Former Whitefish Councilor Phil Mitchell has filed to run for the District 1 seat on the Flathead County Commission.
The District 1 seat covers the county’s north end; Commissioner Cal Scott currently holds the seat.
Mitchell served on the Whitefish City Council from 2010 to 2013, and spent 2002 to 2007 on the Whitefish School Board.
“I am a conservative who is frugal with our tax dollars,” Mitchell said in a prepared statement. “I am a property rights advocate and I support business growth and jobs creation in our beautiful valley.”
As far as issues facing District 1, Mitchell said he supports the county taking control of the so-called doughnut planning area, and that he opposes the current water compact with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as it is currently written.
Mitchell and his wife, Belinda, have lived in the Flathead Valley for 35 years. As a businessman, Mitchell has constructed golf courses around the world, and operated small business here, including a retail chocolate store and a furniture refurnishing and antique business.
As of Jan. 15, Cal Scott had not filed his intent to run for the seat with the Flathead County Election Department. Scott was appointed to the District 1 seat in 2012, after Jim Dupont passed away from an apparent heart attack in March 2012.