Welcome to Big City, Montana

Editor's note: This lampoon was sent to the Pilot by Dave Hadden, who takes on the role as mayor of Whitefish.

My fellow citizens:

It came as quite a surprise to me and the city council to learn of Big Mountain's name change, announced last week by Winter Sports, Inc.

For months, the city fathers (and mothers) and I have been hashing out (in great secrecy) how to better align the images of the city of Whitefish and all her glorious history with Big Mountain, our favorite ski hill.

The very day Winter Sports, Inc. announced its change of name from Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort to Whitefish Mountain Resort, the council voted unanimously and in the affirmative to change the name of Whitefish, Montana, to Big City, Montana.

And exactly for all the excellent reasons enumerated by Winter Sports. We saw no sense in trying to market the city against Big Mountain and, in fact thought surely synergy would follow and money would flow to Big City, Montana, from Big Mountain's larger marketing budget.

Why not, we reasoned, ride on their coat tails for a change rather than the historic role of Big Mountain trying to take advantage of Whitefish, Montana, and all her natural charms?

Who could confuse a Big City, Montana, and her Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort with Big Sky? Big Sky where? Surely that's where we're headed anyway. Bigger that is. We're getting bigger every day.

We all love and appreciate Montana's open-meeting law. But the council and I thought it prudent (as well as just plain fun) to not discuss this historic name-change in public. Far better to gift this change to the city and to Big Mountain as a Solstice Day surprise.

Now we find ourselves in a bit of a quandary. Do we stick with it and conclude this historic name-change having already ordered and paid for (from city tax receipts) new signage throughout the city? Or do we bow to the new Whitefish Mountain and acknowledge that they beat us fair and square?

I feel to the depth of my political bones that the coincidence of these two virtually simultaneous and clandestine name changes points directly to some heretofore unacknowledged tension between Whitefish Mountain and Big City, Montana, and her citizens.

If elected in 2008, I pledge to work on behalf of every citizen of Big City to resolve this new dilemma diplomatically and expediently. And don't forget — buy your season tickets early for Big … er.. Whitefish Mountain. (I understand they'll still take checks written to Big Mountain until the last day of the current year for those clinging to a hope and a prayer.)

Dave Hadden is a resident of Bigfork.