When Randy Kenyon’s position came open on the City Council I did not know or support Rod Kuntz’s appointment. Since working with him I have found him to be conscientious, cooperative and supportive of one of the most successful teams I have worked with in a long time. He embraces the general goals the council has to serve the public in a transparent manner with all of the balance and positive foresight it is able to muster.

A perfect example is his concerted effort to serve a neighborhood which asked the council to solve a long-standing problem between them and Flathead High School relative to parking in the neighborhood around the school. Years of requests to the school district had done nothing to lessen the problem of parking, litter and other concerns. The Parking Advisory Board was given an opportunity to alleviate the problem.

The result was a plan for a parking district that was a compromise that, frankly, no one liked. When the recommendation came to the council, it was tabled and would have died from lack of a worthwhile solution until Mr. Kuntz volunteered to bring a more palatable recommendation to the council. Some encouraged him to let sleeping dogs lie, but having been a participant through the entire process, he felt that we owed it to the citizens to at least give something a try. Doing nothing was an injustice to the neighborhood in his ward.

After helping craft a plan that all parties were willing to at least try for a time, the council met their obligation to the neighborhood and established a parking district. In a very short time, the action lessened the parking dilemma and showed the council and public that Rod Kuntz has skills that can help bring parties together to solve hard problems without hard feelings and with positive results.

The Kalispell City Council is entering into an exciting time of growth and incredible change. Vision is needed to manage that growth. Cooperation is needed to manage the change. A positive, “can do” attitude is needed to help all involved embrace the new and exciting tasks we have ahead of us. For me, Rod Kuntz has exhibited these attributes. I would like very much to continue working with him on City Council. —Jim Atkinson, Kalispell