Bill Cole (Montana politician)

Bill Cole is the current mayor of Billings, Montana.

Cole was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Dartmouth College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. Cole and his wife, Anne, returned to Billings in 1991, where he practiced law, and she is a professor at the Montana State University Billings campus.^[1]

Before entering local politics, Cole practiced real estate, land use, and commercial contracts law. He also served as chair of the Billings Chamber of Commerce.

Cole was elected mayor of Billings on November 7, 2017, succeeding two-term mayor, Tom Hanel, who was term-limited. In the election, Cole faced member of the Montana Senate, Jeff Essmann, defeating him by 7,000 votes.^[2][3] He took office on January 2, 2018. Much of his mayoralty was spent dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and he encouraged residents of Billings to take the COVID-19 vaccine. During his time as mayor Centennial Park was constructed, an $11.6 million was granted for the construction of the Skyline Trail, and he passed a public safety property tax. Cole announced his intention to run for re-election on April 22, 2021.^[4]

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