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<\/a>Alexander Clark<\/p><\/div>\n
You, as the mayor, are the figurehead and vocal proponent of our great city. With that title comes great responsibility. You are responsible for advocating for the betterment of the largest city in Montana and for fostering relationships with the community. To so blatantly disregard an entire generation of hardworking Americans speaks volumes to a community that stands ready to make incredible progress.<\/p>\n
Millennials are now the largest living generation in the United States, numbering more than 75.4 million as of 2015. With those numbers, why would you seek to alienate or relocate an entire generation that will be the torch bearers of our great city?<\/p>\n
Billings has fallen behind in attracting residents compared with other large Montana cities. With a population growth rate of less than 2 percent in 2015, we have attracted less than half the new residents that Bozeman was able to gain that year.<\/p>\n
Like many of my peers, I work hard and play hard. We spend our days accomplishing more tasks than seem possible. We work two or three jobs, all in an effort to pay down the debt we have been saddled with. At the end of the day, we gather, we commiserate, then we alleviate our stress, and we do all this downtown. It may be a visit to one of the breweries, then perhaps power hour at Hooligan’s, or karaoke at the Crystal, but we work and play downtown.<\/p>\n
The concept of putting in a hard day’s work and then imbibing at your local watering hole isn\u2019t a new idea. This is where we connect with every previous generation, one drink at a time. The choice for millennials, in deciding which place to frequent, is an issue that is slowly improving\u00a0with every new establishment.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/div><\/div>We aren\u2019t Bozeman, we aren\u2019t Missoula, but we aren\u2019t ashamed. A good friend of mine, Bryce Turcotte, used to say that Noise & Color, his culture and entertainment magazine, had a motto, a vision. That vision was \u201cto drag Billings into the 21st\u00a0century kicking and screaming.\u201d It may be hard to see, but it\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n