Voters split on levies

Voters in at least four school districts denied levy requests in Tuesday?s school elections.

Levies failed in the Columbia Falls, Helena Flats, Olney-Bissell and Smith Valley school districts. In Whitefish, however, voters passed elementary and high school general fund tax levies request.

The Columbia Falls elementary levy of $69,607 passed by 51 votes; the Columbia Falls high school levy request of $142,000 failed by 40 votes.

The vote was 679 to 628 for the elementary levy. On the high school levy, 737 people voted against the levy with 697 voting in favor.

Helena Flats? $60,000 general fund tax levy failed, with 89 votes against it and 68 votes in favor of it.

Olney-Bissell voters denied a $16,467 general fund levy request. The levy was narrowly defeated, with 57 votes against it and 46 votes in favor of the levy.

Smith Valley voters shot down the district?s $8,348 technology levy request. One hundred three people voted against it; 67 voters were in favor of the levy.

Whitefish voters approved the elementary and high school general fund tax levies on the ballot. Five hundred eighty-eight voters approved the $64,919 elementary levy request; 288 people voted against it. The numbers were similar for the $46,214 high school levy request, with 582 votes in favor of it and 296 votes against it.

Whitefish was still waiting on results from the Olney-Bissell district, which voted on the high school levy. However, even if every Olney-Bissell voter vetoed the levy, it still would have passed.

There were no school elections in the Bigfork, Cayuse Prairie, Deer Park or Swan River school districts. Evergreen, Pleasant Valley and West Valley schools had no elections of their own but were polling sites for Kalispell Public Schools? trustee elections.

In a three-way race for two Flathead Valley Community College trustee positions, incumbents Thomas Harding and John Phelps won re-election.

Harding had 1,370 votes, Phelps 1,213 votes and challenger Elna Darrow 1,130 votes.

Following is a summary of unofficial election information. For full results, see Thursday?s Inter Lake.

In Creston, Shannon Kimball and incumbent Peggy Hinkle were elected to the school board?s two open, three-year terms.

? Kimball: 73 votes

? Hinkle: 51 votes

? Jamie Lynn Eliason: 29 votes

Two new trustees were elected to the Fair-Mont-Egan school board.

? Jeff Wilson: 85 votes

? Dennis Burton: 67 votes

? Mark Phillips: 51 votes

Bette Albright and Alice Ritzman were elected to the Kalispell school board?s two open elementary seats. John Osweiler was elected to the District Two high school board position, which covers Evergreen and Helena Flats. Thomas Clark won the District One high school position, which covers Marion, Olney-Bissell, Pleasant Valley, Smith Valley and West Valley.

? Albright: 876 votes

? Ritzman: 805 votes

? Eve Dixon (elementary): 510 votes

? Osweiler: 142 votes

? Jack Fallon (District Two): 124 votes

? Clark: 202 votes

? Keith Regier (District One): 167 votes

Royal Osterday and Cynthia Frech-Kennedy were elected in a tight trustee election in Kila.

? Osterday: 48 votes

? Cynthia Frech-Kennedy: 44 votes

? Ann Bourassa: 42 votes

? Angela Gustine-Giles: 23 votes

In Marion, Sarah Robinson was elected to a two-year term and Mark Bacialli to a three-year term on the school board. Robinson ran against Tresa DeLaughder; Bacialli ran unopposed.

? Bacialli: 53 votes

? Robinson: 50 votes

? DeLaughder: 23 votes

Smith Valley voters elected incumbent Christy Berry to a three-year school board term.

? Berry: 83 votes

? William Burback: 66 votes

In the Somers-Lakeside district, Alice Blasdel was elected over incumbent trustee Cathy Nash to a three-year seat on the school board.

? Blasdell: 248 votes

? Nash: 150 votes

Incumbents Dave Fern and Eric Hosek and newcomer Brian McDowell were elected to the Whitefish board of trustees.

? Fern: 528 votes

? McDowell: 496 votes

? Hosek: 433 votes

? Stephanie Kenkel: 382 votes

? Mary Vail: 335 votes

In West Glacier, Gerry Nolan received 57 votes to Casey Heupel's 54 votes for a school board seat. Carla Martin, running unopposed, received 89 votes for the other school board seat.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.