Muhlfeld to run for mayor

Whitefish City Councilor John Muhlfeld

announced this week he will run for Whitefish mayor in the upcoming

city elections. Muhlfeld is the only candidate who has submitted an

application to fill the mayoral position. Current mayor Mike Jenson

says he won’t run for another term.

Muhlfeld was appointed to the council

in January 2006 to complete Tom Muri’s term after Muri resigned. He

then successfully ran for a four-year term in 2007. He is the

current Deputy Mayor.

Muhlfeld moved to Whitefish in 1995. He

is a co-owner and hydrologist with River Design Group, a

Whitefish-based firm that specializes in applied water resources

engineering, and the design of river and fisheries restoration

projects.

As a local business owner with a staff

of 18 employees, Muhlfeld says he understands the importance of

fiscal responsibility and economic development. It’s the mayor’s

job, he says, to put Whitefish residents first, keep taxes down and

to ensure the city and council are working together.

Prior to starting River Design Group

with his partners, Muhlfeld was employed by several private

consulting firms, and as a forest hydrologist with the Montana

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S.

Forest Service Kootenai National Forest. He has a degree in geology

and water resources from Hobart College and University of

Queensland, Australia.

Muhlfeld has participated on numerous

city volunteer boards, including vice chairman of the Whitefish

Lake and Lakeshore Protection Committee and more recently as a

board member of the Whitefish Lake Institute. He was also a member

of the Critical Area Advisory Committee.

Whitefish Chamber of Commerce chairman

John Anderson threw his hat into the City Council race on Monday.

Anderson and Richard Hildner are currently the only two candidates

who have filed to run for the three open seats left by outgoing

councilors Muhlfeld, Ryan Friel and Turner Askew.

Anderson is a local business lawyer,

and previously worked as a logger and held positions in engineering

and operations of high-tech companies. For the past five years, he

has served on the Chamber of Commerce board.

Anderson said his top priority is

Whitefish’s economic recovery.

“My family and I made Whitefish our

home for the same reason everyone else did — its resilient people,”

Anderson said in a press release. “I am encouraged by our

community’s resourcefulness and dedication to each other during the

recent economic challenges, and am confident that our future holds

more promise simply because of the people who live here.”

Anderson sees Whitefish transitioning

into a more diverse economy with opportunities in knowledge-based

business and light manufacturing.

Prospective candidates seeking to run

for city council or the mayor position have until June 30 to file

with the county Election Department.