Speed Date Your Candidates for the September 9th Municipal Primary Election

Get to know the candidates for Helena Mayor and City Commission at a "Speed Date Your Candidates" event to be held on Thursday, August 7, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Best Western Great Northern Hotel, 835 Great Northern Boulevard, Helena, Montana. Anyone interested in the September 9th election is encouraged to attend.  Click here to RSVP or the Registration button on this page.

Nine of the ten candidates running in the September 9th municipal primary election have confirmed their participation in this event.  Mayoral candidates participating are Emily Dean, Sonda Gaub, Braxton Hudson, Chris Riccardo, and Andy Shirtliff. City Commission candidates are Brenton Craggs, Haley McKnight, Melinda Reed, and Ben Rigby. There are two openings on the Helena City Commission. City commission candidate Shawn White Wolf is unable to attend.

The event will begin with candidates presenting their qualifications and platform to the attendees who have been seated at round tables, along with a facilitator. Afterwards, candidates will circulate to the tables to answer attendees’ questions. When a bell rings, candidates move on to the next table. At the end of the event, all will be invited to mingle and chat.

This event is co-sponsored by the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of the Helena Area, which are local nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations.

The primary purpose of this event is to promote the informed and active participation of citizens in their government. It is intended to educate the public, motivate voters to participate in the elections, and give voters a chance to hear the views of the candidates. This event is entirely nonpartisan, and election campaigning will not be permitted.

NEED TO REGISTER TO VOTE OR UPDATE YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION? Volunteers will be available at this event to help people register to vote or update their voter registration. To check your voter registration status, visit https://votemt.gov.  After ballots are mailed to voters on August 22, 2025, visit https://VOTE411.org/Montana to learn more about the candidates and school bonds that voters will be asked to approve on the September 9th election.