Not backing down on City Hall vote
The city of Whitefish’s position on public votes now is clear: If the mayor and city councilors support your proposed referendum, go for it. If we do not, our lawyers will stop you.
Just a few years ago, Whitefish not only supported the voter’s referendum on the doughnut settlement, it spent significant resources defending it in a legal battle that went all the way to the Montana Supreme Court, where Whitefish lost. Of course, councilor (and now a candidate in the upcoming election) Richard Hildner sponsored that referendum with councilor (and now candidate in the upcoming election) Frank Sweeney’s support.
But, allow Whitefish citizens to vote on an absurdly expensive City Hall on the most visible and valuable corner of the city? Absolutely not!
The City Hall/parking structure project began modestly with a reasonable budget. It has morphed into, at latest count, a $14.95 million project funded by cash and tax-increment funds, an SID, and a TIF bond (that could better be used for affordable housing or other city projects.)
The city council’s response: You should have objected earlier. Well, we didn’t know earlier that this shiny palace, in my opinion, would cost every Whitefishian (including our children) $2,255. It’s the equivalent of convincing your spouse to buy a nice, functional family Subaru then coming home with a Rolls Royce.
By refusing to approve our petition, the mayor and city council have effectively blocked a formal public vote on the new City Hall. But I don’t back down easily and, based on the phone calls we have received, I don’t think my fellow Whitefish residents are ready to back down either.
Between now and the upcoming November city council elections, we will gather signatures urging the city council to put the City Hall on the ballot. We will present these signatures to the newly elected councilors following the election and ask them to respect the views of the constituents who’ve signed.
Our group is called Let Us Vote Whitefish. Our website www.LetUsVoteWhitefish.com will be up soon and you’ll be able to download petitions there. Just sign the petition yourself or gather signatures from your friends and neighbors, and return the signed petitions to me.
Most importantly, please ask all of the city council candidates whether they support the opportunity for a vote on the City Hall. And vote for the ones who respect you enough to allow you to vote on a project of this significance and permanence. After all, we got to vote on the proposed $8 million Haskill Basin purchase, why not a project almost two times as costly?
The Whitefish City Council seems to think that we all work for them. Maybe it’s time they acknowledged that it’s supposed to be the other way around.
— Richard Atkinson, Whitefish