BILLINGS — Jennifer Owen is used to asking the tough questions inside Billings City Hall. But away from the microphone, the Ward 2 city councilor is a single mother, spending quiet moments at home with her son and thinking about the city’s future.
“There’s no place I’d rather raise my son,” Owen said.
Watch Owen discuss her candidacy:
A fifth-generation Billings resident, Owen said her vision for the city is rooted in family, safety and opportunity.
“I want that opportunity for him to grow up and be a little wild in the summers and weekends,” she said with a smile.
A lawyer by trade, Owen has spent much of her career advocating for children in the welfare system, serving as a guardian ad litem. She now leads the State Workforce Innovation Board and brings that problem-solving mindset to her work on the council.
“I really wanted to be a problem solver, so I came in with that mindset,” she said. “I have a vision for this community, so I’m going to put it out there and see if the voters agree.”
That vision includes strong leadership and community engagement at what she calls a critical time for Billings.
“I think this is an inflection point for Billings,” Owen said. “We’re seeing huge investment — the Intermountain project, the downtown hotel, the rec center at Amend Park. We have so many good things happening, and we’re faced with a choice: do we lead in the direction of our aspirations, or do we just let change happen to us?”
Owen said transparency and public engagement are among her top priorities.
“Here at the local level, this is the government that impacts us every single day,” she said. “I want to put those issues out to the public so they can engage, have a voice, and understand what’s going on.”
She also emphasized the need to strengthen public safety, an issue she said affects every neighborhood.
“Like everybody, I’m frustrated with where we are with public safety,” Owen said. “Taxpayers in this community have been very generous in putting additional resources in.”
As a candidate, Owen said she wants every resident to feel heard and represented.
“That opportunity to be a voice, to say here’s where we want to go, here’s the vision now come with us and help us figure it out as neighbors— that’s an opportunity,” she said.
Owen said her motivation is deeply personal, shaped by her experiences as a mom and a longtime advocate.
“I am a mom, a volunteer, and I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the most vulnerable children in our community,” she said. “I bring those experiences with me. I want this to be the best place to raise a family the best place for a child to grow up because then everything else sorts itself out.”
Owen said she understands the realities facing families in Billings, from taxes to economic uncertainty, and she wants city government to reflect those same concerns.
“I hope people see my real passion for my community,” she said.
MTN News is featuring each Billings mayoral candidate this week to give voters a closer look at their vision for the city. Next up: Mike Nelson.
