Commissioner Thweatt
Dick Thweatt was elected to his first term on commission in November 2009. He is a retired lawyer who, for the past twelve years, has helped lead Plan Helena, a local citizens’ group dedicated to preserving the quality of life in the Helena area through better land use planning and growth management. He continues to serve on the boards of Plan Helena, the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, and the Sonoran Institute.
On behalf of Plan Helena, Thweatt participated in several important community planning processes including the Helena I-15 Corridor citizens advisory group sponsored by Montana Department of Transportation 2001-2003, and the development standards working group that created a proposal for zoning the Helena Valley currently under development by the city/county consolidated planning board.
Thweatt had a 15-year career as a staff attorney with Montana departments of State Lands (1986-1995) and Environmental Quality (1995-2001) where he worked in a number of areas related to natural resources, the environment, and public law. He retired in 2001 for personal reasons and to pursue his interests in Plan Helena, land use planning, and growth management. He earned his law (1982) and undergraduate (1973) degrees from the University of Oklahoma. After admission to the bar in both Oklahoma and Montana in 1983, he engaged in private law practice in Helena until 1986.
Thweatt is married to Suzanne Svec Thweatt.