Incumbent ready to help shape city's next chapter

I am frequently asked why I’m running, again, for Whitefish City Council. Frankly, the short answer is, I enjoy it.

I enjoy doing my best to serve the citizens of Whitefish and spending time working to keep our city the kind of place we’re all proud to call home.

Over the past four years we’ve managed to keep our mill levy one of the lowest in the state and at the same time provide the city services residents have come to expect.

A plan to manage growth along the Highway 93 West corridor is now in place, soon to be followed by a corridor plan along Wisconsin Avenue.

A conservation easement protecting our water supply in Haskill Basin is in the final stages of completion and the Skye Park pedestrian bridge over the Whitefish River will be completed by the end of November. In addition, after years of planning, construction of a new City Hall has begun.

In the next four years the city will face new and continuing challenges. In addition to keeping our taxes as low as possible, we must begin now to prepare for costly upgrades to our wastewater treatment plant to comply with more stringent federal regulations.

Protecting water quality in our lake and river must remain a priority. We must continue to search for creative and effective ways to provide affordable workforce housing. It is also imperative that we protect the integrity of our neighborhoods.

Much remains to be done and I’d like to be part of this next chapter in keeping Whitefish, Whitefish.

To do that I will need your vote when ballots for the Nov. 3 election are mailed out on Oct. 14.

— Richard Hildner is a member of the Whitefish City Council