I’m Mike Nugent, and I want to be your Mayor to ensure that every Missoulian has a healthy home in a vibrant community. I am a lifelong Missoulian, father, husband, UM alum, supporter of local business, volunteer, and City Councilman for Ward 4. My wife Staci and I are raising two wonderful children, James and Hannah — with a great assist from our Missoula community and all the natural and cultural beauty and opportunity that surrounds us in Western Montana. I care deeply about our environment in the Missoula valley, and I recognize that every decision we make has an impact on the great quality of life we enjoy here. I also know that people’s fears and concerns about changing their daily lives shouldn’t be simply dismissed under the banner of progress. Our community dialogue needs to listen to all viewpoints and welcome minority opinions with genuine interest to work towards consensus solutions.

I am very familiar with the negative impacts the low-inventory, high-cost housing market has on the working women and men of our community, as well as those on a fixed income, and I recognize how property taxes impact family budgets each month. I support environmentally-responsible development that is equitable, sustainable, and that preserves Missoula’s beauty and unique character while also acknowledging that Missoula is growing. If we don’t meet that challenge with a realistic understanding of what the current situation is in our community, we will fail to make responsible decisions. Helping even one person is always noble, but we can’t let partial solutions give a false sense of success. If we don’t address the problems across the spectrum, the potential impacts can be much worse.  I believe there is tremendous opportunity for public-private partnerships in the housing sector that can leverage proportional public investments and create sustainable affordability in those projects.

Staci and I are also co-owners of a local small business. We worked hard and spent our savings to invest in her family’s business and I see every day the effort she puts in to keep that foundation strong. I’ve seen first-hand the tough decisions small business owners make regularly to keep their doors open and continue to make their payroll each week.

The decisions we make as a community impact all of us, and we can’t make them in silos.  We have a tremendous opportunity to protect what makes Missoula special and invest in our community to make it even better in the future. With your support, I look forward to helping build that better future. Join our campaign and help make a difference for Missoula.