Montana native picked for Whitefish manager job

A Montana native who is the current village administrator of Kimberly, Wisconsin, will be Whitefish’s new city manager.

Adam Hammatt was one of five finalists for the position. He will begin work Feb. 21, 2017, and replaces retiring City Manager Chuck Stearns.

In Hammatt’s current position as village administrator for Kimberly he heads all major city departments, including police, fire, public works, parks and recreation, finance and facilities maintenance.

He holds a Juris Doctor degree, Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, and is a credentialed manager through the International City-County Management Association. Before his tenure with Kimberly he worked as the village administrator for the Wisconsin village of Suamico and as city administrator for the city of Elroy, Wisconsin. Hammatt also has served as an EMT/safety officer for St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula and as a firefighter/paramedic for Great Falls Fire Rescue.

Hammatt has family in Great Falls and is excited to return to Montana with his wife and children, Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld said Thursday.

The Whitefish City Council has spent the better part of a year looking for someone to replace Stearns, who is retiring at the end of the year after eight years on the job in Whitefish. Four finalists were identified in mid-August, but for various reasons none of the finalists were able to commit to taking the job.

A second round of finalists was announced earlier this month.

Stearns has had an action-packed eight years in Whitefish. He led the city through difficult budgeting times in the aftermath of the recession and in the following steady increase of commercial and residential growth in the city. He carried out the direction of the City Council through the construction of the Emergency Services Building along with the transition to 24/7 emergency services and the move to bring the Whitefish Community Library under city control.

The massive reconstruction of Central Avenue and other downtown streets were completed on his watch, along with closing of the Haskill Basin conservation easement.

A $16 million City Hall and attached parking structure are under construction and slated for completion next year.