Emily Dean (Montana)
Emily Dean is the Mayor of Helena in Montana. She assumed office on January 5, 2026. Her current term ends on January 7, 2030.
Dean ran for election for Mayor of Helena in Montana. She won in the general election on November 4, 2025.
Dean completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Dean earned a bachelor's degree from Carroll College and a master's degree in education from Southern Methodist University. Her career experience includes working as a teacher in the Dallas Independent School District, communications director in the Montana Secretary of State's office, and as director of advocacy and director of engagement for the Montana School Boards Association.[1][2]
Elections
2025
See also: Mayoral election in Helena, Montana (2025)
General election
General election for Mayor of Helena
Emily Dean defeated Andy Shirtliff in the general election for Mayor of Helena on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Emily Dean (Nonpartisan)  | 51.0 | 5,440 |
 | Andy Shirtliff (Nonpartisan) | 49.0 | 5,237 | |
| Total votes: 10,677 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
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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 | 5,470 |
| ✔ | | Emily Dean (Nonpartisan) | 36.5 | 4,134 |
 | 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: 11,316 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dean in this election.
2023
See also: City elections in Helena, Montana (2023)
General election
The general election was canceled. Emily Dean (Nonpartisan) and Sean Logan (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dean in this election.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Emily Dean completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dean's responses.
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She learned the value of public service at an early age through involvement in volunteerism and community building activities. Through the influence and example of her mother, grandparents and family, Emily learned the value of hard work and dedication to community.
Emily is a product of Carroll College where she served as Student Body President and spearheaded a number of student-centered campaigns that continue to impact students' well-being today. Upon graduation, Emily moved to Dallas where she taught high school U.S. Government and Economics. Through her experiences and those of her students, Emily's deep belief in the power of education to improve opportunities and building an inclusive community was affirmed. After receiving a Masters Degree from Southern Methodist University, Emily returned to Helena determined to bring opportunity to our community.
Emily serves as serves as Vice President of the Montana League of Cities and Towns, a committee member of the National League of Cities, and Chair of the Greater Helena Metropolitan Planning Organization.- Emily Dean will keep community vitality is at the center of all decisions. She will support responsible policies to increase affordable housing, expand collaboration with community partners, and make it easier for local organizations and businesses to interact with the City.
- Emily Dean will ensure effective city services that meet the needs of all residents. She is committed to investing in emergency services to ensure the well-being and safety of our growing community. Dean will prioritize open lands conservation and expanding recreational opportunities recreational opportunities and continue to modernize the City’s digital infrastructure, transparency, and security.
- Emily Dean will prioritize modernizing city infrastructure. This includes improving and expanding safe street infrastructure. Dean will prioritize and expand sustainability program and explore innovative and efficient initiatives to further secure and maintain City water.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2023
Emily Dean did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Wilmot Collins |
Mayor of Helena 2026-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Helena City Commission 2020-2026 |
Succeeded by Julia Gustafson |
| |||||||||
