Letters to the editor Oct. 25

Barnhart for mayor

I’ve already completed and mailed my ballot for the Columbia Falls City Council election. While disappointed there weren’t more candidates seeking election to the council, I had no problem putting my “X” next to Don Barnhart’s name.

So when I read there are some write-in candidates for the mayor’s job, and especially reading about their desire to do away with the city manager form of government, I wanted to give Don more than my vote. I want to give him my voice of support.

Don has not asked for my endorsement. He may, in fact, not want it, knowing as he does how controversial was my tenure as the city’s first city manager. Nevertheless, having moved back to Columbia Falls after a long absence, and thinking back to the exciting, albeit tumultuous time of transition from the mayor-council to the council-manager form of government, I remember Don as an essential and dependable colleague throughout.

With him as fire chief, along with the rest of the administrative staff and the council, we managed to make much needed improvements to the fire department, setting the course for a new fire hall and allowing for much needed improvements to city hall.

Although absent from the community for much of the last two decades, I have returned to find things stable and city growth to be manageable and responsible. Much of this, of course, goes to the credit of a stable council and capable manager. But the long-term leadership and guidance that Don has given the city cannot be underestimated.

With change happening, and bigger changes on the horizon, now is not the time to look back in Columbia Falls. The council-manager form of government works. It is working, in large part, due to Don’s leadership, then, now, and tomorrow.

—Roger Hopkins, Columbia Falls

Dahlman for council

The election of Jessica Dahlman to Kalispell’s City Council would be an accomplishment for the community. During my former years as a Kalispell resident and RN, I had the pleasure of working alongside Jessica at KRMC and bearing witness to her commitment to excellence and empathy every day in her practice. Her vision of an equitable and healthy community is a longstanding characteristic of Jessica that sets her above the rest. She combines the qualities of enthusiasm and kindness into an incredible drive to improve the lives of others. These unique attributes should be present in community leadership, and she is prepared to deliver.

Nurses are natural leaders. Our skills of critical thinking, thoughtful decision-making, active listening, emotional intelligence and effective communication put us in a position to serve our patients as educators, advocates, caregivers and mentors. And now, Kalispell has the opportunity to elect Jessica Dahlman, who can deliver these essential services to the community. Jessica is an advocate for vulnerable and marginalized populations and understands the importance of the participation of all Kalispell residents in the civil process. Nurses understand the importance of being attuned to the populations they serve and Jessica will support community collaboration to develop solutions that reflect her core values of inclusion and integrity.

Help her bring her passion for this community to the front lines of leadership. Jessica Dahlman has the intuition, creativity and knowledge to move Kalispell to a place of safety and security. With your support this November 2nd this mission could be realized. Vote for Nurse Dahlman.

—Catherine Akin, Livingston

Candidate withdraws

Hello, My name is Mark E. Owens and I wanted to notify Whitefish voters that I have decided to pull my name out of the running for Whitefish City council for personal reasons.

Instead, I would request that folks which may have planned on voting for me would instead consider casting their votes for Kristen Riter as the candidate that best reflects my views and vision on the future for Whitefish. I would also request that folks in Whitefish support another candidate to win a second seat on the City Council, Giuseppe Caltabiano (G-man) as another excellent choice to lead Whitefish toward a better future.

Unfortunately my name was not withdrawn in time to have it removed from the voting ballot. This is why I am sending this letter to the editor to inform Whitefish voters of my decision to withdraw.

—Mark Owens, Whitefish

Vote to re-up Whitefish resort tax

Whitefish’s resort tax — a 3% sales tax on tourism-industry goods and services – is the tax every local should love.

First of all, 25% of resort tax revenues are used to off-set local property taxes, which, given the current real-estate market, should excite property owners and renters alike.

Second, the tax allows the community to capture value from the tourism industry and keep it local. By targeting tourism industry sales such as hotels, the tax generates income from visitors – without it, infrastructure improvements currently funded by the resort tax would probably be financed by local taxpayers or not at all. If we do not reinstate the resort tax, the relationship will effectively be reversed: taxes on Whitefish locals will be necessary to pay for visitors’ impacts on local infrastructure. Improving and investing in infrastructure including streets, bike paths, and trails with resort tax revenues is not only a matter of maintaining the infrastructure itself, it is also vital to maintaining our town’s tourism economy. Well-kept local facilities keep visitors coming back and leave them with a positive impression of our town.

While tourism comes with certain annoyances that we all know well, we can’t deny that incoming money from visitors is critical to Whitefish’s local economy. So let’s tax the tourists! Vote Nov. 2 to keep the resort tax.

—Grete Gansauer, Whitefish