BILLINGS — Amanda Housler is the youngest candidate running for mayor of Billings, and she says she’s ready to bring new ideas and energy to City Hall.
“Billings is pretty much the only place I call home,” Housler said.
Watch Amanda Housler discuss her candidacy:
Running on a message of connection and community, Housler says she wants to represent the voices she feels have been overlooked.
“Everybody should be able to live the life they deserve. Their life, their opinion matters,” she said.
Housler spends her campaign days out in the community shaking hands, listening to residents, and hearing what matters most to them.
“I just want to make a positive change, and I am getting out there and talking to people and finding out what they need,” she said.
Originally from Wyoming, Housler comes from a military family.
“My husband joined the Army, so we traveled a lot,” she said.
Through her travels and personal challenges, she’s learned resilience something she says shapes her campaign.
“We were homeless for a good minute, and if it wasn’t for Veterans Meat Locker and the Veterans VOA, we would still probably be homeless,” she said.
Housler rides MET Transit to get around town, even taking the bus to her interview with MTN News, something she says helps her stay connected to everyday Billings residents.
Her campaign priorities focus on improving infrastructure, increasing safety and making the city more affordable.
“The pipes downtown I was told, they are over 100 years old so they need to be replaced. The crime, if we get more police officers, we would have less crime,” she said.
She also believes changing how marijuana testing is handled, could help boost local employment.
“The marijuana, nobody can get a job because it’s legal, so if we can go through and quit drug testing for marijuana, then we can have more people working,” she said.
Housler says her decision to run came after feeling unheard by elected leaders.
“Well I got tired, I was calling the governor and the senators and the mayor and nobody would take my call. And I got tired of it, so it’s like, why don’t I do something to try and change that,” she said.
She also says she’s against raising taxes.
“I don’t think we should raise the taxes anymore. They’re too high,” Housler said.
A recent business graduate, she hopes to bring a fresh perspective to City Hall and to how local government listens to its residents.
“Well the way that they are talking to the people and getting opinions and everything, I would do that, but I think it should be more than just three minutes and then they don’t really talk about it. They are like, that’s an issue and we’ll circle back,” she said.
Housler says she understands the challenges many residents face.
“I am in the same situation as everyone else. I don’t have a car, I am not working, I am living off my student loans, so it’s like, am I paying rent, am I buying food, what am I doing,” she said.
She hopes that honesty and relatability resonate with voters.
“I want people to know they have their rights, what their rights are, and that they have someone here to listen,” she said.
MTN News is featuring each Billings mayoral candidate to give voters a closer look at their vision for the city.
See previous:
Mike Nelson touts business, development experience in bid for Billings mayor
Jennifer Owen focuses on families, transparency in bid for Billings mayor
Mike Boyett highlights lifetime of service in run for Billings mayor
