City council candidate Darin Fisher

Incumbent Darin Fisher seeking re-election after his first term in office because he likes the direction the city is heading and wants to be a part of its future.

“I like being involved in community activities and this is a great way to be involved,” he said. “The community is heading in a great direction and I want to continue to be a part of that.”

Fisher, 38, grew up in Akron, Ohio and graduated from Bowling Green University with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. He first came West in 1999 as a volunteer with the Forest Service in Wyoming, which eventually led to a job with the Service. Fisher and his wife, Carla, moved to Columbia Falls in 2009 when he took a post as a trails manager for the Hungry Horse Ranger District. They have a daughter, Hazel, 3.

Fisher is also a beer brewer and the couple are building Backslope Brewing on U.S. Highway 2 in the city. The microbrewery is expected to open sometime this winter, Fisher said.

Fisher has been brewing beer since the early 2000s. When it opens, it will be the first brewery in the city limits. Fisher’s business is just one of many new ventures that are in the city’s future. He said the current city council is a diverse group that is good at fostering growth and building consensus, even though they all come from different walks of life and occupations.

“When we work things out we’re nearly always unanimous,” he said.

Fisher said he views himself as fiscally conservative and he wants to foster growth in the city, but with a long term view.

“We need to think big picture,” he said.

He said he supports business expansion, like Smartlam’s proposed plant at the industrial park at the north end of the city and it will bring more jobs to the community.

“They’ve already proven they can be good neighbors,” he said.

As far a Superfund listing for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant is concerned, he said the important thing is that it’s cleaned up properly and the company is held responsible for the cleanup.

“That’s what’s important to me and that’s what’s important to the community,” he said.