Mike Nelson is a Billings native who has been heavily involved in the community since returning home in 2009.
He’s one of four candidates making a run to be Billings' next mayor.
Watch Nelson discuss his bid below:
“I feel like I owe this city a huge debt of gratitude. I want to give back to the city that has helped me achieve the dreams that I’ve had,” Nelson says.
Those dreams included bringing the historic Northern Hotel back to life. He and his brother purchased the shuttered hotel in 2009 and did a total makeover, reopening it in 2013.
“We bought it on the steps of the county courthouse. It was an auction. We were the only bid,” he says.
Nelson spent three decades in the hospitality business in Las Vegas before returning home.
He says the hotel and casino he managed there had more employees than the entire city of Billings.
“A hotel in Las Vegas is kind of like a small city. We had a fire department. We had a security department with arrestive powers. We had 110 security officers for the casino, which was more than Billings had police at the time, and our annual budget was about the same as the city. And I got to be involved in the 10 years I was there with all the departments,” he says.
Nelson says he’s made it a mission to make Billings a safer and more vibrant place. He’s been involved with Big Sky Economic Development, helping recruit new businesses, as well as with the Billings Chamber of Commerce. He also played a big part in Citizens for a Safer Billings, a group that successfully pushed to pass the 2021 public safety levy.
“The top three priorities for the community, in my opinion are safety, economic vibrancy, and then quality of life,” Nelson says. “We need a workforce for the more jobs that we need. We need more housing, and it needs to be affordable—so if we can tackle all three at once, those problems in a long-term solution will be solved. That’s basically my vision, what I would start on as mayor,” Nelson says.
Nelson sees the mayor’s main role as developer-in-chief, and he believes his business experience sets him apart.
“If the mayor has a good vision for the city of Billings and can communicate that to the people that he works with and to the folks with the city of Billings. It’s only natural then that we could in a respectful and kind manner walk toward that goal together so that is how have tried to run the Northern Hotel and that’s what I would do with the city,” Nelson says.
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 Boyett.
See previous: Jennifer Owen focuses on families, transparency in bid for Billings mayor
