Montana's Mayor

We must invest in rural schools

As I travel around Montana I often speak with teachers, professors, and students concerned about the cost and ability to access quality education.  Rural communities know that a public school in their town is a tent-pole for the community.  Once a rural area loses a school in their town, the community really starts to struggle. It is also difficult to recruit teachers to Montana’s schools because by some measures Montana has the lowest starting pay...

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We must fight for a $15 minimum wage

Friends, it’s about time we talked about raising the federal minimum wage.

It’s not right that millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet while working full time, and that’s because our wages haven’t kept up with inflation. It’s been over a decade since we raised it!

A $15 minimum wage isn’t just the moral thing to do, it’s the pragmatic and economic thing to do. With more purchasing power, more Americans would buy homes, take vacations, go back to school — stimulating the economy from the ground up, not trickle down.

Join me in the #FightFor15 and when we win, the Senate will be one seat closer to making a $15 minimum wage the law of the land.

I can’t sit by and watch hardworking Montanans work multiple jobs and still worry about providing for their families. We’re better than that and America is better than that.

Help me win this Senate seat so we can finally make a $15 minimum wage a possibility in Congress.

Thank you,

Wilmot Collins

By admin, ago

Civility. Respect. Delivering for Montanans.

Wilmot Collins, candidate for U.S. Senate

A United States Senator is elected for 6 years. That is an extremely long time in politics. 

In the first four years Steve Daines hasn’t done much for Montanans in the Senate, He doesn’t listen or meet with Montanans, and seems more focused on scoring cheap political points than delivering for Montanans.

I will deliver for Montanans on lowering healthcare costs and protecting pre-existing condition coverage. I will fight to address climate change. We must believe in science. I will fight for public schools and teachers and I will bring civility and dignity back to Washington D.C. 

Steve Daines needs to apologize to Montanans for his undignified and divisive comments last week, but Montanans are more concerned with the fact that Steve Daines voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act that would have left thousands of Montanans without healthcare or pre-existing condition coverage protection. This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable that Senator Daines is a member of the executive branch rather than being a check and balance in the Senate.

Out of state donations to Senator Daines were 85% of his donations last quarter. Is he even listening to Montanans or trying to connect with them? Instead he’s listening to the Koch Brothers.

That’s the thing the billionaires like the Koch Brothers don’t realize, they have the money, but we’ve got the people and I’ll always fight for the people as Montana’s next senator. We are building a movement to bring sanity back to America, but it is going to take hard work and courage from all of us.

On our campaign to take back our Montana Senate seat we are listening to Montanans and believe in Montanans. I have dedicated my life to service to Montana and America and that’s why I served my country for 20+ years in the National Guard, Army Reserves and Navy reserves, I am committed to public service and representing all Montanans of all stripes. 

Montanans demand to see and speak with their representatives. Has anyone seen Senator Daines in Montana for years? As someone who relies on meeting my constituents face to face to adequately represent them, I simply cannot understand how Senator Daines can represent his constituency without meeting or listening to them. 

Montanans expect you to fight for firefighters and first responders, but Steve Daines can’t even get Mitch McConnell to hold a vote on 9/11 first responders healthcare funding.

Montanans expect you to fight for their healthcare and voting to repeal the ACA doesn’t help Montanans who would lose pre-existing condition coverage, it doesn’t help the nearly 100,000 Montanans who depend on Medicaid expansion. 

Voting to repeal the ACA destroys critical access hospitals in rural Montana and the economies in these small Montana towns rely on these hospitals to survive and thrive.

Montana expects better, Senator Daines, the clock has been running for over four years with very little to show for it and Montanans want an apology for choosing divisive politics over the character and values of our great state of Montana.

By admin, ago

Today, Wilmot Collins released the first video of his campaign to take back Montana’s United States Senate Seat.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 26, 2019

MONTANA -Today, Wilmot Collins released the first video of his campaign to take back Montana’s United States Senate Seat.

“We’re proud to release this video to share Wilmot’s story; a story of hope, resilience, service, and a vision for the future of Montana and our country.” said Collins campaign manager, Trent Bolger.

“With this video we put those in D.C. on notice that we will fight for the soul of our country in 2020, we will not stand on the sidelines, we will go everywhere and listen to everyone in Montana. Montanans is a place where people matter more than politics and everyone deserves to be heard. That’s what this campaign is all about, listening to all Montanans and serving all Montanans.”

Wilmot Collins currently serves as the mayor of Montana’s capital city, Helena.

Wilmot Collins is a veteran of the Montana Army Reserves and Navy Reserves as well as the National Guard, having served in these three branches for over twenty years.

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By admin, ago

World Refugees Day

On this World Refugees Day, I remember the difficult journey it took to join my family in America and how thankful I am to this country that saved my family’s life.

By admin, ago

Montana, we can make history, together

Op-ed by Mayor Wilmot Collins

They said it couldn’t be done. A Liberian refugee who escaped a civil war could never be elected to office. And certainly couldn’t do it in Montana.

They do not know Montana. They do not know America. Where if you dream, and if you work hard, anything is possible. I may not look or sound like the regular politician, but I’m a hard worker and I get things done. I’ve lived my life in service of the Montana that gave me a chance and gave my family refuge.

I’ve served Montana as an Army and Navy reservist. I’ve served Montana working for the VA hospital at Fort Harrison. I’ve served Montana’s children as a teacher and working with underprivileged and at-risk youth. 

It’s been some time since that snowy February day, in 1994, when my sense of purpose was restored as I landed in Montana. But every day since then has been a renewed reminder for me of why we live in the best state in the greatest country on earth. See, I didn’t grow up here, but in more ways than I can count, Montana you raised me. You taught me the value of working hard and the unwavering importance of reaching out to my community. And most importantly, you gave my family an amazing life. 

Now I’m running to once again serve on behalf of all Montanans in the United States Senate. And I’m asking Montanans to join me, with one collective voice, to demand better of Washington DC. If you elect me, I will be your public servant, not just a politician.

I promise to fight for Montanans: for our friends and neighbors, hard-working families, students, entrepreneurs, farmers, ranchers, the LGBTQ community, hunters and fishermen and women, and finally – I will fight for our servicemembers and our veterans.

And I promise to stand up for our Montana values: protecting access to healthcare, access to our public lands, preserving our clean air and clean water, keeping dark money out of our elections, ensuring our right to privacy, and  making sure veterans have the care they need overseas and when they come home.

Now I recognize that our challenges may be vast, and the road to our most desirable visions may not always be clear, but we owe it ourselves and future generations to provide more ladders of opportunity for more Montanans. 

Written in our constitution is a commitment to the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These promises don’t belong to any one party. They belong to us: Montanans, Americans. 

I’m asking Montanans to join me in a movement to remind this great country about that forgotten promise, to believe that no matter how divided we become, that under one Big Sky, we still can reach for the promise getting farther away each day. Together we are one people, our voices roar louder than ever, and we’ve got some work to do. 

Look for me on the campaign trail, I promise you, I won’t be hard to find.

By admin, ago