Whitefish is no longer the sleepy mountain town it was 25 years ago, when scant development ran along the corridors radiating from its city center and tourism was a mere thread in the economic tapestry rather than the whole weave.
Decades of steady growth has changed that, while a groundswell of new residents has expanded the population and spurred unprecedented development. Meanwhile, the growing tourism sector has tested the resort community’s infrastructure to its limits, year-round residents struggle to find viable housing accommodations and homeowners bristle against rising property taxes and water rates.
And yet Whitefish’s quaint downtown core remains intact, its resort taxes are hard at work and its open spaces are expanding, with new acres of forested parcels contributing to the community’s outdoor amenities and its ethos of conservation and recreation.
With another municipal election on the horizon, and the filing deadline now expired, a field of candidates has taken shape to help determine how and in what directions this community grows, and this fall voters in Whitefish will have the opportunity to elect new leaders to their local government, bringing a host of issues to the fore of community discourse.
Whitefish council incumbents Ben Davis and Andy Feury are both in the running to retain their seats, while sitting council member Ryan Hennen did not file for another term, leaving his seat open. Seven newcomers are also vying for those three seats, including Mark E. Owens, Phil Boland, Vincent Deli’Omo, Terry K. Petersen, Kristen Riter, and Giuseppe “G-Man” Caltabiano.
Municipal Court Judge William Hileman is running unopposed for his seat, leaving the slate of candidates shy of the number required to merit a primary election. The municipal elections will be held Nov. 2.
Four of the candidates for Whitefish City Council submitted their candidate filings on June 21, which was the deadline for candidates to file.
Flathead County Elections Administrator Monica Eisenzimer said it’s not uncommon for a crowded field of candidates to emerge in a municipal election, due in part to the absence of a filing fee.
“Every two years we see a lot of interest from candidates in the municipal elections because there’s no filing fee so there’s really nothing to lose,” Eisenzimer said.
Whether all nine candidates mount visible campaigns remains to be seen, although both incumbent candidates — Feury, the city’s former mayor, and Davis, who serves on the city’s Strategic Housing Steering Committee — have pledged to campaign aggressively as they seek to retain their positions during a pivotal time in the community’s growth.
In order for a candidate to file for local office, they have to be a resident of Whitefish for a minimum of 60 days leading up to the election date and they must be registered to vote in Flathead County.