A New Mayor for Missoula

It took until 11:15 pm when the Missoula City Council finally emerged from Thursday's meeting with a new mayor. Jordan Hess will take the chair that belonged to Jon Engen for longer than any other Missoula Mayor.

Jordan Hess was declared the winner of the selection process after another candidate, Mike Nugent bowed out after 22 votes over the course of 5 hours.

Jordan Hess is the longest sitting council-member serving Ward 6 since 2014 and also chairs the Land Use and Planning Committee. Prior to joining the city’s government, he spent eight years as the Director of Transportation at the University of Montana.

Hess’ appointment to the mayoral post now creates a vacancy on the city council that needs to be filled within 30 days, according to state law and the city charter. The same process that was utilized to select Hess as the new mayor will also be used to find his replacement on the council. Applications will be accepted, interviews will take place and voting will take place among existing council members.