The two front runners in the Missoula mayoral election debated on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023,, addressing public concerns.
The debate was held in person at The DoubleTree and live-streamed on the Missoula Community Access TV YouTube channel.
The event began with a few words from City Club Missoula, an organization that hosts public forums to encourage community engagement.
Host Laurel Staples, a news anchor for NBC Montana, then introduced the two candidates, talking about their history and education.
For opening remarks, both candidates were allowed seven minutes.
Mike Nugent went first and took the time to talk about his most concerning issues, starting with housing.
He said “We’re failing” currently in local housing and wants more Missoulians to be able to own a home and for young people to feel they can afford to stay in their hometown.
He hopes to see zoning development reform and a reduction of property taxes.
Nugent also touched on reforming public safety, childcare and road and traffic safety.
Andrea Davis began by speaking on her background of being born and raised in Montana, including her favorite outdoor activities.
She said she has always had a “call to service” including to the mayoral seat.
She then spoke about her top concerns, focusing on childcare.
She said the new Missoula Child Care Advantage program is a step in the right direction, and she hopes to see more providers become available in Missoula.
She said more community engagement in city government will be a focus during her term and touched on the increasing cost of living.
Following the opening statements, the audience began to discuss amongst themselves which questions they would most like to ask; each table group was able to ask one question.
By the end of the debate, 15 questions were asked. including one from Staples.
The first public question asked about homelessness and urban camping and what the candidates see as a solution.
Nugent said each person experiencing homelessness has a different story, and we should not treat everyone the same.
Addressing specific issues with empathy, such as women and children or veterans, will have better results, according to Nugent.
He also said we need to be careful with budget in regard to the Johnson Street Shelter, as the funds that have kept it open will run out soon.
Davis agreed with Nugent’s feeling of empathy toward the homeless population, and she was also wary about the impermanence of the Johnson Street Shelter.
She said she would look at other cities with similar issues to hear more ideas on how to address homelessness.
Davis also spoke about how her organization, Homeward, has been working to build more affordable housing for this population.
Later, people asked specifically about urban camping and drug addiction among the homeless.
Both candidates admitted it was indeed a large problem.
The candidates agreed that the police department is a great resource for handling these issues, but that jail time isn’t the most effective punishment.
Nugent said he will assign a specific police department task force to address homeless issues, so officers can build relationships with the homeless community.
Other questions were asked specifically about property taxes and affordable housing and both candidates identified this as the largest issue discussed at Tuesday’s debate.
Davis says her experience with Homeward and building affordable housing will equip her to face this issue and help lower the cost of living for Missoulians.
If elected, she said she would bring in other experts in the field to have deeper conversations about possible solutions.
She would also reexamine the city budget and make necessary cuts to provide funds for other areas within housing.
“It is the biggest issue that Missoula is facing, it’s why I’m running, largely, because of the fact that I am bringing this deep level of expertise and relationships both at the state level and here locally. Our accelerated rent and homeownership prices are really something that we’re not going to be able to turn back maybe ever. Once you achieve this level of market pricing, then we have to think about how is it that we’re going to provide relief for folks that are earning wages here and for people that are retiring.” - Missoula Mayor candidate Andrea Davis
Nugent spoke about finding ways to make homeownership more accessible for Missoulians.
One way he saw to do this is by redefining developmental zoning laws so it is easier for people to build their own houses. If elected, he would create a mayor’s task force on housing and work with county government to influence property taxing changes at the state level.
“I think so much of it comes back down to cost of living. What matters to Missoulians is, can they afford to live here? People are scared,” he said. “So I think that when we talk about housing, when we talk about property taxes, those things all relate to that conversation. And Missoulians are ready for that to be tackled head-on.”
A later public question addressed the shortened term for the candidates, as they are only running for two years, and how that will affect the amount of change they are able to make while in office.
Nugent used this question to remind the audience that he already has experience with the Missoula City Council and Missoula government, so he will be able to start day one without a learning or grace period.
He said he doesn’t mind the possibility of being mayor for just two years, as he believes he’s meant to be the community leader right now, rather than long term.
Davis said the very first thing that needs to be addressed is the Johnson Street Shelter and budgeting for housing.
To address the workforce and job growth, Davis will look towards more green energy jobs through federal grants, like the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act, to both address employment and climate change issues.
Nugent will take a slightly different approach to job market issues by increasing the amount of skilled labor locally. He said he will look towards investing and supporting trade and apprenticeship schools for local students.
One of the last questions asked was how each candidate would want to be remembered if they were to carry out a mayoral term.
Nugent said he hopes Missoulians will see his decisions as the most morally correct in his eyes, rather than the best political decision for his career.
Davis said she wants to be as transparent and as truthful as possible with the community, so Missoulians can understand her decisions, even if they don’t agree with them.
Overall, the candidates had similar ideas for the main issues, but they both said they differ on experience.
Davis noted experience in the CEO world and said she would will use the same initiative and organization skills she has learned with Homeward in the mayor’s office.
Nugent says his experience working with the Missoula City Council directly will give him a head start in affecting change.
A recording of the debate can be found here.
