New city finance director looks forward to opportunities in Whitefish

Of all the things Lanie Gospodarek is looking forward to in her new job as the finance director for the City of Whitefish, growing a tomato sparks the most joy.

In a staff meeting earlier this month, when Public Works Director Craig Workman mentioned that a project was expected to be finished in May, Gospodarek was surprised and had to ask if the snow would be gone by then. She is accustomed to living at 6,600 feet elevation in West Yellowstone, Montana.

“It's nice to move to a place that has spring,” she said. “I’m looking forward to growing a tomato!”

Gospodarek has worked in local government for 20 years in West Yellowstone, serving as the town’s finance director for the last 15 years. Whitefish and West Yellowstone are both Montana towns that are located near national parks and they each have a resort tax, similarities that helped make her move feel more comfortable.

“I knew that Dana (Smith) had been finance director and I was hoping and looking forward to working for someone who was really strong on the finance side of municipal government because then I knew I was going to learn something,” she said of Whitefish’s current City Manager. “She’s really good at finance… so it took a lot of the scary out of making the decision to come here.”

Gospodarek has been earning her Master of Public Administration and has about four classes remaining. The coursework is offered online through the University of Montana, so that makes her a Griz.

“I thought it would be good for me to expose myself to another place, one that is bigger and has some more complicated issues to deal with,” she said of her move to Whitefish. “I wanted to apply what I've learned in the classroom a little bit more intentionally.”

She was a fishing guide before becoming a public servant in West Yellowstone and her husband still works as a guide. She is also a keen volleyball player and coached the sport in West Yellowstone for several years. Her search for an adult league here has begun.

Gospodarek has a son and three daughters, two of whom are attending the University of Montana in Missoula.

“Everybody’s out of the house so my husband and I are doing the empty nest (thing) except for spoiling the dog and the cat,” she said.

They are also looking forward to skiing. Gospodarek’s former employer sent her on her way with a thoughtful gift — a season pass to Whitefish Mountain Resort.

“Living near Big Sky, Montana, when my kids were little we did some skiing, but it is $240 a day to ski there. So, I became a non-skier because I couldn't afford it,” she said. “My husband likes to telemark so we’re excited to get back to it.”

She’s been on the job since Sept. 6 and has been spending time learning the area and settling into Whitefish.

“Being a number cruncher is not very exciting but there’s more to it,” she said. “It's fun to work with people who really like serving the community of people that they’re working for.”