Letters to the editor April 2

Sprunger cares for her constituents

I have had the pleasure of knowing Courtenay Sprunger for nearly four years. She represents District 7 of the state House of Representatives and has a history of excellent public relations.

I appreciate Courtenay’s support of the U.S. Constitution and the Montana Constitution. She has deep respect for the U.S. military, law enforcement (city, county, state and federal) and first responders (firefighters and ambulance personnel).

Courtenay served on the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce for seven years. She is aware of the concerns about the continued growth in Flathead County which includes housing needs and traffic congestion as a result of the number of people moving into the Kalispell area. A number of bills that she submitted to the House of Representatives have been signed into law by the governor.

Courtenay’s love of the outdoors includes hunting and fishing, and the loving owner of four horses which she rides often. Courtenay is a strong supporter of gun rights which is a deep Montana tradition. A genuine care and concern for her constituents is at the heart of Courtenay.

I am honored to give my support to Courtenay Sprunger in her 2026 campaign for House District 7.

— Steve Carr, Kalispell

Library property

The March 27 report regarding the library’s property purchase omitted the documented concerns I raised to the trustees. As a longtime library proponent, my goal isn’t to air grievances but to prevent a “bait and switch” that puts taxpayers at a disadvantage and risks the integrity of our public assets.

The public deserves the facts:

The land loss: The signed 2025 letter of intent, approved by the county Attorney’s Office, promised 2 buildable acres. Current plans reduce this to roughly 1.2 usable acres due to a 1/2 acre unbuildable right of way easement. We shouldn’t be “negotiating” away the value of our land; we should be defending it.

The shared parking pivot: The original deal guaranteed independent, library-owned parking. The current proposal forces shared parking controlled by a private developer — trading permanent ownership for a lease and a title-encumbering headache.

Lack of transparency: While Mayor Ryan Hunter claimed he would only discuss “general ideas,” meeting audio reveals what I believe are specific, private deliberations regarding TIF funding and parking allocations. Labeling these as “informational” meetings bypasses the transparency required by Open Meeting Laws.

The conflict of interest: The 2025 letter of intent reveals a 2% commission paid to the library’s own representative by the developer — not the library. This “separate agreement” creates a direct conflict with the fiduciary duty owed to the public. Was the decision to accept 40% less land structured to serve the library’s interests or the developer’s?

A new document does not fix a bad deal. The board must pause negotiations until the county attorney provides a public, written justification for abandoning the protections of the original signed agreement.

— Brad Wright, Kalispell

Deranged Trump Syndrome

The White House dismissed the 8 million participants in last weekend’s nationwide No Kings demonstrations as suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Far more serious is the virus of Deranged Trump Syndrome that has infected the president and the sycophants who surround him in his Cabinet and Congress.

— Dan Spencer, Missoula

Valley needs more senior housing

What if...

You find yourself suddenly all alone following the death of your spouse.

You live 20 miles from everywhere.

Your closest relatives live over 1,000 miles from you.

What would you do?

Are seniors no longer of any value to society?  Why are there no active senior communities available? Most of us would prefer to live independently until we age to the point where we may require assisted facilities, of which there are several in the Flathead Valley, but not yet!

While my husband was alive, I had company. Now that he is gone, I must focus on the next phase of my life. So, I have started looking at living out the rest of my life in a tiny house, however, Kalispell offers no place to put one. There are tiny house communities in many states where the residents feel safe and enjoy and trust their neighbors, but not in Kalispell, and since I am a Montanan, this is where I want to live.  

The only thing being built in Kalispell are single-family homes, but why would I, as a single senior, want to buy another home which would be too big for me and much too expensive?  

I would like to reach out to builders to consider building an active senior retirement tiny home community where we can live out the rest of our lives in peace and comfort surrounded by like-minded neighbors, who support and help each other.  

Perhaps there is someone out there who already has land that they would like to develop into a tiny home community. It would be great to get something like this established for the active seniors who would like to downsize and live independently. 

— Dianne Porter, Marion