Jarod Nygren, the finalist for Kalispell’s city manager position, said he is ready to tackle the municipality's growing pains, an issue he’s gotten familiar with in his 11 years working in its planning department.

“Some of the biggest challenges before us are mainly growth related,” Nygren told the Inter Lake at a lightly attended Wednesday open house intended to give residents an opportunity to meet him.    

The new land use, water and sewer facility plans currently in the works will help guide Kalispell’s future expansion, he said.  

Mayor Mark Johnson doesn’t expect to see much dissent when City Council votes on whether to appoint Nygren on Dec. 15.  

“We originally whittled down to five applications, and I can honestly tell the public, those other four applicants had to prove how they might have been better than Mr. Nygren,” Johnson said to the more than a dozen people, mainly city employees, in attendance.  

“He’s trustworthy; he’s honest. He’s very transparent and it’s exactly what I look for in leaders and in all of my city staff,” Johnson said.   

Nygren plans to keep an open-door policy when it comes to community questions and said that there has been discussion about holding monthly town hall meetings to invite casual community conversation.  

“I’m very accessible and I’m very transparent and I’m very ethical,” Nygren said.  

AS THE city’s chief administrator, Nygren would oversee the day-to-day operations of a municipality with 244 full-time employees and a $180 million budget.  

Nygren, presently the city’s director of Development Services, emerged as the sole finalist following a months-long recruitment process spearheaded by GMP consultants. The consulting firm invited five finalists for interviews, but all except Nygren declined.  

Nygren was subject to three rounds of interview last week that were closed to the public. He was questioned by City Council; a nine-member panel of fellow department heads; and a panel of incoming councilors.  

Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen was part of the director’s panel that asked Nygren about the city’s future challenges, his motivations for taking the job and his leadership style.  

“Just the kind of stuff you’d expect,” Hagen said of the group’s questions.  

If appointed, Nygren will play a large role in managing the voter-approved public safety levy that has been bolstering the city’s emergency services.  

“Like snow in a snow drift, those funds are starting to accumulate. We need to get to a point where those funds have accumulated and we can actually start building the fire station and hiring people, that kind of thing,” Hagen said.  

Hagen said he has a “high degree of confidence in [Nygren’s] ability to lead us as a community through that.”   

Parks and Recreation Director Chad Fincher liked that an individual familiar with the city’s operations is set to take on the role of chief administrator.  

“It’s just easier to have that stability of somebody that’s been with staff, that knows City Council, that has worked through some of these issues,” Fincher said.  

Nygren has been serving as interim city manager since August, when former City Manager Doug Russell departed the position.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and  [email protected].  

    Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson shakes hands with Development Services Director and Interim City Manager Jarod Nygren after an introductory speech during an open house in counsel chambers at City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 10. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider