Whitefish voters passed two school levies on Tuesday. Both the $174,000 elementary operational levy and $97,000 high school operational levy passed with 61 percent of the vote. Also in Whitefish, incumbent Dave Fern, Heather Vrentas and Shawn Watts claimed three open seats on the board of trustees.
In Kalispell, incumbent Tom Clark beat challenger Greg Harris to retain his seat on the school board. Christy Berry beat her challenger in the Smith Valley trustee election.
In Columbia Falls, six candidates were running for three available school board seats. Incumbent Dean Chisholm and Lyle Mitchell garnered the most votes, while incumbent Scott Emmerich defeated Dee Brown by only three votes for the final seat.
A building reserve levy for the Creston School worth $50,000 passed, while a $66,652 operational levy for the Helena Flats School failed.
Full Results
Whitefish Trustee Election (Three Openings, Three-Year Term):
Heather Vrentas – 1,181
Dave Fern (incumbent) – 1,158
Shawn Watts – 1,093
Tagen Vine – 963
Whitefish Elementary Operational Levy ($174,000):
For – 1,141
Against – 732
Whitefish High School Operational Levy ($97,000):
For – 1,161
Against – 750
Voter Turnout – 19.73%
Kalispell Trustee Election (One Opening, Three-Year Term):
Representing West Valley, Pleasant Valley, Marion, Bissell, Smith Valley districts
Tom Clark (incumbent) – 294
Greg Harris – 208
Voter Turnout – 12.64%
Columbia Falls Trustee Election (Three Openings, Three-Year Term):
Lyle Mitchell – 679
Dean Chisholm – 667
Scott Emmerich – 584
Dee Brown – 581
Darrell Newby – 501
Jenny Draband – 313
Smith Valley Trustee Election (One Opening, Three-Year Term):
Christy Berry (incumbent) – 98
Bob Sutton – 43
Helena Flats Operational Levy ($66,652):
For – 63
Against – 189
Creston Building Reserve Levy ($50,000):
For – 109
Against – 63