Letters to the editor Oct. 24

Local elections matter

Realistically, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi and Ted Cruz have a minor impact on my daily life. Decisions and policies of local elected officials, on the other hand, can have a major effect on our day-to-day life. Local politicians make decisions about growth, building and development, affordable housing, what is taught in our schools, how our law enforcement is funded, what type of cases are prosecuted, and the direction our communities should move. They decide if you have marijuana dispensaries in your neighborhood, if people can live in their vehicles on your streets, mask/no mask mandates, how many housing developments are approved, and how much we pay for local taxes and fees, as well as water and sewer.

When you vote for local candidates, rather than just voting for them because they have a D, R, I, or any other letter next to their name, vote for them based on their policies and vision for your community. What are their life experiences, where are they from, what jobs have they had, where were they educated, who is supporting them, who is not supporting them, and what are their stances on local issues? These all could influence how they will vote and affect our community.

Decisions of national politicians did not cause people to leave places like New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Portland, or Seattle. Those communities became what they are because of the policies put in place by local elected officials. It’s important to vote, but it’s more important to be an informed voter. Know about your candidates and their vision for your community.

— Mike Skinner, Bigfork

Support Rod Kuntz

When Councilor Randy Kenyon’s position came open on the City Council in 2014, I did not know or support Rod Kuntz’s appointment.

Once I began working with him, I found him to be conscientious, cooperative and supportive of one of the most successful teams I had worked with in my 29 years of service on the council. Rod embraced the general goals the council had to serve with balance and a positive foresight to Kalispell’s future. He helped shape the Growth Policy, Plan It 2035, by looking at Kalispell 15 to 50 years into our future, while making well researched and thoughtful policies for our city’s immediate needs.

Rod Kuntz proved that he had the skills necessary to bring parties together on difficult issues like the Flathead High School parking issue, and the courage to challenge the status quo on sensitive issues like those we encountered on the mayor’s Homeless Task Force. Peeling the layers back can often be painful, but Rod never shirked from asking probing questions that could yield unexpected and honest responses. Responses that often drew harsh and undo criticism.

The Kalispell City Council is entering into the exciting and unchartered waters of a post pandemic economy coupled with unprecedented growth and change. Vision is needed to manage that growth. Cooperation is needed to manage the change. A positive attitude and experience is needed to help all involved embrace the exciting tasks we have ahead of us. Rod Kuntz has exhibited these attributes as few others in my experience have.

I support Rod Kuntz and know a vote for Kuntz is a vote for the best interests not just of Ward 3, but all of Kalispell.

— Jim Atkinson, Kalispell

Housing crisis

After mailing in my ballot for the upcoming election and researching the candidates, their statements regarding the housing crisis don’t inspire any confidence.

I moved to the valley from Portland, Ore., in 2016 just as the mayor for that city declared a state of emergency for a housing crisis.

The people who were most affected were people already living on the fringes and struggling to maintain stable housing. Increasing costs and demand for housing led to an increase in homelessness.

Kalispell is a very different city than Portland in size, demographics, geography and leadership. The decisions that we make as a city won’t have the same impact as it did in Portland, but it’s still something we need to be thoughtful about.

Consider the worker shortage. Many businesses are offering starting pay of upward of $15/hr plus generous bonuses. However, $15/hr is not enough to pay your rent in this town, not by any stretch. How can we hope to solve the worker shortage problem when the people in those income brackets can’t afford to live here? And the problem is not just Kalispell, it’s the entire valley.

Whatever our city leadership looks like on Nov. 2, I ask them to use creative problem-solving. That way, we can bring a balance to the market that benefits both renters and landlords.

—Jane Endacott, Kalispell