HELENA — When Emily Dean took over as mayor on January 1, 2026, it left an open space on the city commission. On Monday, the commission will interview five semi-finalists who want to fill that vacancy.
The semi-finalists are:
- Michael Hale
- Jenny Eck
- Julia Gustafson
- Logan Smith
- Benjamin Kuiper
Interviews will begin at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at City - County Building Room 326. Each candidate interview is scheduled for 30 minutes.
On Wednesday, interviews will continue at 4 p.m. with a finalist deliberation and selection vote to follow.
For information about the meetings, including how to join by Zoom, can be found here.
The city accepted applications from Nov. 19 to Dec. 10. Candidates needed to be “qualified electors” and residents of the city, and staff said all of the applicants met those requirements.
The other members of the commission, including Dean, will vote on who should be her successor. The newly appointed commissioner will serve until 2027, then be up for reelection.
