McGrew's Whitefish residency questioned

Another residency issue has surfaced for the Whitefish City Council, this time calling into question whether newly elected Martin McGrew is a city or county resident.

While looking at city water records on Tuesday, a Public Works Department employee discovered that part of the lot on which council member Martin McGrew lives has never been annexed into the city.

McGrew lives at 545 Ramsey Ave. on a long lot that runs north and south. The northern half of the lot, which is vacant, was annexed by the city, while the southern half of the lot, on which McGrew's home is situated, is an island of county property, City Attorney John Phelps said.

"It's a very unusual situation," Phelps said. "To my knowledge this has never come up before."

McGrew was appointed to the council in early January after he and Turner Askew tied in last fall's city election.

Phelps said he's researching the matter and hopes to have more information by the time the council meets on Monday.

The area where McGrew lives has been annexed to the city lot by lot through the years as residents hooked up to city water, Phelps said.

"It may be an oversight on our part," he added.

McGrew said he pays city taxes and is a city water user. He also has voted in recent city elections and receives mailings from the city, such as a ballot for the City Beach bond issue last year.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm a city resident," McGrew said. "I'm on the city voter rolls. I think this is just a small oversight that can be rectified simply."

McGrew served on the Whitefish City-County Planning Board from 2005 through 2007, first as a member at-large and later as a city appointee.

McGrew bought his Whitefish property in 1996, and wondered whether the oversight in jurisdiction occurred when he completed a boundary-line adjustment in 1998.

City officials immediately disclosed their discovery about McGrew's property to McGrew and the press Tuesday night.

IT'S THE second residency issue to affect the Whitefish council in recent weeks.

In late December, council member John Muhlfeld's residency was questioned by Rick Blake and his political-action group, Common Sense in Whitefish Government. Blake sued Muhlfeld and the city of Whitefish, alleging that Muhlfeld was not an eligible council candidate because he was living outside city limits with his fiancee prior to the November 2007 election.

Earlier this month, Flathead District Judge Katherine Curtis ruled in favor of Muhlfeld, saying he had continued to own his home on Somers Avenue, maintained it, paid the mortgage and utilities, kept a majority of his possessions there, received mail at the address and had a voter registration card with the city address.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com