Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/tag/city-council/page/2/)
Three candidates are vying to replace Angela Cimmino of Ward 2, who is nearing the end of her second consecutive four-year term on the Billings City Council and is running for mayor. The City Charter limits council members to two consecutive terms.
Ballots were mailed out Aug. 25 for the primary election. For this mail-in-only election, all ballots must be mailed back to or brought into the Yellowstone County Elections Department by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Continue Reading →
Two people are challenging Billings City Councilman Mike Yakawich, the incumbent in Ward 1, in the primary election. Ballots were mailed out Aug. 25 for the primary election. For this mail-in-only election, all ballots must be mailed back to or brought into the Yellowstone County Elections Department by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Continue Reading →
If you’ve been wanting more information on the people running for municipal office in Billings this fall, you’re in luck. Several organizations are sponsoring a series of forums for City Council and mayoral candidates, set for this weekend in a variety of city parks, and Community Seven Television is airing a series of 30-minute interviews with all the candidates. A primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12, and the top two candidates in each race will proceed to the General Election on Nov. 7. Continue Reading →
Billings will soon have a police officer specifically assigned to patrolling city parks. The new position was approved by the City Council in July, with funding from the city’s General Fund, and the person selected for the job will be helping respond to what is perceived as a growing number of problems in the parks. (more…) Continue Reading →
With the city primary election set for Sept. 12, a little less than a month away, the Yellowstone County Democratic Study Group, also known as the Democrats Breakfast Club, is offering a few more chances to see City Council candidates in action. The Democratic group has already hosted two events for mayoral candidates and another for Ward 3 City Council candidates. This Wednesday, it will have City Council candidates from Ward 1 — Joshua Kostelecky, Charlie Smillie and Mike Yakawich — as speakers at a no-host breakfast forum at the McCormick Café, 2419 Montana Ave., starting at 7 a.m.
There will be a question-and-answer session and the public is welcome. There is generally enough time for any person to ask specific questions of the candidates. Continue Reading →
Thirty years after the community saved the old Fox Theater in downtown Billings, Larry Martin is convinced the community will rally again behind a dramatic overhaul of the Alberta Bair Theater, successor to the Fox. “At this point, it’s impossible to imagine downtown Billings without the Alberta Bair Theater, and I think the bulk of the community sees it that way,” Martin said. (more…) Continue Reading →
Update: Seven more candidates filed Monday afternoon to run for the Billings City Council, making this the most crowded city election in nearly 20 years, maybe longer. With the filing officially closed as of 5 p.m., there are now 26 candidates vying for the mayor’s position and five open seats on the City Council. According to records on the Yellowstone County Elections Office website, that eclipses the number of candidates in any city race going back to 1999, the earliest year for which results are posted. (more…) Continue Reading →
Billings lawyer Joel Guthals isn’t sure how much effect his words will have, but he plans to testify Tuesday night on the proposed expansion of the Billings Regional Landfill, and to submit written comments as well. The state Department of Environmental Quality will be conducting the public hearing from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the gym of Blue Creek School, 3652 Blue Creek Rd. (more…) Continue Reading →
The good news is that the Billings City Council intends to debate in a public meeting whether to appeal a District Court ruling in a pay dispute with the city’s police officers. The bad news is that the council will be taking advice from the city legal department, which should have been able to read the plain language in the police contract to begin with, and which foolishly prolonged a court fight over that language, all the while running up a higher and higher tab—which now stands at about $3 million. (more…) Continue Reading →
Backers of the huge building project proposed for downtown Billings will have to persuade a majority of the City Council to put up at least $30 million in public funds for the project to work. The tougher job might be winning the support of the city’s finance director, Pat Weber, to whom a lot of council members will be looking for guidance. (more…) Continue Reading →
