Sweeney: City needs to recruit new businesses

Despite losing a tight and contentious

council election in 2009, city council candidate Frank Sweeney

hasn’t been deterred from running again. He says he still has a lot

to give.

“A number of people have told me I need

to do this again,” Sweeney said. “There’s some unfinished business

in terms of our relationship with the county and in terms of a

regulatory environment that will foster the growth we all

want.”

Sweeney is a graduate of Southern

Methodist University in Dallas, and has a law degree from the

University of Houston. He worked as a lawyer for Pepsi Co. for more

than 15 years before coming to Whitefish in 1998.

He and his wife Paula are competitive

equestrians, and both compete at The Event at Rebecca Farm.

Sweeney’s favorite event is cross country, where riders go across

terrain at high speeds and jump over obstacles, sometimes into

water.

“It’s more exciting than anything else

you can do on a horse,” Sweeney said.

In 2009, Sweeney was appointed to

replace Shirley Jacobson on city council. He later lost his bid for

re-election when Chris Hyatt, Bill Kahle and Phil Mitchell were

elected.

Sweeney says his legal training allows

him to be open and thoughtful about the pros and cons of the issues

brought before council.

“I can look at both sides of an issue

and come to a conclusion,” he explained. One of Sweeney’s top

priorities will be to boost business growth here. While he doesn’t

regard Whitefish as “business unfriendly”, he does say the city

could do a better job of soliciting new companies.

“We can create within our departments a

more inviting attitude,” he said. “We need to look for and recruit

businesses we want.”

While some suggest Whitefish is overly

regulated, Sweeney says many of the city’s ordinances actually help

businesses succeed here.

“I don’t believe that any of our

regulations have inhibited our growth or have been a cause of the

[economic] slow down,” he said. “Regulations are as important to

the success of a business as they are perceived to be as an

inhibition.”

The Dark Sky and sign ordinances are

two regulations he points to.

“If you look at any other successful

resort community, a sign and dark sky ordinance are a critical part

of their success,” he said.

However, he says the recent cell phone

ordinance was “a little over the top.”

“That’s not a regulation I would have

initiated, nor do I think it solved the problem,” he said.

Sweeney was on the critical areas

advisory committee in 2007. He says the city has learned a lot

about the CAO since it was first crafted. He’d like to see it be

simplified, but says the goals of the CAO — to protect water

quality — are laudable and need to be observed as the ordinance is

amended.

It’s critical for the city to play an

active role in the doughnut planning area, he says.

“This city should have the right to

help manage their borders and gateways,” he said. “That’s

particularly important for Whitefish. We are a destination resort

town. We are other things, too, but that’s clearly one of the

drivers of our economy. We need to foster that and not do anything

to destroy it.”

“I think our relationship with the

county could be improved. There are ways for us to work on a better

Interlocal Agreement than the amended one that was put into place

in 2010. I think the citizens of Whitefish told the commissioner

and our city council that they can do better.”

He wants to provide a way for doughnut

residents to have a political voice with regard to land use issues

made in the area. He says the 2010 agreement was a missed

opportunity for the county and city to “sit down and figure out how

to make that work.”

Sweeney is opposed to raising taxes and

notes that when he served as a councilor the mill levy was reduced

by 10 percent.

“I don’t see a need, nor would I

advocate for raising taxes,” he said. I’m very cognizant of the

wise use of tax dollars as well as using no more than

necessary.”

The search for a City Hall site needs

to be broadened, he said. Council needs to consider the long-term

implications of the sites being looked at.

“It’s not like buying a house where

it’s a 10 year deal,” he said. “We have to take our time with

it.

He’d like to keep City Hall downtown

and he doesn’t regard the Mountain West site as a “50 year

structure.”

“But if that’s what the citizens of

Whitefish say they want, so be it, I’m OK with that.”