Nonpartisan forum to address affordable-housing challenges

by Daily Inter Lake
| November 16, 2021 12:00 AM

A panel of local professionals working to provide affordable housing in the Flathead Valley will take the stage at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

This non-partisan event is coordinated by the Flathead County Democratic Central Committee and co-sponsored by the Kalispell Education Association, the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors, and NeighborWorks Montana.

Panelists include:

• Kim Morisaki, executive director of the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust in Kalispell

• Ryan Hunter, member of the Kalispell City Council and land protection specialist for the Flathead Land Trust

• Ed Docter, owner of Tamarack Ski Shop and Montana Tap House and founder of Whitefish Workforce Housing Project

• Ben Johnson, member of the Whitefish Housing Authority board of directors;

• Jerry Dunker, managing partner of Trail View, LLC, in Whitefish.

"There will not be any political speeches or campaigning at this event," FCDCC chairwoman Lynn Stanley noted. "This is the first of several community-issue events the committee is organizing to bring to light policy solutions to some of the most critical problems facing Montanans and local community leaders."

Though the discussion comes the night before the continuation of a public hearing on one of Whitefish’s largest housing developments in recent memory, the timing is coincidental, Stanley said, and not intended to be a forum to address the pros or cons of that development.

"We appreciate our co-sponsors' support for this event, showcasing not only the urgency of the problem but the nonpartisan nature of it," Stanley said. "Democrats and Republicans alike struggle to find affordable places to live in the Flathead so that they can support themselves and their families. Solving this problem, along with many others the committee will explore in the coming months, requires citizen participation, Democrats and Republicans, Libertarians and Independents, all working together."

The event is open to the public with attendance encouraged for those who are vaccinated. Masks and social distancing are also urged for attendees. Audience members will have a chance to ask questions of the panelists following an hour-long moderated discussion.