Candidate for City Council Frank Sweeney
The Whitefish Pilot reached out to Whitefish City Council candidates running in the Nov. 7 municipal election. The information below was provided by the candidates and edited for spelling, punctuation and space.
Name: Frank Sweeney
Age: 70
Family: Spouse Paula, dog and horses
Occupation: Semi-retired lawyer
Community involvement: Trail Runs Through it (Whitefish Trail committee), park board for eight years, planning board for two years, City Council member for 12 years, current Deputy Mayor, and served Glacier Institute and Foys to Blacktail Trails boards.
Why are you the right candidate for the position?
I have the background of a lawyer by education and practice and have spent many of my years here working for the community in many forms. I have the right temperament to bring sense to the chaos that sometimes befalls the Council. I have experience in successfully solving and working on the most important issues that face this city. I am deeply connected to the community and acutely aware of the need to balance the community’s diverse needs.
As the city updates its growth policy, what is your vision for Whitefish’s future?
The growth policy should reflect the needs and desires of the entire community. As for my personal vision, it is one of a slowly growing town that manages to integrate its need for affordable housing without losing its charm and character and does not wholesale trample on the rights of citizens to enjoy what they have created. Councils I have been a part of have taken great strides in supporting the trails and the walk/ bike-ability. I want that to remain a priority. We need to work with MDOT to get an improved transportation plan that best fits the needs and desires of this community rather than accept the MDOT-directed solution that the community soundly rejected.
What role should the city take in addressing housing?
We have a need for all types of housing, workforce housing being the one we have the hardest time addressing with market-based solutions. City government has a role to play with zoning and partnering with the private sector to develop and integrate a diverse housing stock. We have taken innovative steps over the past several years that have produced in excess of 100 deeded affordable units to date. We will have to continue our search for additional programs and initiatives as we continue to deal with the interference of the state government in local solutions.
How should the city manage public safety needs amid rapid growth?
We have taken steps to deal with the needs and costs of a growing Fire Department and our Police Department. Both know that they have our support for what they need, be it personnel or equipment. We will need to evaluate the need for a possible dedicated fire or public safety levy to deal with future growth. We need to publicize the evacuation plans already created for fire or other natural or rail yard disasters.
What other issues should the city be addressing?
We need to bring some attention to the health of our lake which we know continues to be polluted by the septic systems of many who are not within city limits. We have tried the carrot approach and have been rejected. We will need to again approach these neighbors and initiate a solution before irreparable damage is done. We also need to be hypervigilant and prepared for the possibility of a catastrophic problem in our rail yard. We will need to address the need for an additional above or below-ground crossing of the rail yard and for additional road access to Big Mountain and the homes north of the viaduct.