Do tell, Mr. Downing

Can you say carpetbagger?

Troy Downing, a part-time resident of the toney Yellowstone Club at Big Sky, wants to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate.

The head of a California-based self-storage company told the Associated Press he wants “to be part of the solution preserving the Last Best Place.” Apparently, however, that solution involves little regard for the state’s fish and game laws. The 50-year-old storage unit mogul faces charges that he tried to buy resident hunting and fishing licenses as a nonresident.

He is also charged with transferring a hunting license to another person, and assisting an unqualified applicant in obtaining a hunting license. His lawyer calls the violations an administrative oversight.

Downing and I have a lot in common. When I first arrived in Montana 47 years ago, I couldn’t afford a nonresident fishing license either. However, one was purchased for me as a tip while I was working for an outfitter in Cooke City.

I came from somewhere else and take pride in my Montana residency.

It’s not part time.

I even suffer a little guilt when I leave for a few weeks in the spring.

It’s hard for me to imagine living anywhere else.

I do go other places though, and if I hunt or fish there, I buy a nonresident license. I don’t pretend I’m from there just to save a few bucks.

Downing hopes to win the Republican nomination to run next year against U.S. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, a farmer and teacher from Big Sandy.

Downing will have an opportunity to make his case in court next month. He can explain at that time the mix-up over his residency, and how his elk tag ended up with someone else. He’ll also have a chance to tell the court about his involvement in helping his nonresident adult son buy resident hunting licenses in 2015.

Sometimes those things just happen.

I’m sure after the “administrative oversight” is explained in full Downing will have a good laugh about it before heading home to San Diego or Big Sky or wherever he’s calling home at the moment.

Montana has a long and colorful history of folks from somewhere else governing us. There still aren’t that many of us here.

We welcome newcomers, especially those who respect our fish and game laws. Those who don’t, and who talk about preserving the Last, Best Place not so much.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]