Kalispell City Council will select Tuesday one of the six applicants vying for the open Ward 3 seat.

Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20 in City Hall, 201 First. Ave. E. City offices were closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  

Madison Evans, Arthur Fretheim, James Haring, Karlene Khor, Cassidy Kipp, and Dustin Leftridge expressed their interest in representing the ward, which encompasses downtown Kalispell, before councilors on Jan. 12.  

The seat opened up after Ryan Hunter’s ascension to mayor in January. The chosen candidate will serve out the remainder of Hunter’s term, which ends in December 2027. The seat will go up for election in November 2027.  

COUNCIL WILL also nominate a Kalispell representative to the Solid Waste District Board of Directors.  

The board works to provide environmentally sound and cost-effective refuse collection, disposal and recycling opportunities for Flathead County residents and businesses, according to a memo from City Clerk Aimee Brunckhorst.  

The board is made up of seven members appointed by the Flathead County Board of Commissioners. One member is a resident of each incorporated city, nominated by each city.  

Former Mayor Mark Johnson previously held the position, and the new representative’s term will expire December 2029. 

The board member chosen to represent Kalispell does not have to be someone on Council, but it historically has been a councilor, according to Brunckhorst. City staff recommended nominating a member of the governing body.  

Officers Aaron Westphal, Bob Franklin, Rich Ormiston, Steven Buis, Lucas Suhre and Savannah Malloy will be confirmed to the Kalispell Police Department on Tuesday night. 

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