After interviewing three candidates for the vacant Ward 1 seat on the Stevensville Town Council at a special meeting on February 7, the two-person council appointed Marilyn Wolff. The Ward 2 appointment was tabled since the council was split on the appointment of Bob Michalson. At the February 10 regular meeting, Wolff was seated and the three-person council voted Michalson in on a 3-2 vote, with council member Stacie Barker casting the dissenting vote.
At the February 7 meeting, the council interviewed three candidates, Leanna Rodabaugh, Wallace Smith and Marilyn Wolff.
Rodabaugh, an outspoken critic of the previous administration, told the council that she was “invested in this town… This is a town that has always meant a lot to me.” She said she is not a single issue person, and that she has researched a lot of things, attended many meetings. “I do know that I can help this town,” she said. She said people know her as a baker, and a Clothes Closet volunteer. “There are issues in this town that are fairly deep – there’s anger… We have to listen and learn. We need to look at the issues that the town has and keep going forward. Criticism doesn’t get us anywhere… We have to learn to accept that there’s going to be division in this town, and try and work with it and not over the top of it.”
She listed the biggest challenges as water issues, subdivisions, and the purchasing policy.
Wallace Smith said he has been resident of Stevensville for three years, moving to the Bitterroot from Las Vegas. He has been a pastor for 30 years. He said he founded his church and started one of them in Corvallis. He has sat on many non-profit boards and has worked with people all over, including Uganda. “Working in the corporate field, whether profit or non-profit, helps me with a possible seat on this board,” he said. He said he’s now retired and has the time to devote to the town. “I hope to see a community,” he said. “We don’t have to be totally in agreement but we can certainly be nice… that’s what I can bring to the board.” He said growth and water problems are the biggest issues facing the town. He said he would address this “with common sense” and that developers should pay for infrastructure. He also said the “historic nature of the town should be preserved.”
Marilyn Wolff told the council that she has a “long work history with a real variety of positions in management and administration,” and she feels she is “very good dealing with the public and public issues” and understanding what people’s needs are. She said she was “a very thoughtful person” and could easily “follow the rules, the laws and the regulations.” She said, “If you want the government to work… you don’t just complain about things, you actually get involved to see if you can help.” Wolff said it’s time to settle some longstanding disputes, get water rights settled, get wells permitted, and create a good foundation that allows for proper development.
Most of the public comments were split between Smith and Wolff. Barker said she was favoring Marilyn Wolff and council member Cindy Brown said she “had no problem with that.” They then proceeded to vote 2-0 to appoint Wolff.
The Ward 2 candidates, Bob Michalson and Jerry Phillips, were interviewed next.
Bob Michalson said he was “active in the community” and “active in local government since 2016.” He added he had attended many meetings. He was defeated in the last election, but then the winner resigned. He said he was asked by people to try again. He said that, with the new administration, he was “hoping the divisions on the council are now gone.” He said he was planning to reach out to members of his ward and “to be more active than ever in interacting with the public.” He said water issues and infrastructure needed to be addressed right away and the cost shouldn’t be put on the taxpayers. He said the biggest challenge for the community was “growth.”
Jerry Phillips told the council he had grown up in Stevensville and graduated from Stevensville High School in 1964. He said he has lots of family in the area, and Stevensville will always be home. He has a background in printing and electronics and most recently has been a volunteer at the Lee Metcalf Refuge. He has previously served on the council and “really enjoyed it… There were some difficulties that came up… so I left.” He said several people had asked him to get back on. “I’d like to see that we get back on track and be able to work for the citizens of this community,” he said. “It’s up to the council to make the rules and support this community and listen to what the community has to say.” He said he doesn’t have any particular agenda. “It’s up to the community members,” said Phillips. “What does the community want? That’s the most important thing.” Phillips mentioned water issues as a major concern. He said the biggest challenge for the community was “disunity… I would hope that with cooperation among ourselves and community members we could put any differences aside and bring this community back where it needs to be” and then address the issues.
Both Michalson and Phillips have previously served on the council, and both resigned from their seats, with Michalson resigning twice. Michalson was also involved in a lawsuit filed by a former town clerk over charges of bullying and harassment. That lawsuit was eventually settled for $50,000.
In public comment, Sue Devlin attempted to bring up Michalson’s past, but was stopped by Mayor Steve Gibson, who said that public comments did not allow personal attacks. Devlin said she was just citing facts. But the mayor cut her off and said “We’re not going to get into attacking people.” He said she “could support someone… but we’re not going to allow any type of personal attack.”
“This is not a personal attack, sir, this is a statement of facts,” said Devlin.
Devlin tried to continue but, once again, the mayor cut her off. “This is about people applying to be on the council,” said the mayor. “This is a tough decision. You keep bringing up things from the past that I don’t know if you can substantiate…. – “Yes, I can,” said Devlin – “but this is not the place to do it,” said the mayor.
“Are we going to be fair, or are we just going to accept positive comments,” said Devlin. “… Mr. Michalson has a very bad track record.”
“You’re the only person that has done this tonight,” said the mayor. “If you do it once more, I’m going to ask you to sit down.”
“Mr. Michalson, per council rules, has submitted an incomplete application,” said Devlin.
Again, she was cut off by the mayor who asked the council if they wanted to “proceed with this.”
Both council members said they would prefer not to hear “personal attacks” or information “from the past.”
The town clerk also did not read a portion of a letter from a former town clerk because it was deemed by the mayor to be “a personal attack” against Michalson.
After taking public comment, Barker asked for a recess to discuss the candidates in private with Brown. Upon returning, Barker said she was not in favor of Michalson returning to the council. However, Brown said she was in favor of Michalson’s appointment. Due to the impasse, they decided to table the decision until Wolff was seated on the council, which would give them the ability to break any tie.
At the meeting on February 10, a letter from the Bitterroot Star was read into the record. Bitterroot Star editor Victoria Howell claimed that the recess the council took on February 7 to discuss the candidates and the mayor’s stifling of public comment were not legal. “So, there are two serious infractions here,” wrote Howell, “a violation of the open meeting laws and a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech. The council and mayor need to stop this type of behavior and work to gain a better understanding of the law. If they continue to violate these laws, any decisions they might make could end up being challenged in court.”
Mayor Gibson said he had made a mistake in allowing the closed meeting. Regarding the free speech issue, the mayor said he was following the guidelines developed by the former administration in not allowing personal attacks.
In public comment, Sharon Gee said that she had noticed that the mayor and other citizens had made comments about the previous mayor doing things wrong, and those were allowed but when Sue Devlin tried to present facts she was not allowed to. “I don’t think that’s right, to censor her,” said Gee. “She was talking about facts that are verifiable. So I hope you’ll listen to the citizens, even if you may not agree with them, even if it’s not all sunshine and daisies.”
New council member Marilyn Wolff, who was sworn in February 8, was pivotal in the decision to appoint Bob Michalson to the Ward 2 seat. Brown made the motion to appoint Michalson, which was seconded by Wolff. Wolff said she had struggled with the choice of applicants. She said she had talked to about 30 people in Ward 1, and the majority of those were in support of Michalson. “Problems of the past are history. Let’s move on,” said Wolff. “I feel with the experience and leadership of Mayor Gibson and a good team in my fellow council members, we will not encounter the divisiveness of another time. There is a lot of work to do and I believe Bob will hit the road running.”
Sue Devlin, a resident of Ward 2, said she was concerned that Wolff had only talked to residents of Ward 1. “Ward 2 soundly voted for a completely different candidate,” said Devlin. “It’s surprising to me that you’re still wanting to bring in someone that lost by a wide margin in his ward.”
Devlin asked the council not to appoint Michalson. She then read the same remarks that she had tried to read at the February 7 meeting. This time she was allowed to read them without interruption.
In the end, Wolff and Brown voted in favor of Michalson and Barker cast the dissenting vote. Michalson was sworn in the next day. The council tabled the appointment of a council president and various board appointments until the next council meeting, when they would have a full council.