Eight candidates are running for seven open seats on an advisory council in Lakeside resurrected by popular demand in part because of a controversial alpine coaster development project launched over the summer.

Reviving the Lakeside Community Council has been the undertaking of the Upper West Shore Alliance, the only community group in the area for residents to turn to with their frustrations when word of the alpine coaster project off of U.S. 93 began spreading.

“What we heard at the Upper West Shore Alliance over and over again was, ‘Who represents us?’ Like,’Who are our people?’ And that's when we did the investigating and educated ourselves about the Lakeside Community Council,” said Janie Lewer, director of the Alliance.

The council acts only in an advisory capacity. It cannot levy taxes or impose mandates on Lakeside residents, as per the body’s 2010 bylaws.

Instead, the group works with the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office to review applications affecting development in the Lakeside area. They also facilitate communication between various boards that govern Lakeside’s infrastructure and make recommendations to the Flathead County commissioners, the Planning and Zoning Office and the Flathead County Planning Board.

All seven Lakeside Community Council members resigned in 2016 during a dispute over proposed changes to the board’s bylaws. Former Chair David Fetveit said the conflict stemmed from being unable to review land use applications for the Board of Adjustments, which meant the council would be unable to make recommendations for zone changes or variances.

He said those applications meant the most to area landowners. The group disbanded when a bylaw change, which would have given the group access to the applications, was denied by Flathead County commissioners.

Flathead County’s lax zoning often leaves residents in the area lacking much say about potential developments. The alpine coaster is one recent example. Residents opposed to the project have thus far unsuccessfully sought to persuade the Montana Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Quality and Flathead County Board of Commissioners to stop the tourist attraction from being built.

The board features seven members, six elected and one appointed by the county commissioners. The candidates running in this May’s election are: Steve Kamerick, Denise LaSalle, Tobias Liechti, Rafael Moscatel, Donald Smith, Marty Sunde, Martha Wardle and Hollie Widdekind.

Lewer said her group also investigated Lakeside’s Neighborhood Plan from 2010, in hopes that when the council starts up again they will review and update it for 2023. They discussed the plan at a recent workshop held by the Flathead County Planning Board and identified what areas of the 2010 plan hold up and what needs revisiting.

“There are other aspects of Lakeside that look different from what the plan looked at in 2010. So I hope, and I think they will [take up the plan],” Lewer said. “... I think for the community, for Lakeside, that would be most beneficial.”

Christina Schroeter, the Alliance’s secretary, spearheaded the campaign to resurrect the council. She praised the eight candidates for throwing their hats in the ring.

“... We are so very thankful for all eight individuals who put in their names,” she said. “We feel this is a huge win for Lakeside.”

The Alliance is planning on disseminating candidate information in the coming months. For more information about the council, including its bylaws and previous meeting minutes, go to upperwestshorealliance.org/lakeside-community-co.

Election Day is May 2.