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Chris Riccardo
Chris Riccardo ran for election for Mayor of Helena in Montana. Riccardo lost in the primary on September 9, 2025.
Riccardo co-founded Omerta Arts in 2023.[1]
Biography
Riccardo co-founded Omerta Arts, a nonprofit that used art as a tool for healing and community building, in 2023. He previously served as the executive director of the Holter Museum of Art.[1][2]
2025 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the September 9, 2025, nonpartisan primary election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
On September 9, 2025, Andy Shirtliff and Emily Dean advanced from the nonpartisan primary for mayor of Helena, Montana. Shirtliff received 48.33% of the vote and Dean received 36.53%.[3] The general election is on November 4, 2025.
Sonda Gaub, Braxton Hudson, and Chris Riccardo also ran in the nonpartisan primary. This election was the first since 2001 in Helena to require a primary for mayor.[4] According to KTVH, state law "requires local governments to hold primaries if at least five candidates are running for any single position."[4]
Incumbent Wilmot Collins did not run for re-election. Although the position of mayor was officially nonpartisan, Collins was a Democrat.[4][5]
The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters of the Helena Area co-hosted a "Speed Date Your Candidates" event on August 7, 2025. Dean, Hudson, Riccardo, and Shirtliff attended the event. Each spoke at a podium for three minutes before sitting at separate tables where voters asked each candidate questions in speed dating format. Three attendees told KTVH that voters questioned the candidates about parking, homelessness, water issues, affordable housing, transportation, innovation, and strategies to retain Helena's residents.[6]
KTVH asked every candidate whether they supported Helena Public Schools’ proposed $283 million bonds, which appeared on the same ballot as the mayoral race. The bonds would support the renovation and rebuilding of select schools in Helena.[7] Dean, Hudson, Riccardo, and Shirtliff supported the bond, while Gaub did not.[8]
Dean was the director of engagement for the Montana School Boards Association. She was elected to the Helena City Commission in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. She served as mayor pro tem as of August 2025. Dean said, "As Mayor, my focus will be on modernizing our infrastructure, supporting responsible policies to increase affordable housing, and ensuring quality city services that meet the needs of all residents."[9] Collins and Helena City Commissioner Sean Logan endorsed Dean.[10]
Gaub was a former teacher and vice chair of the Helena Citizens’ Council. She said, "I’m running for mayor because I want [to] live in a 5-star city. I believe that government’s prime job is to provide superior Services — Transparent civics — Action driven solutions — excellent Representation — and disciplined Stewardship."[11][8] Gaub said she was "focused on fostering trust in local government, strengthening public safety, supporting small businesses, and restoring respect for Helena's voters."[12]
Hudson was a receptionist at Associated Dermatology. He said, "As we grow, we will need to invest in our public systems to adapt with changes we are already seeing. We need to increase affordable housing, repair our sidewalks, address traffic and parking concerns, and look into expanding our Capital Transit busses into a more robust system. As your mayor, I will make sure these key issues and others are addressed by the city."[13][14]
Riccardo was the co-founder of Omerta Arts. He said, "I’m not running because I have all the answers. I’m running because I believe in us – in our capacity to solve problems creatively, to bridge differences with understanding, and to paint a vision of Helena where every person feels valued and heard. This campaign isn’t about me. It’s about the single mother working two jobs who deserves safe, affordable housing. It’s about the veteran who needs accessible services. It’s about the entrepreneur with a vision for downtown, the teacher shaping young minds, the retiree who has given so much to this community and deserves our care in return."[15][16]
Shirtliff was the executive director of the Montana Building Industry Association. He was appointed to the Helena City Commission in 2022. Shirtliff said as commissioner he "has led collaborative efforts with downtown business owners, tenants and workers to find parking solutions; joined businesses and event planners in working toward a streamlined city permitting process; and worked with city officials to keep events on the Walking Mall."[17] He said as mayor "he will focus on improving city services and communication, champion housing solutions and encourage entrepreneurship."[18]
Helena has a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council, which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body, appoints a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the city council's policy and legislative initiatives.[19]
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in Helena, Montana (2025)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Mayor of Helena
Emily Dean and Andy Shirtliff are running in the general election for Mayor of Helena on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Emily Dean (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Andy Shirtliff (Nonpartisan) | ||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Helena
Andy Shirtliff and Emily Dean defeated Sonda Gaub, Chris Riccardo, and Braxton Hudson in the primary for Mayor of Helena on September 9, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Andy Shirtliff (Nonpartisan) | 48.3 | 5,468 | |
| ✔ | Emily Dean (Nonpartisan) | 36.5 | 4,133 | |
| Sonda Gaub (Nonpartisan) | 8.6 | 969 | ||
| Chris Riccardo (Nonpartisan) | 3.1 | 347 | ||
| Braxton Hudson (Nonpartisan) | 2.9 | 328 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 68 | ||
| Total votes: 11,313 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Election campaign finance
Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices. Click here to access those reports.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[20][21]
If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[22]
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Chris Riccardo did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Omerta Arts, "About," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Chris Riccardo for Mayor, "Get to Know Me," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ KTVH, "UPDATE: Helena School Bonds and City Municipal Primary Results (Unofficial)," September 9, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 KTVH, "Helena holds first city primary election in more than two decades," August 15, 2025
- ↑ The Intercept, "Liberian Refugee Wilmot Collins, Mayor of Helena, Launches Bid for Montana Senate Seat," May 13 2019
- ↑ KTVH, "Helena event lets voters "Speed Date" mayoral, city commission candidates," August 8, 2025
- ↑ Helena Public Schools, "Home," accessed August 24, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 KTVH, "Helena mayoral candidate: Sonda Gaub," August 19, 2025
- ↑ Independent Record, "Commissioner Emily Dean to run for Helena mayor, Mayor Collins endorses her," April 9, 2025
- ↑ KTVH, "Helena mayoral candidate: Emily Dean," August 18, 2025
- ↑ Sonda for Helen Mayor, "Home," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Facebook, "Sonda For Helena Mayor," June 1, 2025
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 3, 2025
- ↑ KTVH, "Helena mayoral candidate: Braxton Hudson," August 20, 2025
- ↑ Chris Riccardo for Mayor, "Campaign Statement," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Omerta Arts, "Meet the Studio Family," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Independent Record, "Commissioner Shirtliff announces candidacy for Helena mayor," June 6, 2025
- ↑ KTVH, "Helena Commissioner Andy Shirtliff announces run for Helena Mayor," June 6, 2025
- ↑ City of Helena, "City Charter," accessed December 8, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ Amee LaTour, Email correspondence with the Center for Responsive Politics, August 5, 2022
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