Campaign Phone
4062071117
City Council members are responsible for representing the constituents in their ward, and more broadly, the citizens of the city. They should do this by listening to residents, working to craft policy that will guide the city forward in a positive direction, and making decisions that will guide the budget. They are elected to be of service to the community, and will hopefully be a liaison between the city government and constituents. To do the job well, City Councillors should be collaborators and relationship builders. Excellent City Councillors will work with integrity and be accountable to the public. It is also important that City Councillors have foresight and vision to look ahead and anticipate future needs as well as immediate needs.
When talking with residents of Ward 1, people raise concerns about housing and affordability and neighborhood traffic and infrastructure. I am supportive of efforts that help balance the burden of development across all neighborhoods, and I’m supportive of policies and programs that get people housed and help them stay housed. Safe and connected neighborhoods are extremely important to prioritize for all users, and I want to ensure that city projects are meeting the needs of citizens. I want to make sure that all constituents are listened to and represented, especially those whose voices are historically marginalized. I will work collaboratively with residents, local officials, and organizations to advocate for the needs of Ward 1.
The rising costs of living are putting real pressure on Ward 1 renters, families, and businesses. People are worried that they won't be able to keep their housing or afford to live in Missoula. Although I can't change national and global economic trends, I can work hard to advocate for a balanced budget that doesn't require an increase in local property taxes, support policies that expand affordable housing opportunities, and support fair wages and worker protections as local policy allows. I will listen to residents in my ward to understand where they are experiencing the burden of these cost of living increases and work for solutions that help ease the daily challenges people are facing.
Missoula’s share of property taxes should support the essential services that directly impact residents’ quality of life: maintaining safe streets and infrastructure, supporting essential emergency services, investing in our public parks and open spaces, and ensuring that we’re planning for a future that includes smart growth. I believe that we should align the budget with community priorities and try to involve the public more in the budgeting process. I’d like to address any redundancies in the budget and reduce inefficiencies as is possible. I think it is important to be forward thinking and to anticipate future needs as we grow and look to build a budget that addresses both the future and residents’ current needs.
Campaign Phone
406-529-3958
City Councilor is a Civil Service position. As such, the first duty of a City Councilor should be serving the well-being of the community and their constituents. To that end, having a curious mind and willingness to listen to the views of the people are key, especially those that conflict with ones own biases. Additionally, one must recognize that inherent conflicts of interest exist between people and one must then strive to reconcile these contradictions. If that is not possible, one should prioritizes decisions that favor the common good of the community as a whole.
The biggest concerns are affordable housing, the lack of livable wages, urban deer, noise from the train, and the looming climate crisis. Over half of Missoulians now rent and many are living paycheck to check, working multiple jobs. There needs to be a greater emphasis on local wages, as what is currently considered "affordable housing" is inflated by the presence of remote workers. We need to prioritize walkable neighborhoods, public transit, and conversion to solar energy. We need a localize railroad crossing alarm so that the sound of train horns doesn't carry across the neighborhoods at the wee hours of night. As for the deer, as long as they continue to obey local traffic laws, I see no issue. ;)
Residents have been adversely affected by the cost of living crisis. Yet despite this the the Abundance narrative being pushed by politicians is that we can simply build our way out of this. This has lead to a plethora of luxury units and rental units, but home-ownership is out of reach of many native Missoulians. We need to take land and housing off the market to prevent price hikes caused by speculative investing, and put it into stable non-profit or government owned land trusts. The city can also facilitate bonds between residences of trailer parks and credit unions to allow the residents to buy the park and thus be able to set their own rents rather than pay predatory rates to out-of-state Property Management Companies.
More emphasis needs to be put on securing low-income housing and preventive measures to stop residents from becoming unhoused. This would not only assist with the well-being of the most vulnerable folks in Missoula, but also expand the tax base and lighten the load on the tax payer through the added share of the burden. This is opposed to current measures that seem focused on expanding hotels, which increases the tax burden on residents. This is because Missoula is not allowed by the State to have a local tourist tax, therefore the added use of city services must solely be carried by the local tax-payer.
