Ward changes await voters in Kalispell

After a redrawing of the Kalispell City Council’s ward maps last year, voters need to keep in mind that they may not be in the same ward as they were in the last municipal election.

That was the case for council member Bob Hafferman, who opted not to run for re-election but saw his own house shifted from Ward 1 to Ward 3.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and all four Kalispell wards had some boundary adjustments.

“We need to get that straight so people know they have a contested election,” said Karlene Osorio-Khor, who is running against Jason Mueller and incumbent Jim Atkinson for a Ward 3 seat.

“All the folks on 10th Street have rung me up and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know I could vote for you,’” Osorio-Khor said about the boundary of Ward 3 being extended south of the Flathead County Courthouse.

As Atkinson prepares to get out and start knocking on doors, he said ward changes can be difficult for candidates as well as voters. “I’ve knocked on wrong doors in the past. It’s kind of funny, on this side of the street it’s in your ward on the other side it’s not,” he said.

The race for Ward 3 and a race for Ward 1 between Sandy Carlson and Joseph Apple currently are the only contested races in an election being dominated by a citywide referendum on the Kalispell City Airport.

Osorio-Khor is making the airport a central issue in her run for office. She points to Atkinson’s support of a proposed airport expansion and upgrade through the federal Airport Improvement Program — a project she staunchly opposes.

Chad Graham is unopposed in his run for a Ward 2 seat, incumbent council member Tim Kluesner is unopposed in his run for a Ward 4 seat and Mark Johnson is unopposed in his run for a citywide mayoral seat.

But that could still change.

Council member Jeff Zauner said Friday he is pondering a run as a write-in candidate for re-election in Ward 2, where he would face Chad Graham.

Zauner plans to make a decision on Monday, well before the Oct. 4 deadline for him or any other possible write-in candidates to properly file with the Flathead County Election Department.

Zauner said he initially decided to not run for re-election so that he could pursue another opportunity, but that opportunity never presented itself.

“A lot of people have contacted me and asked if I would be willing to do a write-in campaign,” Zauner said. “I’ve been approached and I am considering it and a decision will be made very soon.”

The names of properly declared write-in candidates do not appear on the ballot. But voters can write them in and if they are spelled correctly, they will count toward the election results, said Monica Eisenzimer, election supervisor for the Flathead County Election Department.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.