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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStatement of Interest and Qualifications_Greg Garrigues1113 South 5th Avenue Bozeman, MT 59715 greggarrrigues@gmail.com Bozeman City Commission 121 North Rouse Avenue Bozeman, MT 59715 29-September, 2020 Dear Citizens of Bozeman and City Commission, I would like to submit my application to serve you as your replacement City Commissioner. To confirm that I meet the pre-qualifications, I am an U.S. Citizen, registered to vote and I live in the University Neighborhood at 1113 South 5th, in Bozeman. I am so proud to be a Bozeman Citizen. I have lived in Bozeman with my wife Betsy since 1995, when we moved here for from Juneau, Alaska for a job in the Outdoor Industry. We relocated here with great enthusiasm for Bozeman and it hasn’t disappointed. Our SMS and BHS boys were both born and raised here alongside our big golden puppy. Bozeman is truly home for our family and we don’t intend to ever leave. I strongly believe that serving our community through service, volunteerism, engagement and voting is the rent that we all should be paying to live in this amazing place. I would appreciate very much the opportunity to serve our community and attempt to repay all that it has done for us. I would like to join the Bozeman City Commission because I believe that I can contribute to the skillset, breadth and depth of the sitting commission. I vote non-partisan, which is not to say that I am non-committal, but rather that I believe that every issue deserves complete and thorough attention before it can be fully considered in a fair and equitable way. My wife and I are local business owners, and I am also employed by the privately held corporation, W.L. Gore and Associates – the makers of Gore-Tex amongst other innovative life improving products. In my past business life, I have been directly involved in local job creation, as well as supporting other small Montana Business’ with mentoring and incubation. I was on the founding board of Bozeman Outdoor Business Alliance. I am passionate about the environment and believe that sustainability can be found in a balanced approach to all of our activities. To help connect our community to place and to promote stewardship in our local “backyard” I served on the board of Friends of Hyalite for seven years. During my tenure I helped to develop multiple connection points to local organizations, such as BSF and the Scouts. One of the projects I am most honored to have had the chance to support was the Chisolm Bay Day Use Picnic Ground in Hyalite, which was built in collaboration with the Friends of Hyalite, National Forest Service and the Scouts. I will put my plug in here – if you haven’t been to this picnic space, it is one of the most picturesque places to enjoy a meal with others. I believe that integrity and empathy should be at the core of everything that we do, and by extension in our civic government as well. One of the roles of the commission is to set this tone for citizens as well as the good people that carry out policy, protect us, and support us with their services. Servant leadership is a necessity, and I believe that Leadership is defined by follower-ship and that you must engage with your ears before your mouth. I feel that civic engagement needs to be approached through action, like the “E.D.G.E.” method. Educate: Our community needs to understand the importance of being involved and the impacts they can have. One way I have tried to directly educate is through collaborating with Chief Crawford to teach the local Scouts the Merit Badges, Citizenship in the Community, State and Nation. Demonstrate: I attend public meetings, address issues that I feel need support, and I vote. Guide: I listen, encourage and engage in conversations with neighbors and community members about topics and issues that impact our community. Enable: I do all that I can do to encourage others participate in our community’s public forums. I cherish every time I walk down main street and see someone that I have had a beer or a coffee with on every block. These are the people that the commission serves and make our town the amazing place that it is. Thank you for your consideration. I hope I can be of service supporting our community through the Bozeman City Commission. Sincerely, Greg Garrigues