Manager earns Marks of distinction

Inter Lake editorial

Whitefish City Manager Gary Marks will leave later this summer to take a city administrator job in the resort town of Ketchum, Idaho.

He's leaving at a tumultuous time in Whitefish - with a lawsuit pending over control of the two-mile planning "doughnut" and lingering hard feelings about the recently enacted critical-areas ordinance - but it's not controversy that should mark his legacy in Whitefish.

Marks has been a capable and hard-working administrator during some very challenging high-growth years in Whitefish. Though he'd rather see the credit for city improvements go to his staff and the community, the fact is that Marks has been at the helm of a city that in recent years has seen marked improvement on many fronts.

During his tenure, the city reconstructed streets and sidewalks, built a water treatment plant, improved the sewer plant, landscaped U.S. 93 South, built an indoor ice rink, converted the Armory to a community center, developed Kay Beller Park, built bike paths and adopted a community-driven growth policy. And that's just a sampling of the many Whitefish improvements that came to fruition during Marks' time as manager.

We wish him and his family well as he embarks on a new challenge in Sun Valley. He leaves big shoes to fill in Whitefish.

Many of our local graduating high school seniors also are leaving big shoes to fill.

The strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" will resound at schools across the valley tonight and through next week as nearly 1,000 Flathead Valley high school seniors go through commencement exercises.

These are occasions for tears and cheers, for pride and processionals, as our teen-agers mark a major rite of passage in their lives.

The graduating classes at the five high schools are full of individual stories of academic success, athletic prowess, determination and, in some cases, the ability to overcome daunting obstacles to achieve diplomas.

And many of those who will cross the commencement stage also have accomplished great things outside the classroom through volunteerism and community service.

Several of those graduates have been profiled in a series of stories in the Inter Lake this week. To those we offer a special salute for their service to others.

To all the members of the Class of 2008, we offer congratulations and best wishes for the future.