Election 2015: Meet city council candidate John Repke

John Repke will tap into his background as a financial analyst in the private sector if he is elected to Whitefish City Council.

Repke points to his work involving strategic planning, corporate finance, budget analysis and business management as skills that will serve him well serving on council.

“This is an area where I can contribute,” he said.

Repke, 58, has a finance degree from Ohio State University and a master of business administration from the University of Denver. He has an extensive background in corporate finance, management and strategic planning. He has worked in the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma, Wyoming and Colorado, and for environmental services, which dealt with waste management. Most recently he lived in Chicago.

“I’ve lived in a lot of different places and watched how cities have developed and grown,” he said. “Whitefish is a special place.”

He and his wife Beth have owned a vacation home here since 2007. They have lived full-time in Whitefish for about a year.

Now that he is semi-retired, Repke said he is looking to give back to the community. He is teaching a non-credit class at Flathead Valley Community College, serving as a business mentor through Montana West Economic Development and serves on the city’s bike and pedestrian path committee.

“I traveled a lot during my career and I’ve never had the time before [to run for office],” he said. “I’ve always had an interest and now I have the time. I think it’s important and interesting work that the city council does.”

Repke said Whitefish’s growth has been managed well and it continues to grow. He points to large projects on the agenda — the Haskill Basin conservation easement, City Hall and parking structure construction project and a new wastewater treatment plant — among the large projects the city is managing.

“I’m not coming in saying we need to change,” he said. “That’s a lot of stuff happening that costs a lot of money and that’s where I could help. This is an area where I can contribute.”

Challenges facing Whitefish

Repke says two challenges facing the city include managing for growth and protecting Whitefish Lake and the Whitefish River.

Repke notes that Whitefish is always in the top list of places to visit.

“We need to look at how we are managing growth and keeping the character of the town,” he said. “It will continue to experience growth.”

As an example, Repke noted a town outside of Chicago where he lived where its downtown had become overrun by chain stores. He said that town has lost its character.

“The real challenge is to manage the growth and tourism, which drives the growth,” he said. “We didn’t move here because we wanted a tourist town. We moved here because we like the character and charm of Whitefish.”

He points to protecting Whitefish Lake and Whitefish River as a priority.

“As there is more development that raises the risk for the lake and the river, which are extremely important to Whitefish,” he said.

City budget

Repke said from a broad perspective the city budget looks good, but as a councilor he would take the time to dig deeper into the figures.

“I want to really understand what’s happening,” he said. “I don’t make rash decisions. I want to figure out what’s going on.”

He said he would look at how the city’s spending has changed over time and evaluate if money is being spent correctly.

“I would look at how are we managing the city financially and what needs to change,” he said. “One of my first jobs will be to really dig in and understand.”

Economic development

Repke says the Highway 93 West corridor plan is a good example of the city planning for development.

“Whitefish will grow and the city council will need to take into consideration how to manage that growth,” he said. “If the growth is managed properly the whole community will benefit.”

He said the city council is at the center point of balancing growth.

 Parks and recreation

Repke applied to serve on the city’s bike and pedestrian path committee because he rides the paths himself.

“I was riding the paths and wondering why it was so disjointed,” he said. “I wanted to know more.”

“What I’ve seen from the committee is efforts are being made toward the right type of things,” he said.