Last year as Randy Kenyon vacated his Kalispell City Council seat in Ward 3, Rod Kuntz was appointed by the council from a group of 10 applicants. He was a newcomer without previous experience in local government, although his business background gave him insight on economic development.

Kuntz, 55, is running as the Ward 3 incumbent in the only contested race in the Kalispell City Council election. He faces Karlene Osorio-Khor and Chris Cunningham in the Nov. 3 election.

There’s been a flurry of issues and developments during Kuntz’s time on the council, primarily involving the parking district around Flathead High School.

When asked what he would have done differently during the past year on the council, Kuntz remembers the 5-4 vote to allow the Town Pump and Lucky Lil’s casino to open on the intersection of U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive.

“The council was correct in their vote, because it did follow the letter of the law,” Kuntz said, “But I didn’t state my case well enough to get other council members on board to carry on with that discussion.”

Kuntz said he argued against the gas station/casino combination because of the historic use of the site, which was once the River Church. In the end, the growth and development of Kalispell came first, he said.

During his time on the council, Kuntz has been a part of several new measures he’s proud of. He supports “Leads Online,” a statute for city pawn shops to post all incurred items to a new online database that can be easily checked by police.

Another accomplishment is the recent emergence of town hall meetings. The mechanism for public input hasn’t been used by the council in years, but Kuntz sees it as a chance for the public to bring issues or comments to the council without the intimidation of the podium. Kuntz and fellow Ward 3 council member Jim Atkinson have hosted two town hall meetings during the last two months, and Kuntz said he’s been inspired by the level of community involvement at the meetings.

He has been canvassing the Ward 3 neighborhood with fliers and a short message: “We’ve got a good city government here. We’ve got a diverse council that agrees on the big things, which tells you we’ve got a common vision for the future of the city. And we’ve got a hard-working city staff — no proverbial shovel-leaners,” Kuntz said.

PARKING DISTRICT

Kuntz spearheaded the current solution to the parking district issue on the west side near Flathead High School. The measure was largely contested by the residents of the neighborhood, who eventually brought a lawsuit against the city.

When the issue was tabled by the council months before a compromise with Flathead High, Kuntz decided to find a solution himself, and by doing that stepped away from voting on the proposal.

He went door-to-door, asking residents about his parking solution: a $25 parking pass for students and faculty. After reaching out to the residents, Kuntz worked with the city Planning Office and the School Board, which approved the plan.

In a June 9 letter he wrote about the parking compromise: “I empathize with the frustration of some of the residents but understand that the school is and will continue to be a vital part of this community and this neighborhood. I trust that you will look past the rhetoric of divisiveness, understand that we can all benefit from inclusiveness versus alienation, and that compromise is preferable to ultimatums.”

Although a group of residents in the westside area has sued the city, Kuntz still maintains the solution has produced results.

“Not only can you drive a truck on the streets, you could park a truck on the streets,” Kuntz said.

CITY DEVELOPMENT

Kuntz remains one of the biggest supporters of the Core Area Revitalization Plan. He believes the effort will draw investment from a diverse pool of businesses and services.

“That’s going to be the draw for the whole city, the development of downtown,” Kuntz said. “The box stores are filling a need, but there are other needs that can only be filled by the small mom-and-pop stores.”

Kuntz also supports the South Kalispell Urban Renewal Project, a plan in the works to develop the south end of Kalispell that includes the city airport.

CITY REVENUES

Kuntz called the search for city revenue a matter of survival. He believes the council has taken a conservative approach to spending. He said it’s the incoming revenue that’s missing.

“The city just doesn’t have enough,” he said.

Kuntz said a voluntary city sales tax is one option to generate revenue. Another is the expansion of the Montana resort tax to include cities with populations exceeding 5,500. The expansion would have to come from the state level, Kuntz said, but it’s an option to stimulate the local economy.

“It’s trimmed. We are running a lean, mean machine right now,” he said about Kalispell’s city budget.

SHORT TERM

During the next four years Kuntz said he’d like to see major steps taken toward the beginning phases of the Core Area Revitalization Plan. An early product would be green space that could help the city’s entertainment district.

“The core area opens up all sorts of possibilities,” Kuntz said. “I could see there could be outdoor amphitheaters and so many other outdoor music venues.”

Kuntz said he’d also work toward a continued emphasis to work with the school and county on larger issues that carry the same weight as the Flathead High School parking district.

 As the election approaches, Kuntz will hold onto the experience he’s incurred from the last year as his biggest advantage. Consistent results, he said, show that the council works well together in its current configuration.

“We don’t need to reinvent anything,” Kuntz said. “We’ve got things going in the right direction and everyone is well-served. For the last year I’ve been a part of that.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.