Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
I know the best spot in my ward for …
Solitude. [When asked what that spot is, he said, “I’m not telling you! No way! That’s the point!”]
If loving this is wrong, I don’t want to be right
Missoula.
This year, I really want to achieve …
I want to accomplish listening and learning as much as I can about local government’s role in helping people. I approach this, really, from a learning perspective, like I am treating city council as almost a master’s degree in local government. I want to learn the limitations local government has, what are the levers that we can pull on to make change? I think that’s the key is listening and providing opportunities for people to ask questions.
What I order for the table
Poutine.
Never have I ever …
Run for office.
How can we alleviate tax pressure on homeowners and renters?
I think the linchpin here is getting our property tax system right. I would love to diversify and broaden our tax strategies. I would love to see us tap into the tourists that are coming to Montana to enjoy our rivers and our trails and our parks. They are using our services. I think that the solution is working in coalitions. We can leverage our voices and our position with other cities that feel the exact same way.
Change my mind about …
A tourism tax.
I wind down by …
Watching soccer highlights.
What’s a specific approach or policy that a community elsewhere in the country has employed to reduce homelessness that you think might also work in Missoula?
I was actually just in Victoria, British Columbia. One of the things that Victoria instituted was they have a set amount of hours that you can camp in a rotating list of city parks. I don’t know if that’s quite appropriate for Missoula … but it made me think about a creative solution that would disperse and manage the unhoused population, or at least give them a place to go.
I geek out on …
Tax policy.
My best dad joke
What did the proctologist say to the populus tremuloides?
How’s your aspen?
(A populus tremuloides is the scientific name for a quaking aspen tree.)
Three infrastructure priorities?
Reopening and stabilizing the bike and pedestrian bridge that goes from the Northside to downtown; making it easier to move around in the Northside; continuing to make sure that as development increases, people can still easily move around the Northside.
My cry-in-the-car song
Parabola by Tool.
That fire levy though …
We have to provide those services—fire, police, water, sewer—fire being one of the most critical in a growing city. We have to make sure that our public safety and our response services are scaled appropriately and right now we don’t have enough fire resources. I’m very much in support of the Mobile Support Team and those deescalation services. I think that is the future of first responders. So I would have voted for that levy.
Unusual skills
Policy analysis/interpreting bill language.
Together, we could …
Make Missoula work for you.
