Three incumbents return to Kalispell Council

Four seats on the Kalispell City Council were open this election cycle, but Phil Guiffrida III will be the only new face next year, according to unofficial election results tabulated on Tuesday night.

Guiffrida, 33, defeated Cecilia Lee for an open Ward Four seat that incumbent Duane Larson is leaving after 21 years in office.

Guiffrida, a member of the Kalispell City Planning Board, took 66.04 percent of the vote in the race against Lee, the executive secretary for the Kalispell Fire Department.

In Ward Two, incumbent Wayne Saverud took 52.88 percent of the vote and managed to defeat challengers Chad Graham and Erik Jerde.

Graham, vice chairman of the Kalispell City Planning Board, came in second with 44.29 percent of the vote while Jerde took just 2.68 percent.

Incumbent Kari Gabriel was unopposed for a Ward One seat.

Incumbent Randy Kenyon was re-elected to his Ward Three seat, taking 70.89 percent of the vote. Walter Keathley filed to run against Kenyon, but later tried and was unable to remove his name from the ballot because of unforeseen personal health issues.

Voter turnout in Kalispell ranged from a low of 20.41 percent in the Ward One race to a high of 45.05 percent in the three-way Ward Two contest.