One of Kalispell’s longest serving city councilors, Ward 3 representative Jim Atkinson, stepped down on Jan. 2 after 29 years of service to the community. Atkinson lost his bid for reelection last November to Kyle Waterman.
Atkinson was first elected in 1987 and has helped guide the city through numerous changes over the last three decades, including changing to a city manager system of government and adopting the core area downtown plan.
Atkinson was born in Helena. He attended the University of Oregon and got a master’s in special education before becoming a teacher in Tacoma, Wash. In 1974, Atkinson moved to Kalispell to be a special education teacher at Flathead High School.
In the mid-1980s, Atkinson was talking with a friend who was on city council. Atkinson was always interested in city government and was peppering the man with questions about local issues. After a few minutes, Atkinson’s friend told him if he was so interested he should run for city council. The next city election was only a few days away, but Atkinson decided to launch a write-in campaign, figuring he had nothing to lose. Atkinson did lose that first race, but only by 19 votes, and in 1987 he gave it another shot. He won and took office in January 1988.
At the time, Kalispell was a very different place, Atkinson noted. Hutton Ranch, today a sprawling sea of retail outlets, was a gravel pit north of town, and the city airport was at the edge of town instead of being surrounded by neighborhoods and development.
One of the first issues facing Atkinson on the council was whether or not to go to a city manager form of government. Back then, the mayor and the council made most of the day-to-day decisions, and Atkinson said it often proved ineffective. In the early 1990s, the council decided to hire a city manager, and Atkinson said it’s among the most important changes he was involved in during the last three decades.
Atkinson said one of his proudest moments came in the late 1990s when the council saved the Central School, paving the way for the establishment of a local history museum. At the time, some people wanted to demolish the old building and turn it into a parking lot. Instead, the city decided to save it, pay for part of the renovation and give the Northwest Montana Historical Society a new home. Atkinson said it was a close vote.
“It almost didn’t happen, but it passed and the rest is history,” he said, “or a history museum.”
One of the biggest issues for the Kalispell City Council during Atkinson’s time was the downtown and core area redevelopment plan. Atkinson said he has long supported removing the rail line through Kalispell and redeveloping that underused property. He said the project has the potential to transform the area, and he’s excited to see how it turns out.
There have been some setbacks over the years. A few years ago, he supported expanding the city airport, an effort that was shot down by the voters.
In the early 1990s, Atkinson got a job as a nursing home director and later became executive director of Flathead County’s Agency on Aging. Taking care of the area’s growing senior population has long been a passion, and he stayed involved even after retiring from the county in 2012. Today, Atkinson assists with an Agency on Aging program that helps maintain senior citizens’ mobile homes. Atkinson, who also volunteers at the Museum at Central School, said now that he’s done with the city council he’ll double down on those volunteer commitments.
“I’ve always said that if you’re bored in the Flathead Valley, it’s your own fault because there are so many volunteer positions that need to be filled,” he said.
Atkinson said he hopes more people get involved with public service and that serving on the council and volunteering at local nonprofits have been among the most fulfilling aspects of his life.
One of the highlights of serving his community has been getting to know its residents, Atkinson said. He said Flathead Valley residents are “the type of people who would give the shirt off their back” to those in need. Because of that, he’s optimistic about the future.
“I’m bullish on Kalispell because of the people here,” he said.