VOTE411 Voter Guide

I’ve spent 15 years making Bozeman home. I married into a local family with deep agricultural roots, raised two kids who fell in love with clear streams and cold winters, and moved from newcomer to in-between. I feel the same tension many do – supporting growth while valuing what makes this place special. Three professional experiences shape how I’ll serve as mayor. On the School Board and City Commission, I learned to listen, build trust, and forge consensus. As a journalist for 30 years, I cut through spin and ask hard questions. As a nonprofit leader, I managed budgets and partnerships to deliver results. I’ll bring that blend – grounded in Bozeman, focused on facts, skilled at bringing us together – to lead with clarity and care.

I know what people love about Bozeman because I love it, too: rivers and trails at our doorstep, kids who grow up with the privilege of the outdoors, and a community that stays welcoming and affordable. Growth puts that at risk, and how we respond will decide whether families can afford to stay, find good jobs, and feel safe in their neighborhoods. We need to manage growth wisely so our kids can build lives here. As mayor, I’ll ensure our growth plan reflects community values, speed permitting for workforce housing, and make growth pay its share for water, roads, and parks. I’ll back housing that strengthens neighborhoods, support local employers, and keep the community at the table. That’s how we keep Bozeman livable today – and vibrant.

My vision is a Bozeman where families can afford to stay, where good jobs keep young people rooted here, and where our streets and parks feel safe and welcoming. I see neighborhoods with housing that works for teachers, nurses, and small-business owners, not just the lucky few. To get there, we need housing built in the right places with infrastructure that keeps pace, investments that keep our neighborhoods safe, walkable, and welcoming for all, and a city government people trust because its decisions are open, fair, and accountable. As mayor, I’ll fight every day to make that Bozeman real.

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I’m a lifelong Bozeman resident and a night-shift custodian at MSU. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck, moved between rentals, and experienced how housing instability and limited public spaces affect working people. I also run a local cleaning business and ran some small online ventures, which taught me budgeting, hiring, customer service, and delivering results with limited resources. Since filing, I have met with every department willing to talk, including fire, economic development, and the courts. I am committed to listening to the experts, asking direct questions, and understanding the challenges from the inside so I can bring practical solutions, follow-through, and grit to city leadership. If elected, I’ll continue speaking to experts.

Bozeman’s biggest challenges are affordability, transparency, and trust. People feel priced out, shut out, and talked down to. Housing costs are out of control not just for buyers, but for renters, workers, and families trying to stay in the town they love. I believe the city needs to aggressively reform how we use Tax Increment Financing (TIF) so that public dollars are tied directly to affordable housing outcomes, with compliance audits every year. We also need to stop treating transparency like a checkbox I’d push for real meeting reform, clearer plain-English communications, and accountability when the public is ignored. Lastly, we need leadership that will make city government something normal people can understand and participate in.

We need more spaces where families, teens, and everyday people can gather without spending $100. That’s why I support using public-private partnerships (PPP) to bring affordable indoor entertainment to Bozeman things like bowling, skating, arcades, or art centers. These aren't luxuries, they’re vital for mental health, retention, and community. I believe we must also balance walkable, people-focused planning with the needs of emergency services, snow plows, and delivery drivers. We should tie city incentives to projects that truly improve people’s lives, not just pad profit margins. Livability means belonging, and we’ve got work to do. As mayor, I’ll focus on projects that bring real value to anyone who calls Bozeman home.