Ronan mayor faces two challengers in November election
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Longtime Ronan Mayor Kim Aipperspach has two contenders for his job: councilman Chris Adler and Robert Sager (who the Journal didn’t hear back from by deadline).
Incumbent
Kim Aipperspach
Background: Moved to Ronan from eastern Montana in eighth grade and has lived here ever since; he and wife Denise have four kids and six grandchildren
Work & Volunteer Experience: General manager of Arnie’s Gas and Tire, where he’s been employed “forever”; served as president and vice president of the chamber of commerce
Political Experience: Initially appointed to complete the second half of a four-year term, then elected to office around 2005, and has been serving as mayor since
“There’s no big money in Ronan politics,” says Aipperspach with a chuckle from his makeshift mayoral office on the corner of Hwy. 93 and Round Butte Rd. “I just enjoy trying to help people and help the city be as efficient as possible.”
The city of Ronan has 10 full-time employees between City Hall, the police department and public works. Aipperspach presides over a six-person council that meets twice a month.
The community’s two biggest expenditures, he says, “are streets and police.” And like all incorporated communities, “there’s never enough money to go around.”
The town recently received some funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), but according to Aipperspach, they don’t yet have clear guidance on how to spend it. He hopes they can put some toward water and sewer improvements, and possibly a new fire truck.
“We’re lucky we have a really good fire department, but they need help now and again too,” he says.
Instead of the growth spike that’s occurring in communities to the north and south, Ronan has seen a period “of slow, steady growth.”
The council, he says, strives for “controlled progress. We bend over backwards to try to do whatever we can to prosper the area without breaking some stupid law we’re under.”
“The whole council works hard at that – we’ve got a really good bunch right now,” he adds.
The housing scrunch that’s affecting all of Lake County is impacting Ronan too. While the town has low-income rentals, and homes for those with higher incomes, “it’s a pretty tough housing situation in Ronan for the average-middle-of-the-line Joe,” says Aipperspach.
In response, the town tries to keep the permitting process for building “practical and easy.” As a result, contractors tell the mayor “they’d all love to build a house in Ronan instead of having to do it in Polson.”
Improvements to the Highway 93 corridor are another issue that Aipperspach has kept an eye on since attending his first highway meeting in 1981. “We’re still waiting,” he says.
The state Department of Transportation currently is scheduled to complete the stretch from the Dairy Queen to Lake’s Corner, north of town, next year, and has postponed the more elaborate construction project from Ronan to the intersection of Hwy. 212 indefinitely. “It’s not even on the five-year book anymore.”
Nearly two decades after becoming mayor, Aipperspach says constituents “can always find me sitting here on the corner, and I always pretty much find time to do something about the situation if I can.”
Councilman
Chris Adler
Background: Grew up on a dairy farm south of town; graduate of Ronan schools; father of one daughter and three sons
Work & Volunteer Experience: Employed as a mechanic for Polson School District since 2016; previously worked on highway maintenance for the state Department of Transportation, and for the local Dodge dealer. Currently serving as Ronan Fire Chief, a volunteer post he’s held for a total of seven years; he joined the department in 1990
Political Experience: Served on Ronan City Council for 10 years, and is midway through his third term
No stranger to city government, Adler says he’s been contemplating a run for mayor for a few years. “I just want to change things around a little bit – change the management and operating style of the city of Ronan.”
Among his priorities, he’d like to see more oversight of department heads in charge of the streets, water and sewer systems, and police.
“I think there should be more interaction between the mayor and the employees,” he says. “I’m one of those people who wants to get the most bang for my buck. I want to make good decisions as far being thrifty with the spending.”
Adler says his 30-plus years as a volunteer fireman have given him an appetite for public service. “You volunteer because you just like to help others and show that you care a little bit. This is my chance to show that I care about this place that I love to call home.”
Plus, overseeing a crew of 37 (24 of them Ronan grads) gives him lots of management experience. “I think I can do the same thing for the city of Ronan.”
Issues facing the community include federal mandates for water and sewer systems – “seems like there’s always a curve ball that gets thrown at us” – and the perennial problem of rising costs and limited revenues.
“It’s almost like a freight train that you’re trying catch that’s always just a little bit out of reach,” he says. “You just do the best with what you’ve got.”
If elected, he hopes to foster a good working relationship with county and tribal governments. “I grew up here, there’re a lot of people I know in both governments and I feel pretty confident that maybe there are a few projects that might benefit both the citizens of Ronan and other governments as well if we worked in conjunction with each other.”
Adler praises the current council as a diverse group that works well together. “It’s important to have different ways of thinking and different backgrounds. It sheds a whole different light on the deal.”
He’d like to see more public participation in the twice-monthly council meetings, and encourages people to let their representatives know what they do or don’t appreciate about city services.
“People want to get the most they can for what they’re paying,” he says. “That’s the way I am too – I just want to make sure it’s being used wisely.”
