Missoula City Council Candidates ‘Go Wild’

By Emily Darrell, 10-04-07

	Caption: City council candidates participating in Wednesday night’s Candidates Gone Wild event at the Elks Lodge in Missoula raise their hands in response to a comical question regarding marijuana use. Photo by Anne Medley.

After paying my cover and receiving my complimentary heart-shaped confetti, I walk into a dimly lit room. There’s an afro-wigged DJ spinning groovy trance tunes and the mirror over the bar reflects a sea of pink bunny ears. Wait, is that Hugh Hefner over there?

No, it’s Ed Childers, Missoula city council member, Ward 6. It’s Wednesday night and I’m at the Elk’s Lodge for Candidates Gone Wild, an event put on by Forward Montana, a group aimed on “recruiting and training young Montanans to lead in the 21st century.” In an effort to make politics more palatable, and to get folks fired up about the pending city council elections, they’ve lured us here with promise of a full bar, some good music and a comedy troupe.

The show opens with emcee Mark Heyka, KECI meteorologist, cracking jokes. But I know what’s coming. Just when we’re having fun they’re going to hit us with talk about high-density development and homelessness. And they do. Snuck into games like Jeopardy and Pictionary, and a talent show competition, New West’s Courtney Lowery and the Missoula Independent’s John S. Adams gently grill candidates on a few key issues like transportation.

	Ed Childers, city council member from Ward 6 performs a Bob Dylan song for the Candidates Gone Wild crowd on Wednesday night as NewWest.Net editor in chief Courtney Lowery looks on. Lowery teamed up with the Independent’s John S. Adams to mediate the event aimed at raising public interest in city politics. Photo by Anne Medley.

But it’s not so bad. Although the event doesn’t prove as substantive as a real debate -- from only two of Missoula’s six wards does more than one candidate show up -- it was a chance to get to learn a little more about our council members and council candidates. It was kind of like that segment they have in gossip magazines -- Celebrities...They’re Just Like Us!

For instance, now, because of a song sung about him by Virginia City Brewery Follies, I know that Jason Wiener (Ward 1) bakes his own bread, works at Direct TV, and likes venison.

In the talent show Ed Childers revealed he could sing a pretty decent Dylan. Lewie Schneller (Ward 6) showed that he knows as well as anyone the need for affordable housing -- he raised four kids in a 14 by 70 foot mobile home.

I did learn a little, too, about candidates’ stances on a few issues. Justin Armintrout (Ward 1) does not support the chicken ordinance. Stacy Rye (Ward 3) believes the bottom line on Missoula’s transportation problem is that we need fewer single occupancy vehicles on the road.

If the shouting drunk girl behind me was any indication -- “I LOVE city council!” -- the evening was a success. I won’t even mention the chicken dance. [End of article]