MISSOULA - Questions over housing, economic development and managing employees are emerging as key questions for applicants wanting to be the next Missoula mayor.
The council's Committee of the Whole met Wednesday morning, launching into the process of appointing someone following last week's death of John Engen.
The committee is working on an accelerated timeline, facing a 30-day deadline under state law.
Council members had submitted nine different questions that the applicants will face during interviews in early September after getting the queries in advance.
Missoula City Clerk Marty Rehbein advised the council members to allow plenty of time for the upcoming interviews of the nominees.
"It's also their time to tell you why they should be mayor," Rehbein told the council during the virtual meeting. "So you want to balance. I would say follow-up questions — if you determine you wanna have them, with the ability for the person to be able to get through all of the things that you've asked them. And tell you what they tell you and the community. Let's not forget the citizens will be watching this as well."
The council won't finalize the questions until next week. But the initial list includes topics such as:
- Prioritizing climate sustainability and diversity
- Whether they plan to run for election
- Missoula's housing issues
- Changing the "governance" of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA)
The MRA question is sparking the most discussion.
Additional information about the mayoral selection process for Missoula can be found at https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1850/Mayoral-Appointment-Procedure.
