McGarvey: A gracious problem-solver

One of the pleasures of working in the newspaper business is that we get to meet and enjoy the company of many members of the community.

Oftentimes, they stop by with a letter to the editor, a story suggestion or even a complaint. Some of them are regulars — people who value the newspaper as much as we value our readers — and with them, we develop a deeper relationship of trust and friendship.

Such a person was Dale McGarvey, the Kalispell attorney who died Saturday at the age of 90. For at least the last 60 of those years, McGarvey had been a frequent visitor to the Inter Lake and was even more frequently cited in its pages. Though he had only served a couple of terms in the Legislature in the late 1950s and early ’60s, his interest in public policy was lifelong and he was a fierce advocate for the public’s rights across a broad spectrum of causes.

Most recently, he had taken an active role in challenging the state’s reappraisal of properties that he maintained did not accurately account for plunging property values after the economic downturn began in 2008. He encouraged and educated our reporters on complicated topics such as that one, and lent his expertise to our readers with frequent letters to the editor explaining legislative and policy issues. And though he was a lifelong Democrat and a strong partisan voice, he was a representative of an earlier era where decorum and respect went hand in hand with community service and political debate.

One thing more than any other characteristic stood out with Dale — he was genuinely interested in working toward solutions, and he listened just as carefully as he spoke. He was a good man who touched many lives with his caring approach to public service.