Sign up for the free Helena This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Helena city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 02/02/2025 Lake talks priorities, answers questions about her readiness for top job  Credit: JoVonne Wagner/MTFP Alana Lake started her new job as Helena’s city manager last week, replacing long-time manager Tim Burton. She was selected from more than 80 other applicants.   Lake, 34, was raised in Frenchtown near Missoula and graduated in 2014 from Montana State University, where she studied political science and international relations. Coming from a family of veterans, Lake followed in that tradition and joined the Air Force after college, serving for nearly 11 years.  Upon entering the Air Force reserves, Lake moved to Helena in 2025, after taking  a job as the executive director of the Montana Public Service Commission, a state board that regulates shareholder-owned utilities. Her choice as a finalist for the city manager job sparked some public criticism regarding her qualifications, although she was ultimately selected by the city commission by a 3-2 vote.  Montana Free Press spoke with Lake on her third day on the job, and she discussed her call to public service, public skepticism and her goals for the city in 2026. Her comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.  MTFP: What was your first call to public service? Lake:  One of the things that was kind of inspiring during my high school years was that I was in an essay contest with the Montana Electric Co-Op Association. They have this youth program, and I was selected as the winner during my junior year and was able to go on their Washington, D.C., trip. That was my first [real] venture out to the nation’s capital, and it had such an impact on me. I got to meet our [then] current sitting legislators when I was there and got time with them. Looking back now, that just had such a profound impact on kind of the trajectory of my lifet. That, I think, encouraged me to start thinking about public service and where I could make an impact.  You know, I grew up in a family full of veterans. My grandfather on my dad’s side was a World War II vet and Purple Heart recipient. I have a great uncle on the other side of the family who was a bomber during World War II. So, when you’re kind of instilled in that environment as a child, you just kind of start adhering to some of those values, and it kinda shapes who you become and how you think.  MTFP: What did those values look like?  Lake:  Well, I think most Montanans would agree, it’s that foundational hard work that you’re not above anybody. There’s no task that you can’t do. Really, that kind of blue-collar mentality. We’re all here to help and support each other and build each other up and contribute to making this a better community. We don’t just complain about problems, but we come up with solutions, and we offer to help. It’s the perseverance. Obviously, there’s a lot of trials and tribulations that come at you throughout your life and knowing how to handle that and brush yourself off and get back up and not let that discourage you. MTFP: From your professional and military background, how did you come to apply for the city position? Lake:  It’s funny because I’ve had this conversation with a few people, because I think people are curious, like, “How the heck did you end up here?”  So, actually, some citizens of the city actually approached me. I had no idea that Tim Burton had announced his retirement. I was not aware that they were hiring a new city manager. But I had some citizens approach me who know my background and know me pretty well, and they said, “You know, I think you would be a great fit for this position. What do you think?” And at first, I told them, “You guys are crazy.” That was my first response. So when I hear some people say, “She’s never worked a day in a municipal government,” I feel for them.   What I did was I actually looked at the job description.  I read through that, and in there, I didn’t see any need to be a technical expert in all these different departments. I have a sense of a well-rounded understanding of my capabilities and my experiences and my background and what I bring to the table.  I would personally never want to put myself in a position where I was over my head, I felt like I wasn’t well prepared to take a position. I did my homework. I looked at the job description. I actually called a bunch of city managers around the state, and I said, “Hey, do you think this is a crazy thing for somebody to apply to this position who doesn’t have municipal experience?” And resoundingly, they all said no. I was actually pretty shocked.  They talked through what they observed as the most important qualities of a city manager from their perspective. And a lot of it came down to the fact of that communication, the ability to take policy from a commission, turn that into action and get the impacts at the end. Communicating with the public, communicating with people [and] having good management skills.  MTFP: What are some top priorities or goals you’d like to see Helena accomplish this year? Lake:  When somebody comes into a new position, you have to take time to listen and learn. And so my top priority right now is doing just that. In fact, I’ve blocked off my first few weeks just to talk to city employees, to managers, to start understanding what those issues are.  The budget is gonna be a huge priority; housing is gonna be a huge priority. We have the legislative session coming up where we’re hopeful that we’ll have some solutions put forward through the [Montana League of Cities and Towns] that will assist us with those types of things. But we have also an issue with our fire station, which we’re so grateful that the levy passed for fire station [No. 3], but we don’t have anybody to staff it right now.  We need to figure out how we can do that. We have huge projects, as you know. The railroad crossing at Montana [Avenue], which is very exciting for many people. We have huge developments that are gonna help try to address some of that housing. Those are some of the priorities that we’re looking at from day one.  Public Notice  United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area is conducting the annual homeless population count in Helena. The count began last week and will conclude Feb. 6. Data will then be compiled by the Montana Continuum of Care Coalition and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a future resource for funding and policymaking.  United Way will have four stations for individuals to connect to surveyors set up across Helena. Station sites include Good Samaritan Ministries Our Place, 1531 National Ave.; St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 512 Logan St.; Lewis and Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch; and God’s Love, 533 N. Last Chance Gulch. For more information regarding the count or volunteering, contact United Way at 406-442-4360. Last year’s results showed that there were about 143 individuals identified as unsheltered in Lewis and Clark County.  5 Things to Know in Helena Last week, the Helena Housing Crisis Action Network, a group of nonprofit leaders and area faith-based organizers, met to provide updates about different housing-related initiatives, including the status of establishing an emergency winter shelter in Helena. United Way of the Lewis of Clark Area’s community impact coordinator, Jeff Buscher, reported that there are five locations in the process of becoming emergency shelters. A lack of volunteers and the necessary insurance, however, is keeping those shelters from opening at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Headwaters Covenant Church, The Helena Indian Alliance gym, United Way office and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.  While St. Paul’s recently got insurance coverage to operate as a shelter, the site won’t be ready until a few more weeks as staff work to get and train volunteers. In the meantime, Buscher told MTFP in an email that God’s Love, Helena’s only year-round low-barrier shelter, will be open during extreme cold weather.   Helena Public School’s homeless student liaison, Michele Zentz, reported last week that the district’s homeless student count is 397. Zentz explained that the district identifies homeless students by different categories, including those living in foster or group homes, in shelters, in cars or campers, “doubled-up” in a friend’s home, in a motel or hotel, or who are unsheltered.   The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office reported last week that the deceased person found on Mount Helena last October died of natural causes. According to a press release, the person died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The city commission last week approved an $83,957 bid from Andela Tool and Machine, a manufacturer of recycling machines, for a glass crusher for the city’s transfer station. The city budgeted $80,000 out of the general fund and used $3,957 from its recycling fund to cover the remaining costs. The crusher will save the city money by processing glass in-house rather than sending it out of state, according to city documents.  A Helena resident created a “train tracker” website to help address residents’ frustrations with delays at area railroad crossings, KTVH reported last week. Keara Fairclough created a website to help residents find which crossings are clear of trains, with a real-time map of the Helena area and train movements.  In Case You Missed It Last week, the Helena City Commission approved a resolution that codified the city’s support of existing local law enforcement policies in response to federal immigration presence in the state and nationally. Additionally, the resolution calls for police to “avoid” assisting federal immigration operations and clarifies that the city won’t enter into a federal partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The resolution, which drew hundreds to the City-County Building on Monday night, passed 4-1, with only Commissioner Sean Logan voting in opposition. Read the full story here. A makeshift explosive device was reported to Helena police last Thursday near Helena High School, disrupting a student-organized walkout. MTFP reporter Zeke Lloyd covered the incident, which led to the anti-ICE student protest being rescheduled after police advised them to cancel. The “suspected improvised explosive device” was described to be a jug of gasoline and fireworks and was first reported to the police about an hour before the 11 a.m. walkout. Read Lloyd’s full story here.  Might Be Fun  The annual Valentine’s Vendor FebFest will be at the Helena Civic Center on Feb. 7, and more than 70 vendors are expected to showcase handmade goods and gifts. The market will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on the center’s website. Children ages 12 and under enter for free.  The Rialto Bar will host a speed-dating event on Feb. 12, as part of its “F Your Phone February” theme. The event will be from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include one drink and can be purchased at Ten Mile Creek Brewery. The Great Divide Ski Area will put on its first Big Sky Skimo Cup, an event featuring three ski races during the weekend of Feb. 20. Registration fees range from $30 to $70, depending on the race. For more details, visit the event website. Brews with the press, cheers to 10 years! Since our founding in February 2016, Montana Free Press has grown into the state’s largest nonprofit newsroom, made possible by the communities who believed in the mission from day one. Now, we’d love to celebrate that milestone with you. Join us at Blackfoot River Brewing for Community Night, an evening of conversation, connection, and looking ahead to what’s next. As a bonus, Blackfoot will donate $1 to Montana Free Press for every beer sold throughout the day, meaning every pint helps support independent Montana journalism. We’ll raise a glass to the stories that shaped our first 10 years and share our vision for the decade to come. After all, this newsroom was built by the community, and the future will be too. 🍻 The post Helena, meet your new city manager appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less