MISSOULA — Sam Kulla who is running to take incumbent Gwen Jones for the Missoula City Council Ward 3 says he wants to address the issues that are facing Missoulians.
“I'm from Missoula. I moved here when I was six from Mineral County. I've attended all of Missoula County Public Schools and I got my undergrad and my Master's from the U of M — both here in Ward 3. I'm well-traveled. I've been all around the US and all around the world in a bunch of different industries — everything from education to emergency medicine, alternative energy, and even climate...research. And so now I'm raising my family here in Missoula and, you know, facing the housing crisis firsthand. Ad I'm hoping to make a difference on the city council, bring some new ideas and fresh perspectives and real representation, Kulla said.
Kulla says that if he is elected, he would want to communicate how the roads and infrastructure in Missoula are maintained while also prioritizing the biking appeal that Missoula has.
“Our roads get hammered pretty hard. There is a lot of uproar about the late leaf pickup last year because of a weather event, and there's not much that could have been done about that. I'd say the main thing we need to do is make sure that people who are living here understand how the roads are being maintained and have input, Kulla said. " There was a great meeting right here in this park for the Rose Park Neighborhood Council and one of the biggest topics at that was roundabouts. And I'd like to see a lot more public education about how different types of traffic systems and particularly, you know, non-motorized stuff — bikes and pedestrians. So when we're talking about this infrastructure...it's really important that we're also paying attention to keeping a non-motorized appeal to the city."
Kulla says that he also wants to make sure that in neighborhoods where residents would have to travel for retail, groceries, or other activities the roads and bike lanes are reliable.
“So we need really safe bike lanes. We need walkable neighborhoods, especially in parts of town where there's really no stores, no coffee shops, nothing to do. And the only option is to drive down into town. So in terms of infrastructure, I'd like to make sure that we have all those lanes and good, efficient, reliable public transit on the Mountain Line so that people can get where they need to go without having to drive at all."
When it comes to the local housing crisis, Kulla says that he would want to keep residents in Missoula and not have them be priced out from the city they live in.
“The housing crisis is by far the most important issue we have to talk about in this race as a person who works three jobs and rents a home. I'm a member of the Missoula Tenants Union and I'm also a parent. So like I'm hustling all the time to make ends meet. I'd say the most important issue with the housing crisis is making sure that we don't edge out the people who are living and working here in favor of more luxury properties out of state owners and, you know, big business kind of pricing out locals,” Kulla said.
Homelessness is also a crisis in Missoula and, Kulla says that if elected, he would want to identify places to rotate for homeless camps until the city can find a more permanent solution.
“We kind of have an obligation because of the Boise Ruling to do something for the people on the streets. We can't turn them out and give them nothing if we do. And if we get called to the carpet on that, we could be facing huge legal challenges as a City. So, until we're able to build enough shelter space, mental health services and addiction services to meet the demand of people who are here in town we do have to provide some sort of camping or shelter, emergency shelter scenario. I'm an advocate of sort of cycling through a variety of sites throughout the city to spread out the impact and the load of where the camps take place on a temporary basis. I'd like to see, you know, perhaps 12 camps that we use three or four at a time,” Kulla said.
Kulla also wants to make sure that the homeless population has the resources they need to keep areas that they are camping in clean, and would also be in favor of banning outdoor camping.
“And at those campsites have, you know, trash sanitation, security places for people to charge their phones and give the other, eight or nine camps that aren't in use [a] chance to recover as we sort of like move through them and share that burden. Once we have enough shelter space for people that's built out, and we have enough services in terms of that mental health and addiction stuff, I would probably be in favor of banning outdoor camping and then we could give people the alternative of accepting the services or moving on."
The budget process in Missoula is going to be more difficult next year as American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that was received during the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer available. Kulla says that he would want to make sure that first responders have wages that are compatible with the expenses of living in Missoula.
“If our police officers and our firefighters and other first responders aren't able to live in the city, that's a huge problem. Because if you can't live here and you've got to work here, that just makes no sense. First of all, we need to make sure people are getting paid a fair wage and that includes EMS, first responders and anybody who's working...I spread this much broader than just public safety. People need to be able to make good money here. So that could come in the form of living wages or attracting better paying jobs — or a combination of both. At the same time, we do have to keep an eye on costs. We have to expand our housing inventory and we have to make sure that there's enough places that people can afford to live at this point,” Kulla said.
Kulla also wants to expand some of the services that the City of Missoula already has in place.
“We need to expand some of our mental health crisis and addiction services. Those programs already exist, but there's not enough people operating those programs to meet the demand. With our current budget situation, and until we can bring some more money in — and perhaps capture some of the tourist revenue that's coming through Missoula and a few other ways — we can raise some money. I'm really not looking to start a lot of new programs. We're already pretty lean as it is and I think we need to work with what we've got in a really efficient way and make sure that what we're doing is working,” Kulla said.
The City of Missoula’s taxes have risen significantly in the last two years. Kulla says that he would want to work with the residents who can't afford to live in a city where the cost of living is going up.
“My plan would be focused on dealing with the people that really don't have the opportunity to make any more money to meet the rising costs. So, people on fixed incomes like seniors, people on social services, students who are living on...whatever financial aid they may have. Those are the folks who need the most help urgently. So, whatever we bring to the legislature — and we will be, you know, talking to the state — it has to make sure that it addresses those segments of the population first because they're the most vulnerable of getting pushed out,” Kulla said.
Neighborhood councils are an important part of City government and Kulla says he wants to support all the neighborhood councils and meet the demands of residents.
“The neighborhood councils are a critical piece of communication between the City and the neighborhoods. And the only way that those councils can get the full utilization that they need is through community participation... and I'd like to see that in all the neighborhoods. So, we have fully staffed neighborhood councils with volunteers. If they're able to communicate the needs and wishes and questions that the neighborhood has to the City...we can make sure things are done in a way that meets the demand of the neighborhood."
When asked why voters should vote for him, Kulla says he wants people to think about who is representing them at the City Council level.
“Basically, as we come into this race, right? I'm running against the incumbent who's running for their third term. And I'm a parent and a renter who works three jobs and I'm running against a lawyer who owns three homes. And so I'd really just encourage people to ask themselves who represents them in this race and who would best serve their needs, Kulla said.
Missoula's election takes place on November 7, 2023.
