Former Kalispell mayor Pam Carbonari wraps up decades of public service

When a young Pam Kennedy came to the Flathead Valley from Minnetonka, Minnesota, she fell in love with Montana’s outdoor activities like cross-country skiing and hiking. She also saw the hardships endured by a rural community, and she wanted to help out. 

“I found that I wanted to be involved with family crisis matters,” she recalls. That was 1978.  

Now, after 29 years of serving Kalispell — her first eight years as a city council member, then eight years as mayor, followed by 13 years leading the city’s business improvement organizations — she has retired but still plans to stay involved in the community.