The Kalispell City Council may not have gone about it in an orthodox manner, but who’s to say what is the proper way to appoint a city council member from a field of 11 applicants.

State law certainly doesn’t say how eight people are supposed to come to agreement on one person from so many applicants, all of whom were praised for being qualified and competent. So the council chose kind of a unique approach to winnowing the field at the suggestion of Mayor Mark Johnson.

Council members listed their respective top three candidates in order on ballots, with a weighted point system that gave No. 1 picks the most points.

It was decided that the top two point winners would be considered, and those turned out to be John Hinchey and Rod Kuntz. Votes to approve each one failed on 4-4 votes.

So the council, not knowing who the top point winner was, unanimously agreed to go with the person who got the most points, and that turned out to be Kuntz. He will serve the remainder of the term for the seat that was held by Randy Kenyon, who resigned because he moved out of the city.

In many respects, the process was a clever way for the council to drill its way toward consensus. It’s pretty obvious that a different route might have led to multiple failed motions, machinations among council members to promote their favorites, or flat-out gridlock.

As it was stated several times at Monday’s meeting, it would have been hard to go wrong with any of the people who applied, so the most efficient way to pick someone was the best way.

Congratulations to Mr. Kuntz, and best wishes for a successful tenure on the council.

FVCC makes a good move

Another step in the right direction for Flathead Valley Community College was announced last week.

The college now offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education that can be fully completed in Kalispell. The program is run through the University of Montana, and will result in a UM degree at the end of four years.

This is great news for local students who, for one reason or another, can’t leave the valley but want to enter the teaching field. This would often include older students looking to change careers, but also needing to meet family obligations. But it also might be a student just out of high school.

What it means is greater flexibility for the student body, and a general benefit for the valley, both in having a local source of qualified teachers and in keeping student dollars local instead of seeing them migrate elsewhere.

Congratulations, again, to FVCC and President Jane Karas for thinking outside the box.