Whitefish council, judge positions up for election this year

The terms of Whitefish City Council members Chris Hyatt, Bill Kahle and Phil Mitchell expire at the end of the year.

The Nov. 5 city election will be conducted with mail ballots.

All of the council terms are volunteer positions held for four years. Candidates must be registered voters within the city of Whitefish and city residents for at least 60 days preceding the election.

The four-year term for Municipal Judge Bradley Johnson also expires at the end of the year. Johnson was first elected city judge in 1985 and later was elected municipal judge when the city changed to a municipal court system in 2009.

A municipal court judge must have the same qualifications as a judge of a district court, as set forth in state law, except that a municipal court judge need only be admitted to the practice of law in Montana for at least three years prior to the date of appointment or election.

The filing fee for the Whitefish municipal judge position is $720.91, or 1 percent of the current judge’s salary of $72,091, according to county Election Supervisor Monica Eisenzimer.

Filing for city elections opens at 8 a.m. on April 29 and closes at 5 p.m. June 27.

Those interested in filing for a council seat or municipal judge position may download further information from the Flathead County Election Department, http://flathead.mt.gov/election, or stop by Whitefish City Hall.