Letters to the editor Oct. 5

Davison a great leader

Please join me in supporting Kisa Davision for mayor of Kalispell. 

I am a business and property owner in the heart of Kalispell and I enthusiastically support Davison to be the next mayor and leader of Kalispell. Davison understands and will work hard to address the important issues that face the city of Kalispell. Davison will diligently and enthusiastically work to provide accountable service and protect public safety; promote orderly strategic growth; promote the revitalization of downtown Kalispell; and lead the effort to solve the housing crisis. These are extremely important issues that face the citizens of Kalispell and Davison is the right leader to help solve them as mayor of Kalispell.

Davison is an energetic and dynamic leader who successfully runs a private business and knows how it feels to sign both sides of a paycheck. She has a high energy level and the determination to make Kalispell the best Kalispell can be. I urge you to reach out to her and chat with her and see for yourself how great of a leader she will be for the city of Kalispell. For the sake of making Kalispell’s future be the best that it can be, please join me in supporting Kisa Davison for mayor of Kalispell.

— Jeff H. Larsen, Lakeside

Kalispell is not Portland

Ryan Hunter, who is running for mayor of Kalispell, thinks he can turn Kalispell into Portland. That is a super bad idea. 

We the people of Kalispell don’t want to dig up our grass and put in rocks instead (which, in my opinion, Hunter wants).

We the people of Kalispell don’t want porta potties and water fountains everywhere to attract more homeless people (which, in my opinion, Hunter wants).

We the people of Kalispell don’t want a Housing Authority: meaning free housing for homeless people, where the city taxpayers (all of us) have to pay for it (which, in my opinion, Hunter wants).

Vote no to Ryan Hunter for mayor. We are not Portland, and we don’t want to be Portland.

— Julie Martin, Kalispell

Davison unfit for mayor

Kisa Davison is absolutely unfit to run the city of Kalispell.  

She is a developer, which is a total conflict of interest for a mayoral role. Davison wants to turn Kalispell into a two-lane Main Street, while more than 90% of Kalispell residents want it to remain four lanes. 

Davison lacks any political experience. And her knowledge of how a council works appears to be limited, as she thought she had to be “invited” to speak or be involved in a Kalispell City Council work session (no one has to be invited).

Kisa doesn’t seem to be talking about any real issues except building business and the plan for changing downtown. This is a real problem, because the role of mayor must be very broad and multifaceted and able to understand and undertake many issues/areas.

Kisa Davison is just not the right fit for Kalispell. She lacks the right kind of experience, humility, ethics and logic to run our city.

— Julie Baldridge, Kalispell

A fresh perspective

For those of us who grew up in Kalispell, the city was once a vibrant place. Department stores, cafes, and drug stores lined Main Street, spilling into adjacent streets and avenues. It was a treat to go downtown. 

But then came the 1970s and the mall era and downtown Kalispell went on life support: Where stately buildings once rose, Main Street became pocked with parking lots after a rash of arson fires; storefront after storefront stood blank and empty. Thankfully, though the renaissance of this past decade has brought some appreciable restoration, Kalispell still faces challenges. With the rapid growth, rising property taxes and unprecedented homeless conundrum, intentional leadership is needed to save the ground won back.

In that regard, I recently had the privilege of hearing Kisa Davison speak at a campaign event.  As a mayoral candidate, I found her qualifications to be impressive: Kisa is intelligent, practical and articulate. The owner of two successful Kalispell businesses, she brings a wealth of business experience and leadership prowess to the table. As a Kalispell resident, Kisa is extremely aware of the challenges homeowners now face: rising taxes, increasing pressure on infrastructure and services and a burgeoning crime rate. As Kalispell creeps north — and south and east and west — as more and more precious farmland is swallowed up, I concur with Kisa especially on urban growth policy: Kalispell needs to grow up and not just out. 

I believe Kalispell could use some new blood and a fresh perspective in its city government, and I believe Kisa Davison offers both. Please support her in her bid for mayor.

— Kathleen Burt, Kalispell