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Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-MT) announced Monday that he is appointing Jim Murry to replace Dave Gallik as the next Commissioner of Political Practices.

Gallik resigned after staff in the Commissioner's Office accused him of operating his private law practice out of the state office. Gallik denies the allegations.

Last week legislators sent a list of four names to the governor: Jim Murry, Colleen Urquhart-Fillner, Johnny Walker, and Susan Witte.

Democrats nominated Murry and Urquhart-Fillner, while Republicans nominated Walker and Witte.

According to Murry's resume, he worked for the Montana branch of the AFL-CIO for more than 20 years where he was the chief spokesperson for the labor movement.

Murry is now semi-retired and lives in Clancy.

The Governor's Office issued a press release saying, "Murry comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience for the position. He has years of labor management and bipartisan experience including advocating for fair campaign practices laws and has filed extensive reports with the political practices office."

Murry will start on the job on Tuesday, February 7th. The six-year position is subject to Senate confirmation. The position pays $57,689 per year.