City Council praises outgoing conservative Sandra Vasecka
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) Surprised by the state of property taxes as a prospective young homebuyer in 2019, Saundra Vasecka opted to run for a seat on the Missoula City Council, thinking she could make a difference.
She won that race by 12 votes and, in each of the last many years, she has served as a leading opponent of programs and projects that cost taxpayers more.
“From day one, my priority has been very simple – to be a responsible steward of our taxpayer dollars and to make decisions that respect the hard-earned money of the people that we represent,” Vasecka said. “I can proudly say I did everything that I could, and that I believed in.”
Vasecka on Monday night attended what was her last City Council meeting, one where her peers shared their praises and memories of the last few years. While Vasecka was often the only conservative on council and more times than not voted in the minority, she did so with integrity and kindness.
“We don't agree on a lot of things, but when we do agree, we're both able to cross the aisle. I've always appreciated that about you,” said council president Amber Sherrill. “You've always wanted what's best for this community. I found you to be an honest colleague. You've been reliable and you've been transparent. You've done this job with integrity, and you should be proud of what you've done in this seat.”
Vasecka's political service came with ups and downs and nearly never was. She won her first race in 2019 by 12 votes. Her last election in 2023 came down to a dead tie, forcing the City Council to pick a winner. After several rounds of voting, Vasecka won the honor on a 7-5 vote.
Those who pulled for her did so to ensure City Council maintained some level of political diversity. In Missoula, conservatives rarely win local elections, but Vasecka found a way in Ward 6.
This year, however, she lost her reelection bid by a few hundred votes.
“There's a group of people in this community who feel you were their voice on council, and I think you took that seriously. You should be proud of that,” said council member Mike Nugent. “Whether you were in the minority or not, if you felt something should be brought up, you brought it up. All of us should strive to go against the majority when you feel it's necessary, and I think that's something you should be proud of.”
Given her political position, Vasecka's legislation seldom found success, until recently. Earlier this year, she pushed to ensure public comments were accepted at the start of a meeting. For her, it was a rare political win.
“We don't always agree, and we're not supposed to always agree. But time and time again, we've proven that good ideas don't belong to any one side,” Vasecka said. “When we listen to each other, and we focus on solutions instead of differences, that's when we make the greatest progress.”
Over her tenure, Vasecka stood firm in saying she would never vote for a city budget that included a tax increase. She held true to her word, consistently casting one of the few votes against the annual budget, which brought annual tax increases.
But this year, she worked alongside Mayor Andrea Davis on crafting a “responsible” budget. It prompted Vasecka to support the budget for the first time in her tenure.
“I can understand your perspective and the challenges our constituents face,” Davis told her on Monday. “We really did hammer out a lot of challenging situations during the budget cycle, and I think our community is better off for it.”
Davis added, “Ultimately, we're all community members who stepped into the role of elected officials. We're learning a tremendous amount in these roles that may cause you to make a different decision, and you weren't afraid of doing that. I think that shows real leadership and a lot of integrity.”