A Helena man appointed a year ago to the City Commission has decided to seek a full term at his post.

Commissioner Bob Throssell on Tuesday filed for this fall’s city election. The attorney and lobbyist said his legal experience and community service makes him an asset to Helena’s governing body.

“I’ve been involved in the Helena community for years, and I want to continue that service,” Throssell said. “I believe I bring a broad background … to the issues that the commission deals with, a broad experience.”

He said he wants to continue working to shape city fiscal policies, with the goal of implementing good infrastructure-replacement programs, continuing to offer strong public-safety services, maintaining city-owned open spaces and developing new parks, while remaining within Helena’s means.

Throssell worked with city staffers to develop a formula for the city’s new open space maintenance fee, an assessment calculation based off the method used for Helena’s storm-water utility rate.

He served on the City-County Planning Board for six years, including a term as president, and believes city services should be expanded to some extent to handle the influx of new residents expected to flow into the Helena Valley in coming decades.

“The growth needs to be accommodated, but accommodated within what the city can reasonably provide,” he said.

This will be Throssell’s first race for public office. Last July, he was appointed to replace Tom Pouliot, who stepped down to take a job as East Helena’s city judge.

He said he looks forward to talking to residents during the campaign, discussions he called “a two-way education on what the residents are concerned about and what the city can provide.”

Throssell was raised in Billings but has lived in Helena for 23 years. He earned forestry degrees from the University of Montana and the State University of New York and earned a law degree from UM.

He worked as an attorney for the state auditor and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, served as a deputy county attorney in Bozeman and has been in private practice in Helena since 1988.

He has served on the boards of the Children’s Center, Grandstreet Theatre, Growing Friends of Helena, which he now leads, and the Rotary Club.

Throssell is married with two children.