Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
To Ryan Hunter, a walkable city is a vibrant city. That means neighborhoods where parents “feel comfortable having their kids walk to a nearby corner store,” he said. But to achieve that vision, the Ward 3 city councilor and mayoral candidate believes Kalispell needs to start designing streets that are favorable to pedestrians. Hunter is vying with fellow Councilor Sid Daoud and entrepreneur Kisa Davison for the job in the upcoming mail-in municipal election. Election Day is Nov. 4, and ballots began arriving in voters' mailboxes this week. Hunter said that getting cars to where they need to go as quickly as possible has always been the priority for all levels of government as opposed to accommodating pedestrians or bicyclists. Prioritizing pedestrians looks like installing traffic calming measures, bike paths and connecting sidewalk networks, he said. “We have missing sidewalks all over the city,” he said. Hunter has previously proposed putting a levy before a public vote to fund sidewalk construction and traffic calming measures, and he plans to continue pushing for it as mayor. “Walkable” is also a term Hunter wants to use to describe Main Street — but says it doesn’t apply as long as the thoroughfare remains noisy and unsafe to cross. “I want Main Street to be a destination for locals and visitors. I want a vibrant hub of our community with shopping and residential. I want a quieter street that people can sit outside of shops and have a conversation and enjoy it,” he said. HUNTER'S PERSPECTIVE on street design developed while he studied urban planning in Oregon. Growing up in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, Hunter earned bachelor's degrees in sociology and environmental studies from Linfield University. He later earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at Portland State University. A job opening at the Flathead Land Trust brought him to the Flathead Valley 16 years ago, where he continues to work as a land protection specialist. Hunter always held an interest in policy, the inner workings of government and how communities are shaped. So in 2019 he decided to run for Council, defeating incumbent Rod Kuntz. He was reelected in 2023 to a term that ends in 2027. For those questioning whether Ryan Hunter is the right fit for mayor, he urges people to look at his voting record while on Council. “I think my record shows that I’ve come through with the balanced approaches, creative thinking and really the right decisions,” he said. “Judge me on my record.” One vote Hunter stands by was his opposition to revoking the Warming Center’s conditional use permit, a decision by Council that embroiled the city in a federal lawsuit. The suit was ultimately settled, which included the city paying $140,000 in legal fees incurred by the homeless shelter. “Revoking the permit was not the right solution, was not the right approach. It put the Warming Center on the defensive,” he said. Hunter said the permit revocation made the city appear hostile to nonprofits. He wants the city to have a collaborative relationship with those groups, particularly when it comes to housing. “I want a true partnership with our nonprofit providers, for them to see the city as a good-faith partner,” he said. Donating vacant, surplus city-owned lots for housing nonprofits to build and manage homes on is one of Hunter’s goals to bring more affordable housing into the community. “This is something that is common in other communities. It frustrates me that we don’t,” he said. The practice would eliminate the cost of land for nonprofits to build housing and make projects likelier to receive state tax credits, Hunter said. Hunter would also form an advisory committee of local stakeholders, chaired by him, tasked with developing an affordable housing plan based on practices used in other municipalities. “I believe strongly in learning from other communities that are doing things well and what they’re not doing well,” Hunter said. The proposals are an effort to make Council more proactive in addressing housing, he said. “Our strategy so far has basically been approving a lot of units, which is great, but it’s all waiting for that developer to come in with a proposal, and we just sit there and say yay or nay,” he said. Being proactive also means limiting building along the Parkline Trail to high-density residential and retail development, Hunter said. He said that the last structure developed along the trail was a parking lot. “If we want to make downtown a vibrant community, a parking lot next to our brand new, multimillion-dollar showcase trail is a bad move,” he said. While proud of the number of developments Council has approved, Hunter has also voted against proposals, particularly when he thinks the project will adversely affect the environment. An apartment complex was proposed along Ashley Creek and Bluestone drive, but Hunter voted it down for failing to maintain an appropriate buffer from the creek. “Our code is just riddled with loopholes on that. I want to close those loopholes,” he said. Tightening restrictions on short-term rentals is also on Hunter’s agenda. The city allows up to 2% of the housing supply to be used for short-term rentals. The current rate is around 1%, and Hunter wants to keep it that way. “I don’t want to see it double,” he said. HUNTER JOINED members of the local firefighters union to campaign in favor of the public safety levy put before voters in early 2024. The measure, which ultimately won voters’ support, was brought forward to bolster staffing and equipment at the Kalispell Police and Fire departments. “I was really happy that it passed,” he said. Protecting the community from harmful chemicals is another form of public safety, Hunter said. He voted to install a filtration system in a city well contaminated with PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, at levels higher than federally allowed. He also pushed for tapping into federal funds to replace lead service lines in the city, “rather than putting that burden on the homeowner, which looked like for a while it was going to go in that direction. I am thankful it didn’t,” he said. Practically speaking, the role of mayor means guiding Council meetings, but it is also “about setting that vision for the community and being that face of the community” Hunter said. When he first was elected to Council, Hunter would repost news articles and other content related to city workings on his Facebook page, but he said the city tried to stop him from doing it. “They tried to say it to say it wasn’t appropriate, it wasn’t legal,” Hunter said. “I pushed back because I thought it was so important that an elected official communicate with the public and have some place where they can kind of share information.” Many of the proposals Hunter is campaigning on he has brought up at Council meetings, but he hopes the impending shake-up at City Hall — a new city manager, mayor and potential councilor turnover — will allow his ideas to gain more traction and bring “opportunity to foster a new culture at Council.” Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected]. Ryan Hunter Age: 49 Family: Wife Eve, 12-year-old daughter Occupation: Land protection specialist at Flathead Land Trust Community Service: Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana board member, involved with Collaborative Housing Solutions of Northwest Montana, involved with Flathead Trails Association
