Candidate for Whitefish City Council Jim Ramlow
The Daily Inter Lake reached out to Whitefish City Council candidates running in the Nov. 7 municipal election. The information below was provided by the candidates and edited for spelling, punctuation and space.
Name: Jim Ramlow
Age: 70
Family: Married to Alma Ramlow for 45 years. Two sons: Bruce and Hugh.
Occupation: Attorney, focusing on business and estate planning and taxation.
Community Involvement: Adult leader for Whitefish Boy Scout Troop 17 for 15 years (partnering with Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation for seven summers); coach for Whitefish youth baseball; multiple-year volunteer for Clean the Fish; Pro-Bono legal representation emphasizing assistance to Russian and Ukrainian immigrants; Whitefish Public School Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy committee.
Why are you the right candidate for the position?
I am a native and lifelong resident of Whitefish. After earning degrees in political theory, law, and federal tax, I chose to live in Whitefish because it has always been my home. Under new Montana laws which require cities to update their growth policies, Whitefish has a unique responsibility to tackle difficult policy choices which will influence its development for many years. I can bring to that process decades of experience in identifying and assessing complex problems, applying careful legal and practical analysis, and working in a collaborative environment to develop realistic solutions that serve the whole community.
As the city updates its growth policy, what is your vision for Whitefish’s future?
I wish for Whitefish to be a pleasant place to live and work, with meaningful employment and housing opportunities for people with diverse talents, interests, income levels, and abilities. City government should remain flexible and willing to accommodate the process of growth, not to dictate its appearance.
What role should the city take in addressing housing?
The 2023 Montana Land Use Planning Act (approved by votes of 95-5 in the House and 50-0 in the Senate) requires cities to replace outdated land use regulations and to allow denser development to reduce the cost of urban housing. In contrast, Whitefish has attempted to increase the supply of affordable housing by applying price controls in exchange for partial relief from its strict land use regulations. It must apply the new paradigm of reduced regulation to make the construction and operation of private multi-family housing units an attractive investment.
How should the city manage public safety needs amid rapid growth?
Whitefish has long since outgrown its primary transportation corridors. U.S. 93 and Montana 487 (north Baker and Wisconsin avenues) need widening, but the city lacks the funding to accomplish that on its own. Whitefish needs a second above-grade route over the BNSF railway tracks. These needs create both immediate and potential threats to public safety and will require cooperation with the state to address them. As it has in the past, the city should work to preserve its appearance, such as the mature trees along Spokane Avenue, but if appearance genuinely compromises safety, safety must come first.
What other issues should the city be addressing?
Whitefish lacks an economic base sufficient to support its growing population. It has lost important industries such as timber and the aluminum plant that, along with the railroad, historically fueled the local economy. Resort towns uniformly struggle to maintain affordability for the local population, so in addition to attracting tourists who come and go, Whitefish should work to attract higher-paying, year-round businesses who come and stay. Given its location on a major national rail line, industries such as manufacturing and agricultural processing are a natural fit that could enable higher wages and stable employment for its residents.