Phil Montgomery

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Phil Montgomery is a Republican politician who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin and represents the fourth assembly district in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His biography states "Born Hammond, Indiana, July 7, 1957; married; 2 children. Graduate T.F. North H.S.; B.S. in Business and Commerce, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, Texas 1988. Former systems engineer. Elected to Assembly 1998; reelected since 2000" [1].

[edit] Recent Political History

In 2004, he was elected with 61% of the vote. He spent $55,126 for a Cost/Vote: $3.18. His opponent Vandeveer Spent: $1,569, for a Cost/Vote of $0.15. [2] In 2006, Montgomery Spent: $62,328 but fell to 56% of the votes. His opponent Langan spent $11,123 to 43.9% - Cost/Vote: $1.13. [3]

[edit] Legislative Issues

His website lists "During the 2007-2008 legislative session, Rep. Montgomery authored legislation to bring cable competition to Wisconsin consumers" as first among his bills. [4]. Montgomery said it "will mean lower prices, better service, and increased consumer protection for cable and video subscribers," according to the Lacrosse Tribune, which added it was "supported by 15 AT&T lobbyists" [5]. The bill had bipartisan support, with the LaCrosse Tribune noting Democratic Party chairman Joe Weinke registered to lobby for AT&T while the bill was before the Democratic controlled Senate. [6]. In 2006 when the proposal was being developed, AT&T contributed $2,250 to Montgomery's campaign.[7]

The bill "could cut into consumer protection and local programming" according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, noting "Janet Jenkins, the state's top consumer advocate, said the bill, called the Video Competition Act, would weaken existing standards" [8] "The bill also takes away consumer protections, which are safeguards currently granted to cable customers." added the Badger-Herald, [9]

Montgomery "supported the interests of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce 100 percent in 2005-2006. ...support of or in opposition to ACLU of Wisconsin's position, Assembly Member Montgomery received a rating of 0. ...supported the interests of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards 17 percent in 2005-2006. National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund assigned Assembly Member Montgomery a grade of A....supported the interests of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO 20 percent in 2005-2006."[10]

Montgomery voted against AB61,a bill that "prohibits any incumbent partisan elective state official ... from accepting any political contribution ... from the first Monday in January of each odd-numbered year through the date of enactment of the biennial budget act." [11]

Montgomery has introduced and strongly supported AB 285, a bill that would allow increases in the cost of basic telephone service. [12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wisconsin State Legislature
  2. ^ 2004 Campaign Finance Profile - Phil Montgomery
  3. ^ 2006 Campaign Finance Profile - Phil Montgomery
  4. ^ http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm04/news/legislation.htm Visited May 20th, 2008
  5. ^ Cable bill may get further tweaking by opponents : La Crosse Tribune
  6. ^ Democratic Party chairman registers to lobby for AT&T : La Crosse Tribune
  7. ^ Big Money Blog: Phone Friends
  8. ^ JS Online: Concerns aired on statewide cable bill
  9. ^ The Badger Herald - Cable bill garners support
  10. ^ Project Vote Smart - Assembly Member Phil Montgomery - Interest Group Ratings
  11. ^ Wisconsin - Common Cause
  12. ^ Citizens Utility Board - Action Alert - Phone Deregulation