KALISPELL — The city of Kalispell will have a new mayor to start the new year for the first time in 12 years, as current Mayor Mark Johnson is not seeking reelection.
Three candidates are vying for the spot in the Tuesday, Nov. 4, election.
MTN News sits down with Ryan Hunter for the first of our mayoral candidate profiles.
Watch to hear from Kalispell mayoral candidate Ryan Hunter:
Hunter has lived in the Flathead Valley for 16 years and works as a Land Protection Specialist for the Flathead Land Trust, and has served as a Kalispell City Council Member for the last six years.
“And I’d really like to step into a leadership role because we are going to be seeing a lot of changes with all the growth in our community, it’s important we have someone in the mayor seat who has the experience and the knowledge to guide the city thoughtfully through this time,” said Hunter.
When asked what one of the key issues the City of Kalispell is facing, Hunter said affordable housing.
“One of those strategies in there that I would like to utilize is take city property that’s vacant and partner with nonprofit housing providers to allow them to build income-based affordable housing on those lots,” said Hunter.
Hunter said that if he's elected mayor, he would find ways to manage the continued growth Kalispell is experiencing.
“We need to have what I believe are complete neighborhoods and these are neighborhoods where we have a variety of housing types, as well as some commercial mixed in so folks can meet some of the commercial needs within their own neighborhoods so we are not all jumping on the same roads going to the same destination and contributing to the traffic congestion in our city.”
Watch the full interview with Ryan Hunter:
Hunter said he wants to work closely with business owners to help revitalize downtown Kalispell.
“When I talk to business owners, they say one of the biggest issues is the noise and volume of traffic downtown and so working with the community to find ways to address that problem is a big priority.”
Hunter believes he has the right amount of experience and leadership to be Kalispell’s next mayor.
“I think I have the track record that proves that when under pressure and when it really counts, I make the right decisions, I listen to the public, I weigh the evidence, and I make a balanced, thoughtful decision,” said Hunter.
MTN will have a profile on mayoral candidate Kisa Davison on Wednesday, followed by a profile on candidate Sid Daoud on Thursday.
