Each new year, at least for a short time, we get to press reset and express wild optimism that might otherwise be tempered. Like many of you, I have numerous goals for 2012 and other outcomes I would like to see that I have no control over. Here are a few of the latter:
I hope Flathead County and Whitefish don’t continue suing each other. If you have been following the never-ending saga that surrounds the interlocal agreement, or “doughnut,” you know this is unlikely. Both sides insist they want to avoid further litigation, but Flathead County has also said it is “moving forward with full takeover” of the two-mile area surrounding the city. And more lawsuits, filed by lawyers paid with our tax dollars, are almost inevitable.
I hope the interim city manager keeps Kalispell on the right track. Jane Howington leaves in early January and Helena attorney David L. Nielson will fill the position until the city council finds a permanent replacement (perhaps as early as May). The city manager is at once a thankless and the most important job in Kalispell. And whoever is selected to succeed Howington should maintain fiscal prudence.
I hope the race between Sen. Jon Tester and Congressman Denny Rehberg isn’t drowned out by third-party spending. But it will be. Money is already pouring in. Special interest groups will dictate the message for much of the campaign, instead of the candidates. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which relaxed restrictions on political spending, has opened the corporate floodgates. Expect your favorite sitcoms to often be interrupted by commercials with scary music and baritone voiceovers.
Speaking of elections, I hope that the Republican gubernatorial primary field thins out a bit. Right now, there are about 10 candidates to choose from, many hoping to appeal to the same subsets of their party. One candidate acknowledged that the “pie is going to be sliced mighty thin,” which provides a “very special opportunity.” True, a crowded primary could propel an unlikely candidate to the nomination. That doesn’t mean it will bode well for the GOP in the general election. In the 2008 Republican U.S. Senate primary, Bob Kelleher was the surprise winner in the six-person race. He was then crushed by incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Baucus 73 percent to 27 percent.
I hope that Columbia Falls Aluminum Company reopens … finally. We have been down this road before only to see the deals fall apart. But BPA’s proposed terms to sell power and the length of the contract has brought CFAC closer to restarting the plant than at any time since it shut down two years ago. If the company reopens it would employ up to 300 people, which would be a shot in the arm for an economy that needs one.
I hope the area continues to attract and cultivate high-tech industries. One bright spot in an otherwise gloomy job market has been the proliferation of innovative companies over the last few years. Representatives from a handful of these companies visited with Flathead Valley Community College students recently to explain their respective needs in a fast-growing sector of our economy. There are tech jobs available and a chance to fill them with local graduates.
Finally, I hope that you and yours have a happy New Year. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t remind myself how lucky I am to live in this valley and to have met the friends I have here. Here’s looking forward to 2012.