Hello

I know Helena very well. Over the past 30 years, I have volunteered for numerous local non-profits, sat on many committees, and contributed greatly to the community. There are very few streets in Helena that do not have my handprint. 

 

I am the first American Indian to have worked as a full-time staff writer in the local mainstream press and the second statewide. I attended the Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University and was mentored by John Seigenthaler in Nashville, Tenn. He was a longtime editor of the Tennessean for decades and one of the most influential individuals in the South. 

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After graduation, I flew back to Helena from Nashville. Immediately upon getting off the airplane, with my suitcase in hand, I went to work in my new office at the Independent Record, where I worked for several years. 

My first story was about four sentences. The morning it ran, the Governor's office, tribal leaders from every tribe in Montana, and state elected officials were calling my office before 8 AM. I learned it doesn't take much to strike a nerve... 

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One of the areas in which I am most proud to have been involved is my volunteer work with local, county, and federal law enforcement. ​I grew up among people who feared law enforcement—and rightly so. American Indians and law enforcement have long had a strained relationship, to put it lightly. To be able to bridge that gap has been a tremendous life-changing experience for me. 

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Over the past decade, I have passionately advocated for funding for law enforcement in this community. I, among others, recently spent months studying and putting forth a local levy to increase funding. The levy failed. Therefore, we must find new ways to fund both law enforcement and our fire departments. It is a top priority. 

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We have a beautiful, clean, and unique community with many big challenges today and ahead of us. I am running for the city commission with a library of knowledge of our community. 

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