Electorate opts for change

Election Day always brings its share of surprises, and this year did not disappoint.

Most significant perhaps was the large margin of victory for Tammi Fisher in her bid to unseat Mayor Pam Kennedy after her eight years in that office. The election probably was a barometer of the mood of the voters as much as anything, and the mood is impatient and unsettled.

People do want change, but they want accountability and responsiveness even more than that. Whether rightly or wrongly, Kennedy was being judged on the successes and failures of the previous city manager and the City Council as a whole, and not merely on her own role as mayor.

In fact, Kennedy has performed ably for these many years as the city’s ambassador and spokesperson. She should take pride in her accomplishments, and for maintaining a good attitude no matter how vocal her opponents were.

As for Fisher, she has a steep challenge ahead. We wish her well as she learns the ropes and prepares to lead the city for the next four years.

Up the highway in Whitefish, another hard-fought race saw the election of three new City Council members and the defeat of incumbent Frank Sweeney. Again, we have to acknowledge the dedication of Sweeney to the betterment of Whitefish as he saw it, and yet wish well to those who succeed him.

Public service is never an easy task, and in these hard times it is not an enviable one. We hope that the voters share our hopes for a smooth transition and a successful tenure for our new office-holders.

IN OTHER recent elections, it was a mixed bag for school funding requests.

Cayuse Prairie voters responded in force (a 61 percent turnout) to approve a $1.95 million bond issue for a new gym and other improvements.

And Kalispell elementary district voters supported a $2.8 million building-reserve levy extension.

A separate high school building reserve request didn’t fare as well, losing at the polls largely due to opposition from outlying school districts.

The message in these votes might be that the closer to home, the more willing taxpayers are to part with their hard-earned dollars.

And although the school board can turn right around and ask again for approval of the high school building reserve, board members wisely have decided to wait.

They apparently got the message that some people voted “no” simply because they don’t have the money.

Looming on the horizon, too, for Kalispell Public Schools is a projected $1.1 million shortfall in next year’s budget — a combination of the end of stimulus funding and the beginning of pay raises for school staffers.

Trustees have got their hands full.