Viewpoint: Dave Strohmaier leading Missoula County forward

Neva Hassanein

Please join me in voting to re-elect Dave Strohmaier to the Board of Missoula County Commissioners. Since he took office six years ago, our county government has become much more functional, innovative, collaborative, and responsive to community needs.

Dave has promoted fire protection and resiliency; strengthened the relationship with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; and made major headway on bringing back passenger rail service across southern Montana. He’s advocated for cleaning up pollution in Frenchtown and the Nine Mile.

Also, Dave has developed strong partnerships to help the County respond proactively to the housing crisis. For instance, they partnered with HomeWord to provide hundreds of affordable units in the Trinity project.

Also, the Sx͏ʷtpqyen Plan creates seven mixed-use neighborhoods west of Reserve with an anticipated 6,000 homes. Instead, of sprawl, people can shop, dine, and work near home in town centers. The City and County worked together to fund the necessary infrastructure and make this happen.

These are just a few of the many examples where Dave showed commitment, smarts, and a cooperative spirit to try to address the critical issues of the day.

That’s leadership. And we need more of it. Please vote for Strohmaier this November.