| Brian arrived in Bozeman in the fall of 1994 to a Teaching Assistant job at MSU. In those first three years like many Bozemanites, he worked three jobs- building his practice; running the planetarium projector; and substitute maintenance for the Bozeman schools.
He immediately became involved in the community by joining the GALAVAN Board. While with GALAVAN he pushed through a senior transportation levy to ensure GALAVAN's continued service to seniors.
He then was chair of Galavan from 2000 to 2003.
Brian's effort on GALAVAN led to him chairing a city task force that recommended the creation of public transit in Bozeman with an Urban Transportation District.
Brian was a leader in the movement to make bars and restaurants smoke free. The city commission adopted his strategy to make that happen.
In 2004 Brian was elected to the Bozeman City Study commission by the citizens of Bozeman. The result was the first successful city charter that passed in 2008. Brian fought for the charter provisions requiring that there be an ethics board and that everyone in city government receive annual ethics training.
As a member of the city planning board, Brian wrote the first light pollution ordinance adopted by a city in Montana.
Brian received an Intellectual Freedom Award from the Montana Library Association, for standing up against the Patriot Act after being threatened by a client.
As Chairman of the Bozeman Park & Recreation Board, he shepherded the creation of the Bozeman Park District, which was approved by the voters in 2020.
Brian attended the University of Chicago (graduating with General Honors), received his Master in Tax Law from New York University, and a Master in History from Montana State University. He has been a practicing tax attorney since 1987. He lives in a union household with his lovely librarian wife, Beth Boyson, and his trusty dog, Sam (and Sam's friend, Joey, occasionally). |