Candidate for Whitefish City Council Nancy Schuber

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: Nancy Schuber

Age: 68

Family: Husband Charlie, five grandchildren

Occupation: Retired fitness professional from The Wave

Community involvement: Four years and currently serving on Lakeshore Protection Committee, volunteer instructor with Dream Adaptive Recreation

Why are you the right candidate for the position?

Our current City Council lacks balance, women are under-represented. Serving four years on the Lakeshore Protection Committee has given me experience in city government. I am confident in my ability to grasp concepts quickly, listen carefully to both sides and make sound decisions.

As the city updates its growth policy, what is your vision for Whitefish’s future?

I encourage everyone to sign up and get involved in Vision Whitefish 2045. Your vision is our future. We have a housing and parking shortage for our local workforce. I recommend developing a bus system between Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell. This would provide a low-cost option to commute to Whitefish without a car.

What role should the city take in addressing housing?

Short-term solutions include rental subsidies for our workforce. We should also examine subsidizing owners of short-term rental properties to become long-term workforce rentals. Both of these programs could be funded by both the city and the private sector. Give developers who are willing to build affordable units a break on impact and permit fees, and streamline the planning approval process.

How should the city manage public safety needs amid rapid growth?

I am proud to live in a community with great police and fire departments. Whitefish was voted “the safest town in Montana” Let’s bring the Montana Department of Transportation back and choose a traffic plan for downtown that’s best for all residents, then implement it. For the safety of the existing and growing population north of the viaduct, we should be looking ahead to building another viaduct.

What other issues should the city be addressing?

Term limits — we need a council that is always evolving, offering new perspectives. Bringing fresh, qualified people to serve, could help to foster better relations with our county commissioners.

I recommend adjusting the 25% property tax rebate we currently receive from our 3% resort tax to include registered voters only. Second homeowners would be excluded, and full-time renters would be included.

Recycling — let’s bring the recycling discussion back and make this happen.