Great Falls – HD 19 Representative Randy Pinocci has filed a lawsuit against Advanced Litho Printing and the Montana Contractors’ Association alleging that his legislative voting record led to his firing in 2015. The conservative Republican filed his suit on November 14th in Missoula District Court.
Pinocci worked for Advanced Litho from 1999 to 2015 and was paid on commission making millions in sales for the company during his employment.
Pinocci alleges that he was fired because of his vote against a controversial spending bill that would have doled-out $23 million to remodeling a university building in Bozeman and allocated $25 million for a new Montana Historical Society museum in Helena.
Conservative legislators voted against the bill because earmark-like, pet-project spending far outweighed spending on roads, bridges, and water improvements, most notably in Eastern Montana.
The Montana Contractors’ Associate was strong proponent of the pork-barrel earmark projects included in the bill. Cary Hegreberg is the Executive Director of the Association and was a lead lobbyist for the bill during the 2015 session. MCA members would stand to reap the windfall profits of the taxpayer spending on new government and university buildings.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle also reports that the Montana Contractors’ Association contacted Advanced Litho in Great Falls and demanded that Pinocci be removed as their salesman because of his voting record.
None of the parties involved have commented directly to the press.