Hamilton mayor files for re-election

Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf did not hesitate one second to file as a candidate in the upcoming elections. He hopes desperately to maintain the position. He believes that he has done a good job and would like nothing more than to have the chance to continue serving the public in the same caring fashion that he serves the residents at Sapphire Lutheran Homes, where he works full time as Activities Director.

Farrenkopf said that in his first term as mayor a lot has been accomplished. Some of the projects were inherited, he said. They were projects that had been initiated under the direction of the previous mayor, Jerry Steele.  

One was the new Justice Center project involving the renovation of the old Armory building on Main and 10th. It now houses the police department, the city court and the city attorney’s office. Farrenkopf took over the project just at the point that the contractors were being hired and then shepherded the project through the building phase. A second project inherited from Steele and then carried to completion was the building of the Skate Park at Claudia Driscoll Park on 10th street. Then came the acquisition of Skalkaho Bend Park, another big project.

“All of these things are really big assets for the community,” said Farrenkopf.

Another thing that Steele was working on when he left office was the Hamilton Urban Renewal District. Farrenkopf said the creation of that district, which he helped carry through to completion, was really going to help businesses in the area.

Under Farrenkopf’s administration the City has also undertaken a major cooperative effort with the county in establishing a Targeted Economic Develop District on the north end of town. It is a big project involving the extension of the city’s wastewater treatment system into the county.

Then there were some big infrastructure projects including  the 3rd.Street water project followed by the Big Corral Road project. 

“We replaced a lot of decrepit old water lines in that project,” said Farrenkopf.  A third big infrastructure project which involved county participation was the make-over of Fairgrounds Road. That project is nearing completion.

Farrenkopf said that the city was working hard right now toward building a new fire station and hoped to begin construction by next year.

“I love being mayor,” said Farrenkopf, “and I hope to be re-elected in the worst way to see that fire station built to completion. It’s such a pressing need for the community.”

Farrenkopf said that he was especially proud of his work on the city fireworks display, which he took on as sort of a “pet project” after being elected. Since taking it on he has managed to fund the fireworks display entirely on donations and is not using taxpayer money at all for the community fireworks display. He said putting together the private funding for the fireworks show was not hard because of the strong support he got from businesses and individuals in the community. He said they now have a very healthy fund going into this summer.

“Not only have we been able to increase the budget and make the displays larger, we have created a special account that the city manages,” said Farrenkopf. “It has a significant amount of money in it that ensures the displays will continue.” He said money is raised annually for the fund.

Besides the many projects that he has had the opportunity to manage, Farrenkopf said that he is also proud of the positive relationships that have been established during his tenure. He said that he was especially proud of the positive relationship that now exists between the city and the county and the many joint projects that they have undertaken together from sharing wellness programs for city and county staff to sharing in the development of the Targeted Economic Development District, and other projects.

Our relationship with the county is very important,” he said. “The city is in the county and the county is in the city. We need to work very closely with them.” He said the same holds true for the school district and that the city had a great working relationship with Superintendent Tom Korst. 

Farrenkopf said that the city also works closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the Hamilton Downtown Association and the Downtown Hamilton Business District. He said they have also worked closely with many agencies and organizations and businesses in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, including working with Western Montana Mental Health Clinic, Rocky Mountain Laboratory and Ravalli County Economic Development Authority as well as with local businesses and individuals. 

Farrenkopf said that working closely with department heads in the city was also something he was very proud of. He holds meetings with all the department heads jointly each month to review activities together. He said a lot of what the departments do overlaps and these meetings help foster communication and enable a more coordinated response to public needs. He said the level of communication is really high. He said he met with individual department heads weekly and discussed what they were doing and what his expectations are. 

“I believe I have a very strong relationship with staff,” he said. 

Farrenkopf said that he was very lucky to have such an engaged city council and that he was working very well with them. He said there is frequent communication, and everyone is staying up to speed with what everyone else is thinking. He said they were able to make a smooth transition between departing City Judge Mike Reardon and the new judge, Brian Archibald. 

“We also did some re-positioning in the Planning Department and new city manager, Matthew Rorhbach, has been a great addition. The city is getting a lot done in planning and zoning,” he said.

Farrenkopf was also proud of the budgets his administration has produced over the last three years. He said the latest is effective and allows for needed projects.

“It allows us to live within our means and it allows us to operate the city in a really responsible way,” he said.

Farrenkopf said that he also believes that the mayor needs to have a very close relationship with the whole community. “I feel that I do,” he said. He said he’s been able to support a lot of non-profits by attending their events or by participating directly as an emcee, an auctioneer, or a bingo caller or by getting dunked into a tank of water or showing up in a costume or making some sort of proclamation, or guest appearance and/or speech. 

“I feel like I have really strengthened the bonds between the mayor and the community,” he said. Last year he was recognized by the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce as a Community Asset in the annual chamber banquet awards. “That, to me, was so affirming,” he said. “That, to me, was saying, yes, you are being effective in the community, yes, you do care about the community you serve and people recognize your efforts.”

“I work extremely hard as the mayor, not just in a business capacity, but as an ambassador to the city to make sure that the people know, yes, the mayor cares about his community, he has bought in, he is making sure that these organizations have the resources that they need, that they have an opportunity to blossom in this city and to extend their mission even further. It is just so important to do that,” he said. 

Farrenkopf has a fulltime job at Sapphire Lutheran Homes while the job as mayor is a part-time position.  

“I work late hours and a lot of weekends as mayor,” said Farrenkopf matter-of-factly.  

“Serving my residents at Sapphire Lutheran Homes is extremely important to me and serving my community as mayor is also extremely important,” he said. “And I see no reason to change the way I’m working for either one. If I am re-elected, as I hope I will be, my plan is to just keep my foot on the gas pedal and work really hard to make Hamilton the best place that it can be. I just want to be the kind of person that can help inspire collective improvement in our community. I feel we are making a lot of headway.” He compared his tenure as mayor to that of a captain taking charge of a large ship. 

“It takes time to turn it,” he said. “You get the right people in place, the right projects lined up and slowly turn the ship and then try and maintain course. If I get another chance at another term, I hope to just continue on this course making Hamilton a great place to live, to work and to visit.”

 “So please give me another chance!” said Farrenkopf. “Vote for me in the upcoming election. I want to be humble, but I also want people to know that I am up to the challenges and I am determined to work hard and continue to do the best job I can for the city.” 

Besides running a nursing home and being mayor, Farrenkopf is also a published poet. Here is a sample of his work from “These Poems Need Homes: Father & Son Fishing Adventures”

A Fish Tale

“Okay, Son, we’ve got one!”

he said with a grin.

He handed me the pole,

“Now reel it in!”

I remember this

from fishing with my dad,

and remember the fun,

as a boy, I had.

We would wade the creeks,

Dad casting with the pole,

and reeling in the fish

was my humble role.

It wasn’t long, though,

‘til I had my own rod,

but still next to Dad,

we two peas in a pod.

We fished the mountain’s creeks

and the valley’s streams.

At age fourteen,

we took the trip of my dreams.

It was an overnight trip

fishing for trout.

We camped on the bank

and watched the stars come out.

The next fishing trip

that my dad and I planned

was a deep-sea charter boat

named, “Fifty-Grand.”

We chased the salmon run

our next vacation.

That was my gift

for high school graduation.

When I moved out

our fishing trips grew fewer.

On my visits home

we would go cast a lure.

Years turned to decades

and now my dad’s grown old.

He’s in the nursing home

but we just struck gold.

The home took a fishing trip

to Stafford Pond.

My words said to Dad

were truly my most fond.

“Okay, Dad, we’ve got one!”

I said with a grin.

I handed him the pole,

“Now reel it in!”