Ward 4's Ballas unseated by Newcomer Hellegard

Missoula City Councilman Jerry Ballas's support for a controversial aquatics project helped sink his re-election bid, a victorious Ward 4 challenger Lyn Hellegaard said Tuesday night.

Hellegaard, a transportation-issues executive, blocked Ballas's bid for a third term, winning 53 percent of the votes to his 45 percent.

While Ballas was one of the strongest voices supporting the Missoula Aquatics Project, Hellegaard said she feels the project has distanced the community from city government and that it will be detrimental to future projects.

Throughout the campaign, Hellegaard, who is executive director of the Missoula Ravalli Transportation Management Association, voiced her concern about the lack of collective vision within the City Council.

She said the process of campaigning and having an election has helped to establish city priorities.
"I would hope to say that through this process we've gotten a collective vision, we've gotten our fiscal priorities straight and we've gotten good paying jobs," she said.

Ballas blamed his loss on a shorter campaign season and mail-in ballots.

"Those community meetings you count on, but a lot of those were set up late," Ballas said. "With mail in ballots, there's really not enough time to get information out to everyone. In hindsight, you'd have to start two weeks earlier."

Ballas is the council's vice president and chairman of its Conservation Committee. He also sits on the Finance, Plat, Annexation and Zoning Committee.

- By WHITNEY BERMES, ADAM BOEHLER, JEFF OSTEEN and RYAN THOMPSON