Whitefish votes for change

Three newcomers elected to City Council

Whitefish voters opted for change in a big way on Tuesday, electing three newcomers to seats on the Whitefish City Council.

Chris Hyatt, Bill Kahle and Phil Mitchell will replace outgoing council members Nick Palmer, Nancy Woodruff and Frank Sweeney on Jan. 4.

Hyatt had 1,415 votes, Kahle 1,344 and Mitchell 1,057 to win the three seats. Sweeney had 961 votes and Palmer, who was on the ballot but had withdrawn his candidacy, received 264 votes.

Hyatt is a consultant for Northfork Strategies and owned Ski Mountain Sports for 12 years in downtown Whitefish.

Kahle is a real estate developer who has focused on infill development.

Mitchell manages a number of Whitefish rental units and is retired from a career in golf course construction and management.

Sweeney - a Whitefish attorney who was appointed to the council in January to fill the remainder of Shirley Jacobson's term - was the only incumbent running for re-election.

In what became a highly charged local election, governance of Whitefish's two-mile "doughnut" area, the downtown streetscape and the critical areas ordinance were the biggest hot-button issues.

The winning candidates vowed to work on the issue of representation for the residents of the doughnut area and want to fine-tune the critical areas ordinance.

The new council members are proponents of economic development and bringing to Whitefish environmentally friendly businesses that can provide good-paying jobs.