HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-26 Public Comment - P. Strand - Public CommentFrom:Peter Strand
To:Bozeman Goverment Study Commission
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment
Date:Wednesday, January 28, 2026 12:53:34 PM
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To the fabulous folks on the Local Government Study Commission:
Here are my takes on some of what you are deciding on right now:
1. We should pay whatever we can for commissioners, let alone mayors, as there
is tons of work involved in these roles, and we don’t want more people to seekoffice, not less. We should do what we can to expand who can afford to run for
office.
2. I’m all for 4-year terms for the mayoral role, as long as there is some way to
onramp folks with lots of time and attention and support before they get the
gavel.3. I am a big fan of ward seats, though I’m unclear how many is the best number,
honestly. Our community is just too different from one part of town to another. I
don’t want part of the community to make decisions for everyone.
4. Let’s please keep our local elections non-partisan. Let’s not bring thedivisiveness of the legislature to our local decision-making process. Let’s center
ourselves to solving problems, rather than to partisan battles.
5. About filling vacancies: Though voter approval is important, the cost, time,
complexity and other demands of running elections spontaneously seems overthe top and unnecessary. We don’t fill vacancies with snap elections for other
offices in Montana. I don’t see how this is necessary here.
6. Finally, I believe that we should continue to prioritize professionals in our city
offices, i.e., police chief and city attorney.
All this being said, I’m not in the thick of seeing and reading and otherwise processing
pros and cons of all such issues. I very much trust the commission’s take on theseand related topics.
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for all your work!
Peter Strand
411 West Olive StBozeman