City manager has hands full

Inter Lake editorial

Jane Howington, the new city manager for Kalispell, will certainly have her hands full when she starts the job officially on Aug. 4.

Contentious issues are a dime a dozen for Kalispell city government, ranging from budget concerns, planning and growth worries, contract negotiations and - well -hiring city managers.

But after reading her responses to an interview by the Daily Inter Lake earlier this week, we are at least confident that Howington brings the right attitude to the table. As assistant city manager in much larger Dayton, Ohio, she has apparently performed admirably and is well-liked. That is a rare trick for a city bureaucrat.

"There's nothing I can do or say to put all the people at ease," Howington wisely said. "But give me a chance to come into the community and work with you to build partnerships we need to build."

We agree, and we believe most citizens wish her well as she begins a difficult job.

IT'S ENCOURAGING to see the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission forging ahead with wolf management, despite litigation, recently approving a statewide hunting quota of 75 wolves for the upcoming season.

The state of Montana needs to assert, at every opportunity, the management authority it has gained after long-fought, good-faith efforts toward wolf recovery and delisting under the Endangered Species Act.

A coalition of 13 environmental groups filed suit on June 2 to once again derail delisting, and the state has rightfully declared its intention of intervening in the case to see to it that wolves remain a managed species in Montana. The quota of 75 animals is sustainable, considering the proven ability of wolves to rapidly reproduce and proliferate in Montana just over the last few years.

GOT MOSQUITOES?

Flathead County's mosquito program coordinator, Bruce Gunderson, went on the record last week as saying "overall, mosquito numbers are down."

Well, that certainly got some folks buzzing. Turns out that if you live on a piece of land where mosquitoes are plentiful, you don't really care if the "overall" number is down.

Of course, we sympathize with the folks still getting bit by the bugs, but we also think maybe Gunderson is right. Mosquitoes could be less pesky than in recent years, for which we are grateful.

Now pass the fly swatter, and let's get back to work.