MISSOULA — Current Missoula City Council member Mike Nugent says that he wants to allow future generations to live and work in the city like he has his whole life.
“I'm born and raised in Missoula and I've seen Missoula change a lot since I was a little kid and a lot of that's positive, but that also comes with challenges. A lot of the people I grew up with — I went to high school with — have had to move away because they can't afford to live here. And if they want to come back, sometimes they struggle to find housing. And that kind of drives a little bit of who...I am, and what I've tried to bring the conversation — both on City Council and this mayor's race. My wife and I are raising our kids here and we want to make sure that they've got the same opportunities to live and learn. And if they want to work here down the road that I did, that we did. And that kind of is the basis for why I'm running,” Nugent said.
Nugent says that one of the biggest reasons why he’s running for mayor is to help those in Missoula who are working paycheck to paycheck amid the city's housing crisis.
“I think that Missoula's at a crossroads. The challenges that I see of people — both who are working here right now, young professionals, people working in our service industry — but also people who grew up here and can no longer afford to live here. We need to make sure that while Missoula is growing, we're acknowledging that growth and we're facing it head-on. The national average for homeownership is over 60% and the state average for homeownership is over 60%. But in Missoula, it's actually down to 45%. And I think that is a real problem that we need to face head-on. And it's a challenge that we have not met in Missoula in the last decade. Owning a home is often one of the only ways that Americans build any stability or any financial security. And I don't know why people should have to sacrifice that just to live in Missoula, we can have both,” Nugent said.
Nugent says that his favorite thing about Missoula is the environment to create memories with the outdoors so close.
“I think maybe my favorite thing about Missoula is our complete access to the outdoors and the ability to be five minutes from anywhere and go do big things and exciting things. But I also think Missoula is such a hub of culture...there's always something going on if you want to find it. Go downtown on a Friday night and there's a festival at Caras Park. There's something at the university. If you're a big Griz fan, there's always something going on in that world. And it gives us so many opportunities to create memories with our kids, and kind of build those lasting moments."
There are several goals Nugent has in mind if he is elected mayor, but the biggest one that he has is to combat the housing crisis.
“My number one goal, if I'm elected as mayor, is to make it easier for people to live here. I want the people who work here to be able to live here. And it's really that simple in my mind. We need to make sure that we are not a community that is so protective that we're not giving opportunities for the next generation. Like I said earlier, that homeownership rate of 45% is just so unacceptable in my mind because it really creates haves and have-nots between the people who have homes and kind of already have theirs and are sometimes occasionally making it harder for policies that would actually give more people opportunities to do the same. And I just think we need to tackle that head-on."
There are several issues that are facing the people of Missoula, but Nugent says that the cost of living and the quality of life are the biggest issues that he would want to help solve as mayor.
“The biggest issue impacting Missoula is really cost of living and that encompasses housing, but that also encompasses property taxes, that encompasses our basic city services. And so really, we have to work together as a community and determine what our priorities are and how can we afford to do the basic things that Missoulians expect of their community. That's making sure that our first responders have what they need, and that if you call 911, they're able to respond in a timely manner. That's making sure that our roads are maintained and funded well, and that's making sure that everything else that makes [Missoula] a little special is, is considered. But the reality is that we also are going to have some tough conversations because a local government can't be everything to everyone. And we have to make sure that we're, we're fundamentally sound in the basics to start,” Nugent said.
When it comes to the homeless crisis, Nugent says that he would want to categorize those experiencing homelessness into different groups to identify their needs rather than group all of the homeless population together.
“On City Council I have actually pushed through a referral, two referrals that I think are really starting to try and help. This one is actually identifying long-term solutions and having us as a city commit to what those may be. The other one is kind of addressing the area around Johnson Street and giving some predictability to those neighbors who have been patient while that has been used as a temporary emergency space. The reality is that this is a problem across the country. But one of the frustrations I have is that when we have the conversation about the homeless population in Missoula, we talk about it as one large group and that's really not the case. There are so many different reasons that people find themselves in that situation. Sometimes it's families who just had a bad break and missed a rent payment and are out on the street. So, I think that if we can stop talking about it as a large group, but trying to help people in kind of individual situations, it's not going to feel as unmanageable. And I think we have to pair that with updated regulations that are in line with all the laws, but also protect what we love about Missoula. And I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to want to be able to use the trails and the parks for what they're intended for. So I think that we can pair kind of having that open year-round shelter and having the bed space to say, 'Hey, you can't camp in all of these places.' And I think it's reasonable. And I think most Missoulians that I've talked to want to see us kind of add that accountability factor to it. Where if someone's willing to take help, we are a community that will help and will kind of, give people that opportunity. But if people aren't willing to kind of participate and do their part, I think we have to look at that group differently than we look at the population as a whole."
Next year the city will not have federal funding that the city was awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nugent says that the budget needs to go to a priority-based budget to serve the services and needs of the community.
“During this last budget cycle, I was the council member on the council floor pointing out that the cycle next year is going to be even worse. We've got over $4 million between ARPA funds that are going away and [the] contributions to our budget that probably aren't repeatable next year. So we're going to need to look closely. In addition, we have serious needs in our fire department that did not go away simply because the fire leadership and the fire union asked for the levy to be removed from the ballot. We have not added a fire staff member who actually rides a fire truck since 2008. We've replaced positions that were already there, but we have the same number of firefighters that we did in 2008 and the community has grown so much since then. So we have to look at those priorities and say, okay, obviously having a fire department that functions and properly staffed is a huge priority. So what's going to give — and I think as a community, we have to get ready to have that uncomfortable conversation — but the only way we're going to ease some of the pain that people are feeling in their property taxes is finding a way to evaluate everything we do and determining if all of it is as priority one as it has been presented so far."
While Nugent says that the tax system in the state of Montana is broken, he wants to look at different programs to see what is working and what isn’t while also looking at what are priorities for the city.
“I think the biggest thing is we can acknowledge that the system is broken, but also recognize that we have to play by the rules that are currently in place so we can lobby the state and try and find solutions. And I think that I have a record that I can help do that. But at the same time, we can't tell the senior who's living on a fixed income in their home that oh, it doesn't matter that your taxes are going up because the state system is broken that just doesn't work. So as a community, we need to look closely at like what our priorities are and have those conversations on how can we be everything to everyone. And we have to establish criteria to determine what success is and how we spend money. We need to be willing to look at the programs that we've implemented over the last two or three decades and say, hey, this was useful when it was started, but is it still having the same impact now or have we achieved our goal? And this could be spun off to a local nonprofit to maybe take the next step in that program's history. I think there are a lot of opportunities for us to kind of implement common practices. I'm a firm believer in priority based budgeting where you look at everything through the lens of what your priorities are. And again, my priorities focus on public safety and the basic needs that people expect in Missoula. At the same time, zero based budgeting where you take a department and you look at it from the ground up and you kind of make sure that everything we're doing still makes sense. I think there are great opportunities for us to do better. But the tax growth rate we've been on is unsustainable and there's a lot of reasons why that's a problem. But first and foremost, we have to keep in mind that this is contributing to the affordability issues in Missoula."
Neighborhood councils are a large part of city government and Nugent says he'd want to get feedback from the councils and want to make sure that the neighborhood councils are heard.
“I think it's important to get feedback in all kinds of different ways. And I think the neighborhood councils are a good start to that if they are well attended — and some neighborhood councils are stronger than others right now. So I think that making sure that those people know that they're heard by the mayor and that they have the opportunity to engage and weigh in on things that actually matter. So it's not just on them to kind of pick things that they want to do and, create initiatives but actually use them more as like, hey, these are things we're working on at the city and we want your feedback. I think that really helps a lot. But I also think at the same time, the city has to look at how we do communication across the board and really make some changes in where we're meeting people and how we're focusing on."
Nugent says that if elected mayor, he'd want to create better communication as his administration would come into office.
“I think Missoula is in a tremendous spot. So much of what people have done before has made us this community that is envied in the West and that people clearly like to visit and come and be a part of at the same time. The short time I've been on City Council — for about a year and a half — I've identified areas where we can be better. Communication is one, but also making sure that we are reaching the broader community [so] that people don't feel like their voice doesn't matter. And I think that the biggest task of the next mayor is making sure that everybody feels like their voice is heard. Now, that doesn't mean that...everybody will get their way all the time, but it means that you got to participate in the conversation. You felt like your thoughts...really [matter]. And the mayor in my mind is a coalition builder. You get the right people at the table and you try and solve problems. And getting the right people at the table means being able to work with people of all party ideologies of different backgrounds, business, nonprofit to find the solutions that work for Missoula."
Nugent also says that he would want the Missoula City Council to be accountable and hold accountability. He also says that he would want to have conversations to solve the problems the city is facing.
“I wish that City Council would do that right now. I believe firmly that City Council is a third branch of government. The city charter says that City Council is the policy making body for the city of Missoula. So it should be a loud conversation. And I actually think that is where that opportunity for the community to find their voice again resides...the administration and the councils working together, not just feeling like every decision is baked, but having those conversations where it's clear that we're solving the problems in real time by taking into account all the different facets of the of the decision making space."
Nugent says that is hiss first 100 days he would want to focusing on housing by making it easier for builders and developers to build houses in Missoula.
“The first 100 days, I think we have to tackle a handful of things. The first thing though is we need to figure out how to make it easier for people to build housing in the areas that we want to build it. And that means we've got a growth plan as a community. And we've said, hey, this is the type of community we want to be — the community [has to] weigh in on it. It was passed by City Council five plus years ago. Our zoning still doesn't match that. So in the first 100 days, I want to identify what the roadblocks are to that responsible housing creation so that we can make it easier for the people who are doing what we want them to do to come be part of helping solve the problem in Missoula,” Nugent said.
When asked what else voters shoud know, Nugent says that he wants to be at the table where conversations are being held to focus on Missoula.
“I think it's important that people know that that being mayor encompasses so many different things and you wear so many different hats in the same day. I have experience advocating for consumer protections in the state legislature. I have worked on bills from start to finish — from idea to finding a sponsor to getting it through. I've seen how building those relationships across party lines can make such a big difference. So I'm well aware of the role that Missoula's mayor needs to play in being part of that conversation. But at the same time, we also need to focus on Missoula and make sure that we're hearing from the concerns of our citizens and addressing their needs. And I'm looking forward to be part of this conversation,” Nugent said.
Missoula's election takes place on November 7, 2023.
