HELENA — Braxton Hudson acknowledges that, for most people in Helena, he’s the least familiar of the five names on the ballot for mayor.
“I feel like I kind of came in there, I wouldn't say as a complete unknown, but as a comparative unknown,” he told MTN.
But while he’s never campaigned for office or been in a community leadership position before, he believes he has a perspective worth bringing to the race.
“I'm just hoping to get my ideas out there and hope that people find them appealing,” he said.
(Watch the video to hear from mayoral candidate Braxton Hudson.)
Earlier this month, Hudson met with a large group of voters for the first time, taking questions at the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce and League of Women Voters’ “Speed Date Your Candidates” event.
“I felt pretty good,” he said. “You don't know the things you don't know until they're presented to you, but I feel like I got my points across pretty clearly. I really appreciated all the questions that were there – gave me more things to think about.”
Hudson, 30, moved to Helena around the age of 6. After several years in Missoula, he’s been back in Helena for about 3½ years. He currently works as a receptionist at Associated Dermatology in downtown Helena.
“I feel like I bring a kind of everyday worker’s perspective,” he said. “I am not in a position of leadership currently; I'm not incredibly well-to-do. But I think that my experience as being someone who spends most of their day talking to other people is incredibly important.”
Hudson says he wants to focus attention on two of his main priorities, the first being affordable housing. He says many people like him now find Helena a difficult place to live, and that trend is going to be harmful for the community going forward. He believes the city needs to be more aggressive about planning for continued growth.
“We need to be actively preparing for things,” he said. “We need to have housing before people get here.”
Hudson’s second top issue is public transportation. He’s not satisfied with Capital Transit’s current “curb-to-curb” scheduling model, where there’s no fixed route and riders schedule their pickups and destinations ahead of time.
“We have patients who come to the clinic who constantly have to worry about whether or not they'll be able to get a ride back to their home or their nursing home, because it's not something scheduled, it's not something reliable,” he said.
He argued encouraging more people to use public transportation could help relieve some of the city’s issues with parking as well.
Hudson says his campaign has been mostly about word of mouth – talking to people to find out what they think the city needs.
“This community took me in with open arms when I was a kid,” he said. “I was so incredibly lucky to grow up here, and by doing this campaign, I hope to do the city proud – and I really hope that people will give me that chance here.”
(Watch MTN's full interview with Braxton Hudson.)
Ballots are currently being mailed out to Helena voters. They must be returned by September 9.
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Helena mayoral candidate: Andy Shirtliff
Andy Shirtliff says it's not by accident that he has a reputation for showing up to events around Helena: he thinks the next mayor needs to focus on communicating with the public.
Helena mayoral candidate: Chris Riccardo
Riccardo is new to politics but says he brings years of leadership experience from his time leading nonprofits in the art world.
Helena mayoral candidate: Braxton Hudson
Hudson admits he may be the least well-known candidate for Helena mayor, but believes he's bringing an important perspective: that of an everyday worker.
Helena mayoral candidate: Sonda Gaub
Gaub says she wants to make Helena city government more transparent and more responsive to average residents.
Helena mayoral candidate: Emily Dean
Dean believes, while serving as a Helena city commissioner, she’s already been doing the kind of work Helena’s next mayor needs to do to be successful.
