commission as well as the reappointment of present-District 1 Commissioner Kevin Howlett and his appointment as MTC chair.

Howlett replaces outgoing District 4 Commissioner Nancy Espy as MTC chair and Carol Lambert of Broadus replaces Espy as the District 4 commissioner.

“I have been asked by the governor to serve as chair until my term ends in January 2015,” Howlett said. “I am honored by the governor’s confidence in my tenure as a commissioner which has resulted in being named chair. I am committed to open debate about transportation in Montana.”

The Montana Transportation Commission is a quasi-judicial board consisting of five members that represents five geographic districts in the state.

The governor, as required by statute, appoints each commissioner to staggered four-year terms and must choose MTC members from the Republican and Democratic parties.

However, there is a bit of wiggle room when it comes to party affiliation. Howlett was originally appointed by former Republican Gov. Judy Martz as an Independent. He has been on the MTC for eight years and is entering his third term as transportation commissioner.

Howlett, now a Democrat, is the commissioner for District 1 that consists of Missoula, Flathead, Ravalli, Lake, Powell, Sanders, Granite, Mineral and Lincoln counties.

He currently is the director of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health and Human Service Department. Howlett, among other things, has served on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council and is the former director of the CSKT Education Department.

Howlett is now the longest serving commissioner presently serving on the MTC and is the first American Indian to serve as its chair.

“I don’t know of any other Indians that have served on the commission. I don’t think there were any,” Howlett said. “I do know that I am the first Indian to ever serve as chairman.”

An Indian on the MTC brings another perspective - the Indian way - to the decision-making process.

“I hope that by being Indian I can provide an insight into making our transportation system the best it can be,” Howlett said. “My experience in tribal government brings an insight on issues of tribal sovereignty and philosophies related to the environment and the homeland. I want to ensure that small towns in Montana, including those on Indian reservations, have equal status and recognition when it comes to improvements that make our transportation system safer.”

However, when it comes to needed improvements to and maintenance of the state transportation system, the need far outweighs funding availability.

“There are more expensive - millions and millions of dollars - highway projects than there are monetary resources to do them,” Howlett said. Consequently, highway projects are prioritized based on safety, traffic flow and accident data. “We factor in those things to create a priority list of projects that are due for improvements.”

Howlett said that in the past some tribal governments in the state have been reluctant to provide the state with vehicle accident data. “In absence of things like crash data there were probably projects that should have been done but weren’t because we didn’t have all the needed data,” he said.

The Montana Department of Transportation, Howlett said has been, in recent times, reaching out to tribal governments on Indian reservations in the state. There are now tribal transportation liaisons as well as transportation committees on the seven Indian reservations in Montana.

“They (MDT) want to make sure that the transportation needs on Indian reservations are considered on the same level as others,” Howlett said. “Tribal projects under my chairmanship won’t receive added priority designation just because I am an Indian but they will receive equal treatment with other projects in the state. I am confident my colleagues on the commission share this outlook.”

The Transportation Commission meets every other month in Helena and conducts teleconference meetings twice a month.

The Commission’s major duties include:

     • Awarding of monthly contracts allocation of federal-aid highway funds

     • Designation of highways by system

     • Designation of special speed zones and maximum speeds on bridges and overpasses

     • Designation of access control highways or facilities

     • Resolution of outdoor advertising appeals

     • Abandonment of highway right of way

For additional information, contact: Commission secretary Lori Ryan, at PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001 or call (406) 444-7200.