fbpx

County Doughnut Survey is Flawed

By Beacon Staff

Did the Flathead County commissioners really think no one would notice the fraudulent makeup of the mailing list they used to survey a “select” group of Whitefish “doughnut” property owners? Many long-time residents were not even sent a survey, while many out-of-state property owners got multiple survey cards. The survey methodology used by the county is so flawed that the reported outcome – 1,234 votes for county control of the doughnut, to 471 for city control of the doughnut – can only be seen as bogus, instead of the fair and verifiable results that could have been obtained. The county should have put this question on a ballot for voters and followed verifiable election protocol, as provided for under state law, to obtain fair and verifiable results.

Only 47 percent, less than half, of the survey cards mailed went to people who actually live in the two-mile area around Whitefish, while more than half, 53 percent, went to people who don’t. Almost 400 long-time Whitefish doughnut households got only one vote, disenfranchising the other voter in two-adult households, while many other individuals got multiple ballots, either because they owned more than one lot or because their name or address occurred with more than one spelling.

One hundred and eighty-five corporations or real estate holding companies got at least one vote and many got multiple votes. One address received 58 surveys, and another address received 39 survey cards to vote with. Renters, who make up almost one-third of the county’s population, got no vote. These bogus methods of allocating survey cards for voting do not represent a fair or unbiased survey result. Some individuals got no opportunity to vote while others got multiple survey cards to vote with.

The numbers do not add up. The receipt for the survey cards mailed by the county shows that the number mailed exceeded the number of addresses the county says they mailed to by several hundred. Who got those extra survey cards?

The county survey of the Whitefish doughnut violated fundamental democratic principles and was so flawed that it can not be used by the county to claim that it has a mandate to end 40 years of cooperative planning with the city of Whitefish in the two-mile area around the city of Whitefish. Additionally, the county is wrong to simply ignore the results of the recent Whitefish city election where 1,444 city voters, who are also county residents, voted to keep joint planning in place under the 2005 interlocal agreement.

What is needed now more than ever is a cooling off period. The county should withdraw its current fast-track proposal to take back total control of the two-mile area or doughnut around Whitefish. Ironically, the focus of this conflict over the Whitefish doughnut has been about who will have final decision making authority over land use decisions in this area and not about specific problems in current planning policies. The current planning policies in place have been through extensive public processes involving both city and county doughnut residents and these policies continue to be adjusted to be effective and fair. This is where common ground can be found and should be built.

Cooperative city/county planning has worked for over 40 years in Whitefish and now more than ever it is time for all Whitefish residents to work together for the future they want. And finally, a key element of a future solution should still include local direct representation by an elected community council for the two-mile area around Whitefish.

Mayre Flowers is the executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead.