Phil Mitchell has a simple philosophy that's driving his bid for a seat on the Whitefish City Council: Listen to the people and respect their needs and opinions.

The council's recent vote on the downtown streetscape project is a prime example of the council pushing ahead without respecting public opinion, Mitchell said.

He estimated that 90 percent of downtown businesses don't want the narrower streets and wider sidewalks called for in the reconstruction plan, and pointed to a petition signed by hundreds of people opposed to key elements of the project.

"Between the downtown businesses and all the signatures, I think the council should have voted it down and taken another look at it," he said. "I would have tried to compromise."

Mitchell believes the narrower streets will make it much more difficult for delivery trucks and other large vehicles that need access to downtown businesses.

Mitchell also faulted the council for voting on the project before the city's second test period for wider sidewalks had concluded.

The people's will also needs to be heeded in the issue of city governance in the two-mile planning area outside the city known as the "doughnut," he said.

"I'm very much a property-rights person, within reason," Mitchell said. "Somehow these people [doughnut residents] need to have a say in what's going on with their property. They're not really represented by either the city or the county."

A District Court ruling earlier this year restored the city's jurisdiction over the doughnut until the Montana Supreme Court renders a decision.

Mitchell believes Whitefish needs a planning area outside its city limits, but doesn't have an immediate solution about how to provide representation for doughnut residents.

The property-rights issue extends to the city's critical areas ordinance, too, which Mitchell feels needs some tweaking to be more user-friendly.

"I'm OK with watershed management, but I'm not OK with the city telling me I can't build when an engineer says I can," he said.

ONE OF Mitchell's talking points is reducing the number of lawsuits the city is involved with.

"Our city attorney needs to negotiate, not just litigate," he said. "Cases like the Mrs. Spoonover's sign should be negotiated, not litigated. Lawsuits like these are a poor use of our tax dollars."

Mitchell was referring to the city's effort to get a mural of an ice-cream cone removed from an exterior wall of Mrs. Spoonover's restaurant because it constitutes advertising and pushes the business over the allowed space for signs. Restaurant owner Judy Scallen sued the city after the city stood firm in its order to get a sign variance or remove the mural and the city then counter-sued her.

A longtime Whitefish resident and community volunteer, Mitchell wants to bring a family focus to local government along with opportunities to create good-paying, environmentally sensitive jobs for Whitefish. He faulted the current council for letting an eating disorder clinic proposed for Whitefish go to Missoula instead.

"These types of businesses should be supported by our council, not discouraged," he said.

IN GENERAL, Mitchell said he's "a smaller government person" who wholeheartedly supports private enterprise.

Affordable housing, for example, is an area in which he believes the private sector should be more involved than the city.

"Private enterprise should have the ability to do affordable housing with tax incentives, but private enterprise should do it, not the city," he said.

One area where he'd welcome city involvement is getting affordable city sewer service installed around Whitefish Lake to preserve water quality. As it is now, city hook-up fees are too expensive, so residents opt to upgrade septic systems instead, he said.

Mitchell believes the current council is lacking in business experience. That's an area where his 30 years of business and consulting experience could help the city, he said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com