John Piper is a true Columbia Falls native. He was born and raised here, graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1979. The 54-year-old worked at Plum Creek in the shipping department for 30 years and now works as the night supervisor at the Montana Veterans Home. A second generation resident, Piper’s father, Howard, also was a supervisor at Plum Creek through his career.

Piper served on the Columbia Falls Fire Department for 24 years and was chief for 4 1/2 years before he stepped down in 2007.

He said he decided to run for city council because at the time he registered, there were few candidates.

“I was concerned by that,” he said. “I could learn the ropes of city government, so I threw my hat into the ring.”

Piper said he has no agenda, but he has a lot of history here and would be a good liaison between the public and city government.

“I’d like to think I know quite a bit about the city,” he said.

He said he’s excited about the future promise of growth in the city, but at the same time, he wants Columbia Falls to remain the pleasant hometown it’s always been.

“I like the town we have, but I also know it needs the things to help it grow,” he said.

He said he supports growth like the expansion of SmartLam and the revitalization of downtown by private businessmen that the city and private businesses are working on. He said the SmartLam expansion is better than what’s been at the site in the past.

He considers himself fiscally conservative. Piper and his wife, Tina, have two grown children, Kate and Michael. Michael lives just south of the city and has a wife, Shelby and son, Colt. Tina is also a Columbia Falls native.