Facts are important as is accuracy. Reading my opponent Rod Kuntz’s letter to the editor on Friday has prompted me to reply to set the record he portrays straight.

 I did not threaten to join a lawsuit prior to the passage of the Ordinance on the Westside Residential Parking District. I sought a compromise which was rejected by City Council. This has all been documented by the press and in a subsequent Daily Inter Lake letter to the editor I wrote. After the ordinance was passed, I joined my neighbors and I stand with them. It was the right thing to do.

City Council passed a Westside parking district ordinance crafted by Dan Zorn from School District 5 and my opponent Rod Kuntz. The public was left out of that process.

The Westside parking district homeowner or renter has been fined for parking in front of their homes without a parking permit pass and must pay $25 for each guest pass. Some folks in our neighborhood are elderly and they cannot find extra monies in their budget to purchase guest passes. One elderly neighbor hosts a prayer group and this will put a strain on her budget as she must have multiple guest passes. This ordinance has had a cost for these taxpayers and renters that no other citizen in Kalispell has had to bear. 

It is true the mayor makes a recommendation to the City Council for board appointments but what the mayor has done with his decision to not reappoint or appoint any person who brought “an antagonistic stance to the process of city government” means he could eliminate everyone who disagrees with him. That is not right. We have the right to dissent. 

I listened to my opponent on a local radio show, and he said if those of us running against him knew his history we would vote for him. I think the Kalispell voters in Ward 3 need accurate facts and information in order to vote. We are a small town but we have big city issues facing us: growth policy, casino regulations, sewage, downtown parking, Westside Residential Parking District, to name a few and we need to be fiscally responsible. 

Some of these issues have been dealt with by City Council, but we do not know if they have been adequately solved. It’s important to keep our citizens involved in the process and listen to their opinions, concerns and ideas. We need to move forward and work together for resolutions.

 I have served the city of Kalispell on Impact Fee Committee as a member and chairman, and am presently on the Planning Board. I have run for office before and I have served on many community boards. It is important to keep the facts correct in order for the public to know them. My opponent’s accusations are not accurate and my record speaks for itself. I want to listen to my neighbors and give them a voice. I will be honored by their votes. —Karlene Osorio-Khor, Kalispell, city council candidate in Ward 3