Whitefish City Council candidate Ben Davis

Ben Davis is one of eight candidates running for a seat on the Whitefish City Council. The others are Andy Feury, Kristen Riter, Phil Boland, Giuseppe Caltabiano, Vincent Dell'Omo, Judy Hessellund and Terry Petersen. Mark Owens' name also will appear on the November ballot, but he told the Daily Inter Lake he is no longer running, citing personal reasons.

Name: Ben Davis

Age: 39

Family: Married, one toddler child.

Occupation: Custom homebuilder. Owner of Seven Hills Construction.

Background: Current member of the Whitefish City Council and the Whitefish Climate Action Plan Steering Committee. Chairman of the Whitefish Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee. Former chairman of the Whitefish Housing Authority and former member of the Whitefish Board of Adjustment.

Contact: bdavis@cityofwhitefish.org

Why do you want to serve on the Whitefish City Council?

This community has given a lot to me, I am thankful to be able to live here, and I think it's important to give back when you can. We are at a pivotal time in our small town, and I think it is critical that the City Council is stepping up to the challenge. It is really important to me that we do not lose what we have. I have a lot of experience in relevant issues, and am usually not shy about voicing opinions … if any of that can help make a better place for our kids to grow up in, I'll be there.

How should the city address its shortage of affordable housing, while responsibly managing growth and development?

Two things must happen at the same time: More housing needs to be created for our community, and we also must not lose sight of who we are and what our town is. Proposed development in Whitefish must consider what the needs of the community are, and it is the City Council's responsibility to set those guardrails through careful growth planning, zoning policy and development approvals. You will find my viewpoint right in the middle: We need more workforce housing, building it should be encouraged, but not at the cost of our community character. Furthermore, the city should continue its efforts to follow the Strategic Housing Plan and develop additional housing that the private sector cannot do alone. Affordable housing is an absolutely critical issue in our town right now, and is something I have worked on for years as the chair of the Strategic Housing Committee. It will always be a topic I am passionate about finding solutions for.

As a council member, how would you prioritize the implementation of the city's Climate Action Plan?

The entire community of Whitefish is built around our mountains, lakes and the great outdoors. It is all of our responsibility to do our part to preserve what's around us, and that includes the city of Whitefish. I am a member of the Climate Action Plan Steering Committee, and with the rest of the council, I concur that sustainability of our environment is a priority in everything that we do. A lot of good work has been done, and continues to be done, to implement the goals of the Climate Action Plan, and this should continue.

A measure on the November ballot will ask voters to renew Whitefish's 3% resort tax. Should the measure pass?

Absolutely, yes. The citizens of Whitefish put up with a lot from having so many tourists in town, from traffic to high property prices. The resort tax is simply a means for the locals to ask the tourists to pay for part of those problems by covering some costs for infrastructure and reducing property taxes. It is an equitable way to share costs that must be paid for somehow. Why wouldn't we? The resort tax also supports local parks and the Whitefish trail system, which are important amenities in our town.

How should city officials continue to lead through the Covid-19 pandemic?

As we have been: prudent, pragmatic and following the expert guidance. Covid-19 is a difficult political issue that shouldn't be political, and gets turned into a lot of things it's not. We should agree to take reasonable steps to protect the health of our citizens if necessary, and we should stop requiring those measures as soon as it's possible to safely do so. How that gets determined is a complicated topic, and that's why we should rely on the experts and the science to guide us, not platitudes and social media. Looking at the big picture, widespread vaccine adoption is probably the only way to get us out of this pandemic, and most everyone can probably agree we don't want to deal with this anymore. Therefore I do believe getting vaccinated is a civic duty that should be encouraged.