Election 2013: Meet council candidate Andy Feury

After a five-year hiatus, former Whitefish mayor Andy Feury is excited about the opportunity to get back into Whitefish politics.

“I miss it,” Feury told the Pilot in a recent interview. “I enjoy the process. Government works at the local level.”

Feury’s long political career here began when he was appointed to the council in 1991 to replace Larry Fonner. He was elected to the council in 1993 and served for four years.

After losing the 1997 mayoral election to Mike Jenson, Feury was off the council for two years. He successfully ran for mayor in 1999, ran unopposed in 2001, defeated Mike Gwiazdon in 2003 and ran unopposed in 2005.

He resigned from his mayoral post in August of 2007 due to demands of a business venture in China.

Feury, 55, witnessed countless projects come to fruition during his tenure on council and as mayor — The Wave, Smith Fields, the Stumptown Ice Den, the library and the O’Shaughnessy Center to name a few.

“I had the opportunity to be involved in some amazing things in this community,” he said.

He helped draft the city’s master plan update in 1995, dealt with contentious annexations in the early 2000s, and has seen the planning doughnut play out from the beginning.

He says his institutional knowledge of the issues facing the city will benefit council if elected.

“I bring the benefit of a lot of experience,” he said. “Historical knowledge is important. I understand why we are where we are.”

Feury has lived in Whitefish since he was 14 years old. He is a 1976 graduate of Flathead High School and studied economics at the University of Montana.

He is currently a partner in Western Pacific Plastics, which makes laminate film and parts for the trophy industry. Feury travels to China for business a handful of times a year, staying for a week to 10 days each trip. He says his travel schedule shouldn’t impact his ability to participate in regular council meetings and work sessions.

Feury says residents can expect him to bring to council the same balanced approach to the decision-making process he was known for as mayor.

“I’ll do my homework and listen to people,” he said.

“Even when people didn’t agree with me, they respected my decisions. I haven’t lost that skill.”

Downtown parking

Feury agrees with the decision to build a downtown parking garage alongside a new City Hall, although he says it’s a change to the landscape that will be tough for some to get used to.

“It’s a deviation from small town Whitefish,” he said. “But it doesn’t make sense to tie up properties that could be on the tax roll with a bunch of surface lots.”

At certain peak times of the year, parking can be a real problem, he said.

“Keeping people downtown is important,” he said.

Economic development

Whitefish should play to its strengths when considering economic development, Feury said.

“We’ve made this an attractive place to live and raise a family,” he said. “People want to live here.”

He said recreational amenities will continue to play a big part in the economy, noting that 6 percent of visitors to Whitefish are here for the Whitefish Trail.

“These are quantifiable economic drivers,” he said. “The trail benefits businesses that are here and makes other companies, like ZaneRay or River Design Group, want to locate here. Those are the kinds of businesses we want to attract.”

Planning for growth

The city can best manage growth by having a solid master plan and following it when facing tough decisions, Feury said.

“Adhere to the plan as best you can and recognize when it no longer serves you,” he said. “It’s important to have leadership that follows the [planning] documents.”

He said having a solid planning staff will help council, as well.

“The city needs staff that understands the bigger vision,” he said.

Feury says he’s a fan of mixed uses in areas where it’s appropriate.

Creating workforce housing is “tremendously important,” Feury said.

“We want real people here with real jobs,” he said. “That’s what makes Whitefish what it is.”

He says it’s tricky to create enough affordable housing when Whitefish’s land prices are so high.

“One way is to increase density, but people are generally opposed to density,” he said.

He says the city could do more to address the issue.

Planning doughnut

Feury says he’ll bring a full understanding of the planning doughnut issue to council.

“I know why it was started,” he said. “I was there. I saw the original agreement be signed.”

He says both the city and county need to set aside their grudges and get back to the discussion table.

He’s disappointed in the county’s stance on the issue.

“They approach this as only representing those who live outside of the city,” he said. “But look at your tax bill. [City residents] live in the county too.”

Whitefish Lake

Feury is chairman of the Community Wastewater Committee that was created to draft a management plan to deal with failing septic systems around Whitefish Lake.

As someone who lives on the lake, he’s seen the changes in water quality firsthand.

“I pulled my boat lift from the lake this year and it is was covered in green stuff,” he said. “The lake is changing and we need to address it now.”

“The management plan is a great first step.”

He says annexation could be a tool to put those homes around the lake on city sewer.

“Annexation is a dirty word,” he said. “But the city does need to grow and have an orderly boundary.”

He says mandatory septic inspections whenever a property is bought or sold should be considered.