Shaw leaves public works job in Kalispell

Former Columbia Falls city manager Bill Shaw left his new job as Kalispell’s public works director on March 30 after less than one year on the job.

After a nearly 10-year career as city manager here, Shaw, now 62, left Columbia Falls on May 27, 2011, and started work with Kalispell on June 6.

Kalispell city attorney and interim city manager Charlie Harball said no sharp disagreements led to Shaw’s departure from Kalispell.

“We had talked about it for the last couple weeks,” Harball said. “He basically determined he didn’t want to do it anymore, and we came to an amicable agreement. There wasn’t anything bad or wrong.”

Shaw told Columbia Falls councilors and staff last year that his reason for going to Kalispell was that he wasn’t keeping busy enough here. Growth in Columbia Falls had slowed to a crawl because of the recession, and Kalispell had approached him in February 2011 about their public works director position opening up, he said.

“It’s a lot busier than what I’m doing here,” he said at the time, noting that he wasn’t ready to retire.