Candidates interviewed for new ethics committee

Eight candidates for five spots on a new ad hoc committee that will review the city's ethics policy were interviewed by the Whitefish City Council on July 19.

Mayor Mike Jenson will appoint eight members to the committee, including two city councilors. Councilors Ryan Friel and Bill Kahle have expressed interest in participating.

The city's current ethics policy was established by resolution on May 18, 1998, when Jenson was mayor. The resolution explained that a new policy was needed because 'state law does not address all ethical issues that confront public officials and does not address all possible conflict of interest situations."

The policy applies to all public officials, including the mayor, city councilors, city manager, city attorney and any members of volunteer boards that make quasi-judicial decisions, such as the Board of Adjustment.

Concerns about ethics have been raised several times at recent council meetings. Some citizens claim last fall's election was tainted by Rick Blake's one-man political action committee, and some claim the council inappropriately tried to change the makeup of the Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau (WCVB).

But as Jenson pointed out several times during the interviews, the intent of the ad hoc committee is not to relive last fall's election. That, however, didn't stop the councilors asking questions or those being interviewed.

¥ John Murdock, who ran for city council in 2007 and came in sixth of seven candidates vying for three seats, said he was interested in serving on the committee because ethics is a "hot issue" and "all politics is local." Saying he is a consensus builder, Murdock said he was familiar with what's on the books and didn't want to make the ethics policy too restrictive. That would "weed out good people," he said.

¥ Ken Anderson, who has a long history running and developing chemical-dependency clinics, including creating the model for the Betty Ford Clinic, stressed the importance of ethics in that business. The former owner of the B & B Restaurant in Kalispell, Anderson moved to Whitefish about three months ago and says he wants to be involved in community service.

¥ Bonnie Leahy, who moved here 15 years ago, is also interested in community service and sees the ad hoc committee as a way to get her "foot in the door." She said she'd like to do more than just "tweak" the existing policy, and she mentioned term limits as something she'd support. Referring to last year's election, she noted that politics "is much worse Back East." She later told the Pilot that she works for Rick Blake and his family, but she has her own opinions and separates business from personal affairs.

¥ Jan Metzmaker helped to create the current ethics policy but believes "it's always good to go back and review policies." She is the executive director of the WCVB and a former city councilor. She said Rick Blake's activities in last year's election may not be unethical under the law, but "unfortunately money talks." She expressed concern about councilors not disclosing talks they've had with people about upcoming council agenda items.

¥ William Burg has served as chief financial officer in industry for more than 30 years, is a member of numerous community boards across the valley and as a CPA is an adjunct instructor at Flathead Valley Community College. He said Whitefish's explosive growth could pose ethical issues, but he was approaching the position "as a blank slate" with no agenda.

¥ John Lacey has lived here 12 years and is an attorney with an office in Kalispell. He, too, serves on numerous community boards across the valley and has helped draft ethics policies for them. He said he didn't want to see all the "time and energy" put into decision-making by the councilors lost for the wrong reasons. He praised the city for its "forethought" in dealing with growth and land-use issues. He wanted to see less divisiveness and more harmony in the community.

¥ Ed McGrew has spoken out several times in city council meetings, claiming Rick Blake influenced last year's city election and that councilors Turner Askew and Phil Mitchell tried to manipulate appointments to the WCVB board so they could get Richard Atkinson on the board. He started a Facebook page called "Informed Whitefish" that has promoted a review of the city's ethics policy. McGrew said the biggest issue facing the city today is the budget.

¥ Rebecca Norton has also spoken out in council meetings about last year's election. A member of the city's Board of Adjustment, she also closely follows the current negotiations between the city and county over the "doughnut" lawsuit. She is concerned the result of those negotiations will be a weakening of the city's environmental regulations. She has contributed to McGrew's Facebook site.

During the city council meeting following the interviews, Jenson announced he was having a hard time deciding who to appoint and wanted to delay his decision to the next council meeting.