A political action committee seeking to oust Mayor Ryan Hunter before his term expires can begin gathering signatures after successfully filing a recall petition.  

The committee's founder, Kalispell resident Ryan Berner, said the effort stems from Hunter's tie-breaking vote in April to adopt Kalispell's land use plan, despite concerns from some residents, fellow councilors and the city attorney about a potential conflict of interest. 

The Flathead County Election Department received the petition and a sworn statement outlining the grounds for the recall on Sept. 8. After the County Attorney's Office reviewed the filing, the petition was approved a week later.  

Election Administrator Paula Buff told the Inter Lake that her office and the County Attorney's Office reviews recall petitions only for procedural compliance, like verifying that documents are properly filled out and notarized. The review does not address the merits of allegations in the petition.  

"That is the beauty of the petition process; it is put to a vote of the people," she said. 

Hunter dismissed the political action committee’s allegations that he violated his oath of office and committed official misconduct, both considered grounds for a recall under state law. He asked that the County Attorney's Office review the recall petition to determine whether it meets the grounds for one.  

"Otherwise, the recall process can be used, as it is in this case, by individuals who are unhappy with the outcome of an election to harass elected officials and unjustly damage their reputations," he wrote in a letter to County Attorney Travis Ahner that he shared on social media on Sept. 17.  

Hunter argued that merit should be considered before the petition is approved.  

"It's ridiculous," he said. "I think it's a major flaw in this recall law."  

Hunter said he is considering litigation. 

The "Recall Mayor Ryan Hunter" political action committee has until Dec. 15 to gather at least 3,807 signatures from registered Kalispell voters. State law requires signatures from 20% of voters who were registered for the previous municipal election, which had 19,035 electors, according to the petition approval letter signed by Buff.  

Hunter was elected mayor in the November 2025 municipal election, beating out Councilor Sid Daoud and local entrepreneur Kisa Davison. Hunter received 2,933 votes, followed by Davison with 2,668 and Daoud with 1,793 votes.  

If the signature threshold is met, a citywide recall election will be held. 

THE GROUNDS for Berner's recall campaign were laid during a January work session dedicated to reviewing the city's new land use plan. Hunter supported a written request from his employer, the Flathead Land Trust, to remove an area west of town from the city's future growth boundary because of migrating sandhill cranes.  

Councilor Jed Fisher later accused Hunter of helping draft the letter, an allegation Hunter repeatedly denied.  

Hunter sided with city staff's recommendation to keep the boundary unchanged, but sought additional guidance from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.  

The state agency later sent a letter to City Hall recommending that the land be designated as an “area of concern,” citing its importance as a stopover for tens of thousands of migratory waterfowl. 

Several similar maps identifying moose, bear and elk habitat were already included in the land use plan.  

Before the plan that included the new designation was adopted, City Attorney Johnna Preble warned Hunter that voting on the measure could pose a problem. 

“It’s my opinion that at the least, there appears to be an appearance of impropriety under most state code and the city code. And at worst there’s a potential conflict of interest and a potential violation of city policy,” Preble said at the April meeting.   

Hunter has repeatedly defended his decision to vote, saying that he was representing his own values, had consistently disclosed his employment with the nonprofit and that neither he nor the organization would receive any financial benefit from designating the area as environmentally sensitive.   

In his letter to Ahner, he argued Preble was wrong to recommend he recuse himself and maintained that he was not obligated to follow her advice. 

THE "RECALL Mayor Ryan Hunter" political committee registered with the state in April. However, Berner began organizing the effort months earlier, launching a Facebook page pushing for Hunter's recall in January, the same month Hunter took office and weeks before the vote on the land use plan.  

“This timing makes clear that this recall petition is really about individuals who are unhappy with the outcome of the last election, not about the vote taken in April,” Hunter wrote in his letter.    

Berner in an April email told the Inter Lake he started the Facebook page after monitoring Hunter's conduct in office. The page featured AI-generated content about the campaign, including one since-deleted video that appeared to show an AI-generated Hunter referring to himself as a "grifter." 

The page currently instructs volunteer circulators on how to lawfully go door-to-door collecting signatures.  

THE COUNTY is navigating uncharted waters as the recall petition moves forward, Buff said. She has not handled one in her five years managing the department and is unsure whether the county has ever seen one.  

If the signature threshold is met, the Election Department will have 30 days after Dec. 15 to verify them. At that point, the petitioner and Hunter would be notified, and Hunter would have 10 days to submit a written rebuttal if he chooses, according to Buff.  

After that, the department would have 85 days before the election to certify the ballot. Because no regular municipal election is scheduled around that time, there is no predetermined date for a recall vote. Buff said she expects any such election would likely be held in late spring.  

"It's going to be weird," Buff said. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.