Second council race contested

Jeff Zauner filed papers on Monday as a candidate for Kalispell City Council Ward 2, making it a contested race between him and incumbent Hank Olson.

Zauner is a Flathead native whose father, Fred, founded the local Coast to Coast store and later, with his brother, opened Zauner's Ace Hardware on Meridian Road in Kalispell.

Jeff and Fred Zauner ran the store until its closing, then Jeff Zauner moved on to work with irrigation systems and then with wireless and cellular accounts. He now is an account executive for CellularOne.

He's running for City Council "to communicate with the businesses and stimulate the business channel with the city government," he said.

"I also have serious concerns with the budget," Zauner said of the process that left the city with minimal cash reserves. "I felt maybe I should be part of it. My plan is to help find solutions."

Olson is a retired Whitefish Chevrolet dealer who is serving his eighth year on the Kalispell City Council.

He earlier served on the Whitefish City Council and, just after its transition from a strong-mayor to a city-manager form of government, served as its mayor for a time.

Olson is running for his third term on the Kalispell council.

It makes for the second contested race for the Kalispell City Council. Earlier, Marc Rold filed to run against incumbent Jim Atkinson in Ward 3.

The mayor's race also likely will be contested, with attorney Tammi Fisher announcing her candidacy earlier this month. Incumbent Mayor Pam Kennedy told the Inter Lake that she intends to file for re-election but had not done so as of late Monday.

Council incumbents Bob Hafferman in Ward 1 and Tim Kluesner in Ward 2 also filed for re-election. As yet, they are unopposed.

Judge Heidi Ulbricht also filed to keep her post.

In Whitefish, Bill Kahle filed Monday for a position on the City Council. Chris Hyatt and Philip B. Mitchell previously filed as council candidates.

The terms of incumbents Nick Palmer, Frank Sweeney and Nancy Woodruff expire at the end of the year, but none has filed yet for re-election.

Whitefish City Judge Bradley Johnson is running for Whitefish's new municipal judge post.

In Columbia Falls, Matthew McConville and incumbent Michael Shepard have filed for council seats. Shepard, whose position runs through the end of December, is the only incumbent so far who has filed.

Council members Harvey Reikofski and Dave Petersen both are serving terms that expire at the end of the year.

Don Barnhart, former fire chief and a current council member, is running for mayor. Mayor Jolie Fish is finishing her first term but has not filed for re-election.

The deadline is July 2 for candidates to file for this year's election.