HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-23-26 Public Comment - B. Wiseman - thoughts on your workFrom:Brady Wiseman
To:Bozeman Goverment Study Commission
Subject:[EXTERNAL]thoughts on your work
Date:Monday, March 23, 2026 4:11:01 PM
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Hi BZN gov't review folks,
Thanks to Jan & Becky for their presentation to the League of Women Voters today, which I
happened to attend.
As several members of the government review board are aware, I was personally close to theBozeman city government for 13 years, after serving in the Legislature. During one of my
sessions I was the vice-chair of the House Local Government Committee. All in all, I'm prettywell informed about these matters.
Thanks for the chance to share my opinions.
1. The Mayor's position is indeed a full time job, and will remain so as long as Bozeman
continues its mad growth. Fair compensation would be a blessing for whatever household istaking on this role. This would incent a larger pool of candidates, and presumably raise the
quality and caliber of that pool.
2. I am in favor of our current system where the newly elected mayor serves as the deputymayor for two years, for these reasons.
a. The Mayor sets the agenda for each commission meeting, and presides over it. Handingthe gavel to someone who gets elected out of anger is a bad idea, almost as bad as our previous
system where we had people elected Mayor who had no intention or desire for that office. Nothing cools off anger like two years of boring meetings, as we have recently seen.
b. The City is a $100M+ enterprise with several hundred employees. The Mayor's mostimportant but least obvious job is passing the budget every year. Having a complete rookie try
to preside over that is a recipe for a bad outcome. Requiring two years of training isan excellent system.
c. It prevents empire building, as by design the Mayor can't succeed her or himself.
Should the board recommend a full four-year term for Mayor, I would strongly recommend alimit of two consecutive terms.
3. For just about forever a majority of commissioners have been concentrated on Bozeman's
South Side. The newer parts of the city have been left unrepresented and many of those folksfeel left out. I am in favor of geographic districts, with at-large elections. Let's spread out the
representation, but maintain citywide accountability.
I will be happy to discuss this in person with any of you.
Thank you for what you are doing. It is hard work, and important.
Best regards
Brady Wiseman