Mayor Johnson has taken some flak for stating that a sitting Kalispell Planning Board member, Karlene Osorio-Khor, would not be recommended for another appointment if she (or any other board member) threatened or brought litigation against the city. Mayor Johnson cited his authority to make those recommendations for council approval and left it at that — without further explanation.

The greater issue, and what brought on the discussion in the first place, is far more concerning and worth understanding from a best practices viewpoint.

When a self-proclaimed experienced board member complains about citizens failing to get due process while being a part of that very process is mystifying. Do not be confused; community involvement that creates the illusion of accomplishment is not leadership.

When a group of citizens asks the city for intervention on an issue, it follows a prescribed course to gather information, vet ideas, and propose solutions. If the solution is legislative in nature, the proposal is reviewed, further vetted through public hearings, and then a recommendation is forwarded to the council. Many times the recommendation is modified by the City Council before passage of an ordinance. In fact, Ms. Osorio-Khor said during the Sept. 15 Planning Board meeting regarding casinos that, “We always have to remember, what we put forward, there is always another body — another group of eyes — who look at this.” Presumably then, she does understand the board’s function in the legislative process.

The problem with Ms. Osorio-Kohr’s threatened lawsuit is NOT the threat of a lawsuit. The problem is that as a sitting board member to threaten litigation before the remedy had even been implemented demonstrates:

1) extremely poor judgement, or

2) a complete disregard for, or non-understanding of, the legislative process, or

3) a willingness to politicize an issue for personal gain.

Any one of these would justify non re-appointment to a city board if I were mayor. With this in mind, one might also consider that if a person is not fit for board re-appointment, are they qualified to sit on the City Council?

If any Kalispell taxpayers want the facts, I invite you to drive through the FHS neighborhood during school hours. If the parking situation is not better than it has been in the past several decades, vote for Karlene. If it is noticeably less congested, safer, and appears like a normal neighborhood, and you can appreciate that it did not result in expenditure of your tax dollars, or a school levy, to accomplish it, then vote for me. —Rod Kuntz, Kalispell (City Council candidate, Ward 3)