Meet Libby City Council candidate Brad Nelson

Name: Brad Nelson

Family: LeeAnna Nelson and Mabel Nelson

Occupation: Owner of Big Sky Exterior Cleaning Specialists

Community involvement: Volunteer with Love Inc., submitted FOIA request for information on the investigation into the former police chief.

In the past year, the city has had to rebuild its staff on the police force and at the wastewater treatment plant. What would you do to prevent this type of employee turnover in the future?

I can't speak to the wastewater treatment plant as I am not familiar with the situation there. I believe the problem with turnover in the Police Department has to do with poor management. From what I know, it seems like the new management in the Police Department is much better than before. As a city council member, I don't know how much say I would have in hiring decisions, but the solution would be to thoroughly vet any new management coming into the city.

What will you do to make this community more livable?

I would talk to and listen to residents to find their current pain points with living in the city, and then vote in a way that represents those people. It ultimately doesn't matter what little things I think would make Libby more livable, it matters what the residents of the city collectively agree would make it more livable. Personally, I really like it here. I think overall we have a good thing going.

Do you have any solutions for creating more affordable housing?

One big thing the city could do to improve housing opportunity is to make the city friendly to real estate investors and developers. Relaxing zoning requirements and offering tax breaks could make Libby an attractive place for developers to build more housing within city limits.

What other issues should the city address?

It seems as though some of our infrastructure needs some attention. Things like roads, sewer, and water lines need attention. However, it seems like the road crew is now tackling these things head on. So, it seems like a solution is in the works. Another thing I think the city should focus on is disseminating information about local issues and info about city/committee meetings to residents. A city Facebook page would be a good start. Many people get their news and event info from social media nowadays and the city should meet the people where they are. On the other hand, more residents need to get involved in local politics. The city can only represent its residents if the residents make their voices heard. Attending city and committee meetings, emailing or calling city council members or the mayor, and sending in letters to the editor of our local papers are all good ways of doing this.