Noell brings youth, energy to council race
There’s no time like the present to get
involved in city government, Life Noell maintains.
At 29, the lift attendant at Whitefish
Mountain Resort is the youngest in a slate of six candidates for
three open seats on the Whitefish City Council.
Noell has become active at the
committee level in Whitefish over the past couple of years, serving
on the Park Board, the Weed Control Advisory Committee and the
Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Committee.
While his campaign has been fairly
low-key — he’s spending $50 total on publicity for business cards —
Noell said he’s passionate about people and the outdoors and simply
wants to offer his energy to preserving the quality of life in
Whitefish and “protecting these things that we share.”
Critical areas ordinance
“I am interested in the transformation
of the critical areas ordinance,” Noell said. “I support
simplifying it and it sounds like they’re trying to move [the
oversight of some regulations] to the Public Works Department.”
He supports changes to the law that
make it more understandable and user-friendly. The city is on the
right track, he said, by looking at changes to the slope and
administration/enforcement sections of the ordinance.
“It’s a good document; it’s just hard
to grow when a document impedes growth,” he said.
The “doughnut”
Noell is concerned about the city’s
“apparent communication breakdown in our interlocal agreement with
the county.” He’s referring to the agreement that governs planning
control for the two-mile area outside Whitefish city limits.
With Flathead County recently giving
Whitefish a one-year termination notice to back out of the 2010
revised interlocal agreement, and city residents set to vote on a
referendum to repeal that revised agreement, Noell said it’s time
for resolution.
“The doughnut has been far too long in
the fryer,” he said. “I want to look into it and I’ve got the time
to do it.”
Noell would like to see some kind of
committee or council established to represent doughnut-area
residents, even though he realizes such a group wouldn’t have any
regulatory authority. His idea is to record doughnut residents’
positions on issues “and retain them until the law gives them a
structure to have a voice.
“Their informal positions are extremely
important,” Noell said about doughnut residents. “When you talk
about them not paying for the betterment of the city, you’d be
wrong. I recognize the contributions of the doughnut
residents.”
City Hall
Noell said he believes the city should
either keep City Hall where it is or build a facility on the north
half of the current City Hall block and use the south half of the
high-profile corner of Baker Avenue and Second Street for retail
development, if warranted.
He supports using some of the city’s
tax increment revenue for renovations to Whitefish High School and
is seeking community input on that proposal.
“The future issues will be solved by
minds coming out of that high school,” he said. “It’s a cornerstone
to our success.”
Budget
“I trust city government and the money
handlers,” he said. “I entrust our city management to do a good
job. I admire the jobs being done by our city staff.”
He said he believes resort tax revenue
has been well spent and he particularly likes the investment the
city has made in parks and trails.
Perception
“I recognize all classes of people in
Whitefish. The rich and poor share the same activities,” Noell
observed. “And I notice growth coming to Whitefish because of its
uniqueness.”
Overall, Noell said he doesn’t believe
the laws on Whitefish’s books are impeding growth. “Whitefish is
the way it is because regulations are in place,” he added.
“I want to see that our river is
cleaned right and that our lake stays as clean as possible,” Noell
continued. “Also, I would like to encourage our citizens to get
involved and to offer their ideas on how to help our economy bounce
back and strengthen.”