A mayoral candidate forum was held in late July and an important question was asked in the "lightning round" that should have had much more discussion.

The answer to be one word, yes or no. Are you for or against the Higgins road diet, narrowing downtown Higgins into 3 lanes? Mike Nugent answered, "Plan?" The truth is, we can't discuss it because as of yet, the actual plan does not exist."

There are issues on Higgins and we need a solution that works for everyone, including our firefighters and their large vehicles that need to safely and efficiently use our roadways to respond to emergencies.

Traffic of all types needs to flow smoothly. We can't ignore parking and the needs of businesses trying to make ends meet, nor should we overlook bicycles and pedestrians.

I have seen Mike reaching out to businesses because the city's outreach just did not reach the impacted folks. Projects like this would be handled better by a Mike Nugent administration, because Mike recognizes the importance of communication and getting everyone at the table where it matters.

Another lightning round question was what the city should spend less money on and Mike answered "consultants." I think most Missoulians can get behind that too.Ballots are mailed on August 23rd. Primary is September 12th. Please vote for Mike Nugent.

Sue Reber Orr, Missoula

https://missoulacurrent.com/viewpoint-nugent-mayor-3/