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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBrad ThomeTO: Bozeman City Commission FROM: Brad Thome, 3221 S. 26th Ave., Bozeman, MT 59718 RE: Brad Thome – Application for Bozeman City Commission DATE: November 16, 2023 PURPOSE The purpose of this document is to describe my qualifications and interest in the open City Commission position on the Bozeman City Council. I believe my skills and experiences in business and life would enhance and augment the skills and experiences of the existing City Commission members. Adding someone of my diverse background to the Commission would help foster community engagement, add seasoned leadership capabilities, and lead to optimal outcomes on the very important matters before the Commission. INTEREST in the CITY COMMISSION I would like to bring my skills and experiences to help make good strategic decisions to help Bozeman grow effectively to best serve the community. I believe in the Vision for the Future of Bozeman. I want to help create a safe, inclusive community for everyone. I want to help create conditions for economic vitality that will allow everyone to live in peace and prosperity. And I want to do that all with a strong environmental ethic. As a backpacker, I believe in “no trace left behind”. I want to be part of the team that are strong stewards of this wonderful environment that we enjoy and make decisions that save it for future generations. I will bring energy, empathy, leadership, and commitment to this City Council position. QUALIFICATIONS Personal Background I am married to my wife, Lynne. We have two sons who are grown, Justin and Damon. I like hiking, backpacking, and skiing. I grew up very poor in the Midwest. My Mom was a single mother of 4 children, and we lived paycheck- to-paycheck. We almost lost our home many times and would have had to move into the “projects”, government run “affordable housing”. My siblings and I were on the free lunch program. I care very much that all children have enough to eat, affordable housing, and opportunities to achieve prosperity while living in peace. Professional Background I am a retired Information Technology (IT) professional. My 34 year career in IT included over 20 years at IBM as a salesperson selling directly to Fortune 500 companies in Wisconsin. My career also included over 10 years of management experience at Fortune 500 companies and smaller companies in Montana. As an IBM salesperson, I covered Fortune 500 accounts in Wisconsin. This was not just a sales job as you might think of it, I was a trusted advisor to my clients at a strategic level. I was badged like an employee, had office space at each account, and had better access to C-level executives than most employees that worked at the company. I was involved with each of my clients at the C-level in setting annual and long term strategies for business transformation. These strategies involved long term planning of complex business initiatives with significant budgets that changed the way my clients’ businesses worked for the better. These were high-stakes decisions where risk and money had to be managed carefully. This experience is directly related to making decisions for the City of Bozeman to make sure our city grows in a manner that best serves everyone in our community. I then worked with my clients to build tactical operational plans to achieve their strategic objectives and run the business more effectively. I developed the skills to build a strategic plan that led to operational efficiencies and cost savings in a fiscally responsible manner. I can bring these skills to the Commission to help make strategic decisions that maximize the impact of the tax money we spend to build our fast growing city in a manner that serves all of Bozeman. IBM is widely known for their leading progressive HR policies. One of our guiding principles was “Respect for the Individual”. That means that everyone is to be treated with respect, called by the name they wish to be called, and afforded every opportunity to advance their career. I have worked respectfully with every type of person in every walk of life way before there was a focus on DEI. I firmly believe in these policies and have used them throughout my career. I have worked diligently to make sure that under my leadership there is equal pay for equal work. I have worked with HR at various career stops to make sure the women and minorities under my management were paid equally. I have placed women and minorities in leadership positions to advance their careers. The inclusion and diversity initiatives of the City of Bozeman have been a way of life for me my entire career. If selected for this position I will continue to work towards and promote those worthy goals to help all marginalized members of the community. I have over 10 years of direct IT leadership experience managing people. I was a Director of IT at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Federated Investors, and Big Sky Resort. I was the Manager of IT at West Paw. My leadership style is to serve the people that work for me. I believe in treating people with respect and dignity, helping them overcome obstacles to overcome their goals, and creating a safe and inclusive workspace. My leadership style also involves actively seeking and seriously considering input from all levels of an organization, especially those that work for you. I believe that people deserve to have their ideas thoroughly reviewed with empathy and reflection. I would use these skills to actively engage the citizens of Bozeman, duly consider their input, and take actions that are best for the greater good of our wonderful city. I have used the word “I” a lot in this statement, because I am trying to give you my background individually. But I truly believe great things are only accomplished when everyone is involved. I will actively seek to improve communication, transparency, and citizen involvement if chosen for this Council seat.