Havre woman chosen as new Whitefish city attorney

Mary VanBuskirk, an attorney in Havre, has accepted the Whitefish City Council's offer to become the city's new city attorney.

"I believe she is planning on starting full-time after the Fourth of July weekend," city attorney John Phelps said, "but she's going to make an effort to spend some time here the last week of June so that she and I can work together a little and have a smooth transition."

The hunt for a new Whitefish city attorney was narrowed down to four finalists in April, and they were interviewed here in May. The four finalists included three women.

VanBuskirk has 32 years of private practice experience in Havre, working for the Bosch, Kuhr, Dugdale, Martin & Kaze law firm, which practiced labor and employment law, insurance defense and trial practice. The law firm also contracted with the city of Havre and nearby towns to provide civil representation and criminal prosecution services.

She received her law degree from the University of Montana-Missoula in 1978. She was admitted to the bar in Montana in 1978 and in Washington in 1998. She also admitted to the Chippewa-Cree, Fort Belknap and Fort Peck tribal courts and was appointed by Sen. Max Baucus to serve on a federal judge selection committee.

Born in Havre in 1949, VanBuskirk used to travel to Whitefish as a child with her family to visit friends. She recalls fishing with her father at his favorite holes and camping in Glacier National Park.

VanBuskirk met her husband Roger Barber while attending the Montana Constitutional Convention in 1971. She had helped run her mother's campaign to become a delegate at the convention. Her husband recently retired as deputy commissioner of higher education in Helena.

The couple live in VanBuskirk's family home in the historical part Havre. Her grandfather, a conductor for the Great Northern Railway, lived there, and her father, a dispatcher for Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railway, grew up in the same house.

"I look forward to this new opportunity," VanBuskirk said about the new job. "I enjoyed meeting with the mayor, the councilors and the department heads. Whitefish is an innovative community with some interesting issues."

Phelps officially informed the mayor and city councilors in November that he planned to retire effective July 1 after serving as city attorney for 14 years. He worked as the Whitefish city attorney on a contract basis for 10 years before the city created a full-time position.

Jenson said the loss of institutional memory could be significant, and that Phelps had offered to assist the city on a part-time basis.