HELENA — Sonda Gaub says you can see one of the reasons she wanted to run for Helena mayor by going to the intersection of Broadway and Beattie Street.
“This is my neighborhood,” she told MTN.
Walking south from the intersection leads uphill to the popular Beattie Street Trailhead, but there can often be a long wait to cross Broadway, as many drivers use it to get across town.
(Watch the video to hear from mayoral candidate Sonda Gaub.)
Gaub, a member of the Helena Citizens’ Council, says a resident approached her, wanting to get a crosswalk installed at the intersection.
“The traffic is kind of iffy on trying to get across this main thoroughfare,” Gaub said. “If you run into pedestrians now, they don't cross it.”
She said it took her several months just to figure out the proper place to bring the constituent’s request. She believes the city’s procedures make it too difficult for average residents to make themselves heard.
“Trying to get the city more transparent is what I want to be as a mayor: within 24 hours, at least get some kind of an answer – here, you need this form to fill out for this area, you need this, you can find it here, this is a name,” said Gaub.
Gaub, 54, describes herself as an “unemployed teacher,” having previously worked at schools across the country. She and her husband, Darin, purchased property in Helena in 2007 and moved in full-time in 2018, after he retired from the military.
Though her husband chairs the Lewis and Clark County Republican Party, Gaub says she didn’t expect to get into the political arena herself. However, she decided to run for mayor in 2021, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Wilmot Collins. She says she continued to see things in the community she wanted to change, so in 2023 she put herself forward for a position on the Citizens’ Council. She won the seat without an election, as fewer candidates filed than there were open positions.
Gaub says Helena’s leaders need to do a better job of being proactive. She says they should have done more to plan for things like needed water infrastructure improvements.
“I want to have a preventative way of government that helps our citizens have a great quality of life, that allows us to walk freely within our city, we can drive freely, fix our streets,” she said.
She says the city budget should prioritize services like police and fire.
“I think you should find it within your budget,” she said. “They are more important than anything.”
On several issues, Gaub has different views from the other mayoral candidates. She is the only one of the five to oppose Helena Public Schools’ $283 million bond issues; she says she understands the need to upgrade school buildings, but she doesn’t agree with the plan district leaders came up with. She’s also opposed to Helena flying the pride flag, saying that would be promoting one part of the community over another.
Gaub says she’s the candidate who can really bring change to local government.
“I really want to make it very clear what's going on in our commission, make it easier for us to address issues that we find – at least get answers as to why we're not getting the issues addressed – take care of the things that don't have a voice,” she said.
(Watch MTN's full interview with Sonda Gaub.)
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of our five profiles on the candidates running for Helena mayor. The profiles are being published in alphabetical order based on the candidates’ last names. On Wednesday, you’ll be able to see our second profile, on candidate Braxton Hudson.
Ballots will be mailed out to Helena voters on Friday. They must be returned by Sept. 9.
