City manager leaves Kalispell job
<p>Jane Howington’s last day as Kalispell city manager was Wednesday.</p>
Kalispell City Manager Jane Howington spent her last day on the job Wednesday, handing the reins over to David Nielsen, who will serve as interim city manager.
“I’ve given him quite a transition memo,” Howington said. “I call it my epic.”
Howington is leaving Kalispell on Saturday to take a city manager job in Newport, R.I.
She starts work there Monday.
Nielsen, who is 62, retired as Helena’s city attorney on Dec. 30 after nearly 16 years on the job.
He will fill in as interim city manager for 150 days or until a permanent hire is made.
Howington said she is confident that Nielsen will be a highly qualified interim city manager for Kalispell with an extensive knowledge of local government issues and state law in Montana.
Despite a local economy that remains slow, Howington said she sees Kalispell in a great position to move forward.
She said the high point of her two and a half years on the job in Kalispell was working with “a wonderful council and staff” to get the city budget back on track.
The low point was having to make some hard decisions that left a lot of people unhappy with her, she said.