Three city council seats, one candidate so far

With the June 30 registration deadline looming, there is one declared candidate for the three Columbia Falls City Council positions up for election this fall.

Councilor Julie Plevel said Monday she submitted her filing documents with the city clerk's office and intends to run for re-election.

Plevel, a local Realtor, was appointed to the city council in October 2005 to complete a three-month term. She was then elected to finish a two-year term that ran from January 2006 through December 2007. She ran for election and is currently serving a four-year term that ends in December 2011.

Councilor Harvey Reikofski has not made up his mind about running for re-election. The council's work load is much lighter now because of the economic recession's impact on development requests that must go through the council, but Reikofski said he devoted quite a bit of extra time to the River's Edge Park acquisition and had made commitments to his family.

Reikofski was appointed to the council in August 2004 to complete a 2 1/2 year term. He was elected to the council for a four-year term that ended in December 2009 and then was appointed to finish a two-year term that ends in December 2011.

Councilor Doug Karper also hasn't made up his mind about running this year. His service goes back to the early 1990s when he was elected to a four-year term ending December 1997. He was re-elected and served 11 months in 1998, was appointed to complete a 1 1/2-year term in 2004-2005, and was elected to finish a two-year term in 2006-2007.

Karper, who is now finishing an elected four-year term and will have spent about 12 1/2 years on the council, said he likes the job and would do it again, but he wants to see someone else step forward and serve.