Group members take political action seriously

By LYNNETTE HINTZE/Daily Inter Lake

There are three benchmarks the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors considers before it gets involved in community issues - preserving quality of life, private property rights and the real-estate industry.

"We always include protecting private property rights and protecting our communities" when strategic plans are revised with input from members, association executive director Kathleen Schulte said.

A thousand members strong, the Northwest Montana association, a part of the state and national Association of Realtors, historically has been an active political-action group. It covers a wide swath of Western Montana, including not only Flathead and Lake counties but also portions of Sanders, Lincoln and Glacier counties.

Rapid commercial and residential growth, particularly in the Flathead Valley over the past decade, has put the association in a more visible light these days.

"Realtors are deeply invested in their communities, and it's difficult to be invested without being involved in politics," Schulte said.

Just last week the Northwest Montana association took a stand in support of a lawsuit filed by the Montana Building and Industry Association against Flathead County over alleged illegal development code amendments.

The group also recently supported the city of Kalispell's application for federal Brownfield Assessment money to study land along the railroad tracks in downtown Kalispell.

One of its earliest goals was to watchdog counties and cities to make sure public notices were properly published, Schulte said.

Earlier this year the association took issue with the way the city of Whitefish was administering its new critical-areas law, alleging that former City Manager Gary Marks told city staff members to approve any critical-areas applications without scrutiny to make the ordinance look user-friendly until lawsuits were settled. No wrongdoing by Marks was ever found.

And most recently the association has questioned city-attorney contracts and salaries in Whitefish and Polson.

"The only reason we get involved is to bring attention [to matters of concern], not necessarily to get an outcome," Schulte explained. "We raise the issue, then it's the public's decision whether to pursue it."

To date, the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors has not filed a lawsuit, but the option exists.

"I could see if the issue was important enough to protect private property rights, they [the association] could and would file a lawsuit," Schulte said. "We have filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court to help clarify and [educate] on issues."

The association sees its role as a resource for local communities, not an adversary.

"We'd like to see us being a resource for communities," said Dan Ritter, chairman of the association's government affairs committee. "The challenges we're facing, other communities have already gone through them" and we can draw on their experiences.

Schulte said the public routinely taps into the association for a wide range of information - so much, in fact, that it's difficult for her to keep up with e-mail inquiries.

George Culpepper Jr., the association's government-affairs director, said monitoring tribal councils, particularly regarding water-rights issues, is another of the group's many watchdog projects. He said the association strives to take a diplomatic approach in raising issues.

"We're a tool for local governments to utilize, but often they figure we want to be in their back pockets," Culpepper said.

The association actively supports political candidates who fall in line with the group's goals. Through its political action committee, it is allowed to contribute $160 per candidate. Political-action committees can also spend any amount on a candidate as an independent expenditure, Schulte said.

During legislative sessions, the government affairs committee meets weekly to keep abreast of proposed bills the association will support or lobby against.