New face to join C.F. Council

Darin Fisher will be a new face on the Columbia Falls City Council, according to unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

Fisher, 34, and incumbents Douglas Karper and Julie Plevel got the most votes in a close but friendly race among five candidates in the running for three open seats on the council.

Karper took 22.71 percent of the vote and was followed by Plevel with 21.03 percent and Fisher with 20.86 percent.

Fisher, a political newcomer, is a trails technician with the U.S. Forest Service. He said he ran a quiet and low-key campaign just hoping to get more involved in the city and do what he can to help.

"A lot of it is just making sure Columbia Falls stays a good, livable, enjoyable community," he said in an earlier interview. "There's no radical change on my agenda."

Another challenger, 29-year-old Sammi Johnson, placed fourth in the election with 18.92 percent of the vote. She was followed by eight-year incumbent Harvey Reikofski Jr. with 16.32 percent.

Compared to some of the other local races, voter turnout in Columbia Falls was low, with 16.47 percent of the city's 2,653 registered voters casting a ballot.