OPINION: Why I wish to continue serving on Kalispell council

I have been asked repeatedly why I want to continue serving on the Kalispell City Council. I have had ample time to ponder this the past two months while spending my one day off a week going door to door in Ward 3, explaining what I do, listening to concerns, gathering ideas, and walking to exhaustion. So here is my best explanation to help you understand  my motivations and hopefully inspire others to action as well.

I grew up on the prairie of Eastern Montana and made my first trip to the Flathead Valley in 1979 to watch the annual bald eagle migration at Apgar (don’t ask — those old enough remember). Cresting the hill at Somers I looked out over the Kalispell valley and was infatuated — I knew I wanted to live here.

After military service and college I made my way back. I have lived, worked and paid taxes here since 1985. I managed a Main Street business, taught in local schools, and worked in marketing and sales. I raised four kids, and have six grandchildren that are all Kalispell natives. This city is my home. It is my family’s home.

Fifteen months ago the mayor and Kalispell City Council selected me — a political outsider — to serve alongside them and I have offered a new perspective based on my values and experiences. It was a task I was up for, and I have not been disappointed. I work hard and study diligently so as issues arose I felt confident in representing you, my constituents. I have compared my time on the council to that of jury duty — you sacrifice precious time, a lot of evidence is presented, and you are never going to please everyone. Nevertheless, our service is a necessity to the maintenance of our republic, and there is a deep satisfaction in that.

Why do I want to remain as a Ward 3 councilor? Besides the satisfaction of community service, I have fallen in love with the city I came to serve.

Kalispell is unlike any other city in Montana with its own personality, a beauty all its own. A city possessing unique problems as a county seat, a resort town that isn’t, a small town struggling to survive and compete with its white-collar neighbors. We are a city rich in history, culture, and benevolence. An epicenter of retail, cutting-edge health care, and quality education. A community in constant growing pains with big dollar needs and a shoestring budget. Kalispell is a community of survivors with an awareness of our environment and our responsibility to live with it, not just in it. I am Kalispell. I am home.

I have said before, and will state again here that the Kalispell City Council is not a place to “gain experience, pad a resume, or push an agenda.” A councilor cannot take sides. We are a legislative body that has to make impartial decisions in the best interest of the entire community — not just a neighborhood. We can have an opinion, but must remain open-minded until we have heard all of the evidence. And we must be able to change our opinion based on that evidence.

My wife always told our children that “how you do anything is how you do everything.” I pay attention to details. I value hard work and common sense. I have treated people with dignity and respect. That is how I have lived my life, raised my family, and how I will continue to serve my community. I have labored to represent this city and have a vision to take Kalispell to its next destination.

My vision is grand, but my goals are simple:

1) Continue steering Kalispell toward responsible growth.

2) Find a fair and long-term mechanism to pay for it while getting the most for our tax dollars.

Together let’s make Kalispell a place our children will come home to, or never have to leave.

Rod Kuntz represents Ward 3 on the Kalispell City Council.