Upcoming election will be one of the most important in recent memory

Serving as your mayor and councilor for more than 14 years was one of the greatest privileges I have ever had. Thank you Whitefish for your support. I worked with some amazing folks during my years in city government, and I am proud of our community's record of success and accomplishment.

Despite all the changes and unprecedented growth we have been through, we have been a successful community because we worked together and always asked, "What is best for all of Whitefish?"

With this common vision, we have improved our infrastructure, built a sustainable and commonsense city budget, and created partnerships to protect our environment and improve our quality of life. The results speak for themselves: Whitefish has many reasons to be proud of the work of our city council.

We are fortunate to have the representation and leadership of the current council and mayor Cris Coughlin, who give their time as volunteers, consistently working hard to protect the values and interests of the citizens of Whitefish.

I believe the upcoming municipal election is one of the most important elections in recent memory and represents a clear choice for our community: Do we build upon our accomplishments and continue to move forward together? Or do we allow special interests to control the future of Whitefish?

Those interests in recent weeks have invested thousands of dollars sending slick brochures to your home, buying big advertisements and using scare tactics in an attempt to influence public policy.

Why? Are they doing this out of the goodness of their hearts? I would suggest not. Investments are made with the expectation of a return. While they may claim to care about clean water and property rights, I would argue they are motivated by something other than our best interests.

Are they concerned about the citizen who has lived in his house for 50 years, and suddenly his basement is flooded as a result of the new development next door? What about his property rights?

I know firsthand that mayor Coughlin and the council are concerned for and represent all citizens, the guy with the flooded basement and his new next-door neighbor, the developer.

We need leaders who will craft policies that protect the community values that are important to us, leaders who have a working knowledge of the complex issues we face today, and leaders who will bring fresh ideas to the table without personal agendas.

I believe mayor Cris Coughlin, councilor John Muhlfeld and candidate Ryan Friel are leaders that best represent these values. They share the vision of a Whitefish that remains one of the greatest communities, not only in Montana, but also in America, to live, work, recreate and raise a family. Please take the time to make an informed decision and exercise your right to vote.

Andy Feury is the former

mayor of Whitefish.