New City Manager excited to begin work in Whitefish

The next City Manager of Whitefish is excited to begin work for the city and move home to Montana.

“Montana is my home,” Adam Hammatt told the Pilot last week. “I spent 30 years of my life in Montana.”

The city of Whitefish last month announced Hammatt, the current village administrator for Kimberly, Wisconsin, as its selection for City Manager. Hammatt will replace current City Manager Chuck Stearns who is retiring.

Hammatt is a graduate of C. M. Russell High School in Great Falls. He says he’s always looked forward to returning to his home state and now the move to Whitefish.

“Whitefish is a premiere community in Montana and the Pacific Northwest,” he said. “I’m pleased to receive their job offer.”

He was a firefighter/paramedic for Great Falls Fire Rescue before he entered city management. Hammatt said he was injured while working as a firefighter and that’s when he decided he needed to look for a different career path. He returned to school earning his master of public administration from the University of Montana, juris doctor from the University of Montana, and a bachelor’s in political science from Montana State University.

After finishing school, he was offered a job in municipal government in Wisconsin and has spent the last nine years there. Hammatt also worked as the village administrator for the village of Suamico and as the city administrator for the city of Elroy, both in Wisconsin. He is also a certified public manager and credentialed through the ICMA Voluntary Credentialing Program.

Hammatt said his role working in municipal government allows him to be of service to people.

“I love being of service,” he said. “There’s always challenges and issues, which provide an opportunity for success or to make changes for the better.”

He says there’s no better reward than seeing a new playground open for kids, watching the renovation of a library or simply making sure that city streets are well-maintained.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction that comes from that,” he said. “And not just for me, it’s always a team effort [with the city staff].”

Hammatt said his employment early in his career as a firefighter in Great Falls gave him a good understanding of unions and has influenced him as a village administrator. He said it taught him that keeping the lines of communication open is always important.

“I learned how to work with other departments and the inner workings of local government,” he said.

Hammatt and his wife have five children. He is expected to begin work in Whitefish on Feb. 21.

Whitefish City Council on Tuesday was set to ratify Hammatt’s contract.