October 22, 2009
Ronan residents to choose judge, council members
By Kate Haake
Valley Journal
Nov. 3 is Election Day for the citizens of Ronan. This year Ronan has three candidates running for city judge: Tom Paro, Lauri A. Johns and Justin Lee Bartels. Mayor Kim Aipperspach is running uncontested for mayor. For the two-year term for ward one, Keoki R. Lopezdevictoria is running uncontested. For the four-year term for ward one, both Penelope Ann Ross and Ellen R. Kaphammer are running. Marcia Lynn Ganieany is running uncontested for the position of Ronan ward two. Paul Soukup and Dick Jungers are running against each other for ward three.
Tom Paro, a resident of Ronan for 25 years, spent four years in the Air Force before working for eight years as a police officer, six years as a tribal prosecutor and 17 years managing a green house. His political experience includes serving as a Hot Spring city council member and he currently serves on the Ronan Police Commission.
Paro believes that he can contribute uniquely to the city by being judge.
“I have courtroom experience as prosecutor so (I) will require less training,” Paro said. “I am available at any time. I have knowledge of the law or can find information in the codes.”
Paro is 64 years old and has three daughters, two sons and seven grandchildren. He is currently retired.
Lauri A. Johns is also running for city judge. She is a clinical professional counselor from Ronan. She graduated from Ronan High School in 1978 and acquired a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana in Psychology. She went on to receive a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Great Falls.
From 1999 to 2001 she worked for Jore Corporation as a job site counselor. Since 2001 she has been in private practice.
Johns was a member of Ronan Pioneer Days Company for eight years and she has also been a Cub Scout den mother and an officer of the Pablo PTA.
Johns believes that members of city government should strive to: “make things less complicated in government, keep their ears open and listen to the residents of Ronan, and be honest and fair and take the responsibility of the positions they hold seriously.”
Johns is married to Joe Johns and has two sons, Michael and James Ogden. She is a third generation resident of the Mission Valley.
Justin Lee Bartels is also running for city judge. Bartels, who is the manager and paramedic for Polson-Ronan Emergency Services has been a member of Lake County Search and Rescue for ten years.
Bartels received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Business management from University of Montana in 1996. He completed the Missoula Emergency Services Paramedic program in 2008.
Previously Bartels worked as a store manager for Genuine Parts Co. in Anchorage, AK. He then moved back to Montana to become the operations manager for Ronan NAPA Auto Parts for eight years.
“As a lifelong resident of Ronan, I have a love for the area and the people that are served by the Ronan City Court, and I am running for this position to make a positive change and difference. I have met many of the local residents in various capacities over the past 38 years, and think I am in a unique position to identify with their needs and any legal situations they may find themselves in before the Court in order to make appropriate decisions in their cases, whether they are victims, defendants, or litigants in a civil matter.
In my capacity with Lake County Search and Rescue and the Ronan Ambulance Service, I have seen first-hand the trauma and life-changing (or life –ending) events that can occur when laws are violated and thought is not given to the consequences of inappropriate decisions. My experiences would lend me the wisdom to understand why certain laws are in place, as well as the capacity to explain to those who are rightfully before the Ronan City Court why their actions were wrong and hopefully persuade them to not make further mistakes based on the decisions I would make, the sentences I would issue, and the way I would treat all that come before the court with courtesy and respect. Hopefully their better understanding after leaving the Court would likewise encourage them to dissuade others from making the same mistakes they made. While I will strive to become as educated as possible in the legal terminology and reasoning that each individual case will bring before the Ronan City Court, I think that much of what makes a good judge is common sense. My life experiences, my ties to the community, and my ability to identify with the people of this area will be very beneficial in my making both common sense and legal decisions in all matters before the Court,” Bartels said.
Bartels is married to Erinn Bartels and has two step sons, Spencer and Sterling. He is 38 years old.
Penelope Ann Ross is running for a four-year term in Ronan, ward one.
Ross is currently retired from CSKT and Mission Valley Power after 35 years of employment. She also worked in Payroll for CSKT and finance with CSK Housing and Development programs. Ross completed her GED and completed many classes from Salish Kootenai College. Ross has served for three years on the Ronan City Council.
Ross is a member of the Ronan VFW auxiliary and is involved in many school activities with her grandchildren. She believes that the issues that city council addresses should be as follows: “Finding resources to fund the maintenance and the upkeep of our city streets, which is very hard in these uncertain economic times, as it has been in the past before these crucial times. I, with the other City Council members, plus the staff would like to continue working on finding further funding for these projects.”
Ross believes that the city council should also, “continue monitoring the zoning and maintaining proper growth and development within our community.”
Ross also believes that it is very important to “be available to my constituents for input on any of their concerns.”
Ross is 67 years old and has three children, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Ross is running against Ellen R. Kaphammer, who did not have any information available at press time.
Dick Jungers is running for ward three of Ronan City Council. Jungers, who is now retired, worked for 20 years for the Coca-Cola company and was self employed for 29 years. Jungers has served on the Ronan City Council for five years and has also served on the citizens advisory committee for the Ronan Telephone Company. Jungers has lived in Ronan since 1968 and is involved in the Ronan Booster Club for 40 years. Jungers is also the score keeper for the high school wrestling team.
Jungers believes the following three issues are what needs to be addressed by city government: “All people living in the city should be governed by the same laws, tribal and non-tribal; Because we have so much tribal housing in the city, we are short on tax money. We need to work with tribal Council on the issue; We have a very small amount of retail businesses. We should work to attract some new businesses.”
Jungers is married and has five children and one grandchild.
Jungers is running against Paul Soukup. Soukup did not have any information available at press time. |
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