HELENA — On Wednesday evening, Julia Gustafson was selected in a 4-0 vote by the Helena City Commission to fill the vacant commission seat left by now Mayor Emily Dean.
“I hope to bring to the commission that optimism and that enthusiasm,” Gustafson said.
Gustafson sworn-in - watch the video:
Gustafson was appointed and took the oath of office following finalist interviews on Wednesday, joining Commissioners Melinda Reed, Ben Rigby, Sean Logan, and Mayor Dean on the city commission.
Gustafson grew up in Helena and serves on multiple boards and non-profits. She also worked to campaign for the passage of the Helena Public School bonds last year.
“I love our town, and I want to be more involved,” Gustafson said. “I have been involved in a lot of different ways, and this felt like a natural next step for me.”
Ben Kuiper was the other finalist, and all commissioners felt he was qualified for the position but had concerns with how Kuiper would balance running for the state House of Representatives with a position on the commission.
The commission narrowed it down to these two after accepting applications beginning in November, which yielded 17 viable applicants, and from that pool, each commissioner submitted their top candidates, settling on five semifinalists that were interviewed on Monday.
“I am really excited for where our community is headed and am excited to be a part of that,” Gustafson said.
Gustafson’s term will run through 2027, when the seat will be up for election.
Also at Wednesday's special meeting, the commission approved in a 3 to 1 vote the employment agreement between the city and new city manager Alana Lake.
Lake's contract does not have a set term and has an annual salary of $175,000. The city attorney noted it was one of the lowest-paying city manager positions in the state.
