HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-01-20 Public Comment - Z. Carter Wilkinson - Jennifer Madgic for City Commission VacancyFrom:Zooey Carter Wilkinson
To:Agenda
Subject:Letter of Support: Jennifer Madgic Appointed to Bozeman City Commission
Date:Thursday, October 1, 2020 12:37:14 PM
Attachments:Jennifer Madgic, Bozeman City Commission Appointment Letter_20200923.docx
To whom it may concern:
Please see the attached letter of enthusiastic recommendation and support for the appointmentof Jennifer Madgic to the Bozeman City Commission to fill the vacant seat.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns regarding the letter.
Best wishes,
Zooey Carter Wilkinson
415 South 3rd Ave.
Bozeman, MT 59715
To whom it may concern:
I had the good fortune of working for Jennifer Madgic on two occasions. First, I was a volunteer
intern while Magdic was the Regional Director for the Southwest Regional Office of the U.S.
Senator Jon Tester. Second, I was a grass roots campaign coordinator on Madgic’s bid for the
Gallatin County Commission in 2014.
As a volunteer intern with Madgic at Tester’s Office, I conducted research tasks, responded to
citizen inquiries, and accompanied Madgic on drive-to meetings with citizens throughout
Southwest Montana. I observed first-hand how Madgic helped local organizations, small
business owners, veterans, families, in-migrants and others access the resources and services
they needed. She also helped people, organizations, and businesses make connections with
others in order to access resources and build connections.
Madgic has an extensive network with organizations, businesses, families, and officials in
Southwest Montana. She has built key relationships with southwest Montanans of all political
stripes. In particular, I remember one day, accompanying Jen as she met with and helped a
Montana family whose son had been captured by militants in Iraq during wartime, helped a
homeless veteran access social services support at HRDC, and helped the owner of a plastics
manufacturer in Manhattan access new grant funding from legislation that had recently been
passed. This shows the breadth of her network, expertise, and effectiveness in the local policy
landscape and community.
Moreover, in 2014, I worked on her campaign for the Gallatin County Commission. Madgic
overwhelming won in the city of Bozeman but narrowly lost the race. 2014, as is often the case
in midterm years, was an extremely low turn-out year, which benefits more rural parts of the
County. None-the-less, she was endorsed by conservative and progressive former Gallatin
County and Bozeman City Commissioners including Bob Hawks, Jane Jelinski, Bill Murdock, and
others.
I observed the connections she established and trust she garnered as a prospective official in
Bozeman and beyond. Madgic is a skilled communicator and mediator, and it is a shame we did
not have the good fortune of seeing her candidacy for the commission through.
Frankly, Bozeman is extremely lucky that Madgic could be appointed to the commission. She
has a Master’s in city planning, and was Gallatin County Planning Director for five years,
Regional Director of Tester’s Office for over a decade, on the board of the Community Food Co-
Op, board member on the Bozeman Parking Commission, and more recently, planning
consultant with city officials in Livingston on the city approach to sustainable development and
commercial and population growth.
Madgic is a talented career community planner with extensive experience in the nuance of
issues facing Bozeman and Gallatin County. She is established with officials, organizations, and
business owners in Bozeman and all of the surrounding communities. She is an effective and
thoughtful leader who works across partisan affiliation. She is a long-time resident of Bozeman,
active in the community and city and county government. Her expertise in planning for
environmental change and population growth would be an enormous asset to the Bozeman
City Commission. I cannot think of a more qualified Bozemanite to serve on the Commission.
As a Bozeman native and long-time resident (although I am temporarily residing in Cambridge,
Massachusetts), I am thrilled to ask the Bozeman City Commission to appoint Jennifer Madgic
to the temporary vacancy on the Commission.
Thank you,
Zooey Carter Wilkinson
Carter.wilkinson4@gmail.com
406-570-7159
Economic Development Research Analyst
McKinsey and Company