MISSOULA - MTN is continuing to take a look at the candidates who are running for mayor of Missoula.
“It's my passion for this city and the people. And honestly, I wasn't going to run this time, but I just had so many people beg me to do it that I finally decided to do it and at least give those people the option,” said candidate Shawn Knopp.
Knopp, now in his third campaign for mayor, is a long-time Missoula resident with a background in sales at Montana Glass. He says that he is mainly running to address property tax increases.
“The biggest thing that I'm having a problem with is the tax increases that we're having.
Watch the full interview with Shawn Knopp:
You know, everybody's like, hey, it's only going up 3.4 percent or whatever they approve. But it did go up almost 16% in the last year, which was a huge increase. So, you know, we're still averaging around 10% a year. So, you know, my tax bill has gone up 50% in the last five years. So imagine your tax bill going up another 50% in the next five years. It's not sustainable. We just can't do it,” answered Knopp.
Beyond property tax increases, Knopp says he is specifically looking to change how the city uses Urban Renewal Districts (URDs), which, broadly speaking, put tax money from a designated area back into it for things like infrastructure and building improvements.
“Fifty percent of my tax bill is going to the urban renewal district. However, if a city tree grows and breaks a city sidewalk in front of my house, I'm going to get the bill for it. It doesn't seem right to me. So I think some things like that need to change. I think that the urban renewal districts need to be scaled back. They need to have a shorter set time on them. They need to help the people that are actually paying the taxes. They say that eventually it'll help us, you know, with the increased revenue. But, you know, in 40 years, who's going to be around? I'm not going to live long enough to see the benefits,” said Knopp.
MTN was not able to verify the claims that Knopp stated above.
On top of how tax money is used within URDs, Knopp says that the city needs to be more efficient and tactical with the land that it owns.
“I don't think the city has any business being in housing per se. I don't think they have any business being in actual businesses that should be run for profit. We have the, we can go back to the Sleepy Inn motel. That was on the market for 600,000-ish for several years. And then all of a sudden, COVID hit and we paid $1.1 million for it, sunk a bunch more money into it to fix it up. Very few people stayed in that place the entire time that it was open. And then we spent another chunk of money to tear it down. I believe we're into that property, $1.875 million. It went back on the market as a vacant lot for $875,000. It is now down to like 675, the last time I looked. But the restrictions on what the city will allow there are so strong that they won't sell. You know, the city should be getting every dollar they can out of these deals and it would sink that investment into what we need to sink it into. Low-income housing or whatever. If we sit there and let that sit for, we're losing money every year on it,” answered Knopp.
MTN was not able to verify the claims Knopp stated above.
Knopp says that if elected, his priorities on day one would be to adjust how different city departments are run, with the goal of increasing efficiency.
“Day one, we're going to meet with every department head, make sure that they're all on the same page as me. And then we'll move forward with what needs to be done. I don't want anybody working for me that's not, you know, on the same page. So that's going to be day one. Day two, I'd be visiting each site and seeing where we need to save money, see which departments we can not just close, but maybe take the resources from that and move it to a more needed area. Just needs to be streamlined. Need to work on permitting processes. I know builders that have been waiting nine months for building. That costs money on them, which increases housing costs, building costs, everything. So we need to streamline and we need to get permits out as fast as possible,” said Knopp.
Missoula mayoral candidate profile: Shawn Knopp
On the topic of the city’s homeless and unhoused residents, Knopp says that addressing the root issues individuals have would be his strategy to try to solve a problem that affects communities across the nation.
“If it's a substance abuse, we need to get them help. If they don't want to help, then it needs to go down another avenue. If it's mental illness, we need to work with the state. We need to get more mental help for these people. Because if we don't solve the root problem, putting them in a house isn't going to help,” answered Knopp.
Overall, Knopp says that he is running to work for the people of Missoula.
“If you want to keep Missoula affordable, keep it as nice a place it is now. I'm your guy. You know, I'm working for you. I'm not doing this for me. I get nothing out of this. It takes me out of my comfort zone campaigning. I'm doing it for the people of Missoula that I love,” said Knopp.
Related coverage: Missoula mayoral race profile: Brandi Atanasoff
The mail-in only election takes place on September 9, 2025. You should have already received your ballot. If not, contact the Missoula County elections office right away. People mailing in their ballot must get it in the mail by September 5, as postmarks are not accepted.
Voters can drop off their ballot on election day at the elections center, which is located at 140 N. Russell St. (Building B), 2385 Flynn Lane (Hellgate Elementary Baseball Fields) and on South Russell St. between the fairgrounds and YMCA.
Residents who need to register to vote, change their address or make other updates to their registration will need to do that in person at the Elections Office. By law, the office will be closed to new voter registration between noon and 5 p.m. Monday, September 8.
Voters can still drop off a ballot, receive a replacement ballot or pick up an undeliverable ballot during that time. Voters can check that their address and other information are up to date online at myvoterpageMT.com.
