by John Dowd
Two candidates are running for the position of mayor of Stevensville. Incumbent Bob Michalson will face former mayor Jim Crews in this year’s municipal election. The election will be by mail-in ballot with ballots sent out to registered voters on October 17. They need to be returned to the Ravalli County Election Administrator, 215 South 4th Street, Suite C, Hamilton MT 59840, no later than November 4 by 8 p.m.
Both spoke with the Bitterroot Star about their campaigns, and here is what they said.
Bob Michalson, Incumbent
Bob Michalson was born and raised in Chinook, Montana. He worked on a farm all his early life and after a short stint in college he went to work on the railroad with BNSF. He became a track welder, and still holds the record with them for 24 thermite welds in a single day. After 24 years there, he retired in 2004.
Michalson moved to Stevensville in 2005, and said since then he has done a lot of local volunteer work. Michalson started attending council meetings in 2012, and said he has always been interested in local government and has been especially interested in the town’s future.
Bob Michalson. Photo by John Dowd.
Michalson was appointed to the Stevensville Town Council in 2016. Since then he has only had one year off, when he stepped down from the council in 2021, during the time that Brandon Dewey was mayor. Michalson got back on the council in 2022 and served there until he took over the mayor position from Steve Gibson at the end of 2023. Michalson served as council president from 2018 until he was mayor.
Speaking of his experience, Michalson said he has served with the last four mayors. According to him, “I learned bits and pieces, both good and bad, from every one of them.”
Michalson added that he has gone to government training and conferences every year, and Local Government Center trainings twice a year. Michalson said it has all been a learning experience and he believes it has made him better for the town. He said someone once told him, “he was on council so long he learned what not to do,” and he has taken that to heart. “How do you learn without making mistakes?” said Michalson. “If you think you know it all, is there room for growth?”
Michalson’s goals are mostly about improving infrastructure, like sewer and water. If elected, he also plans to focus on improving the streets and the parks, while working towards a sustainable future. According to Michalson, with Stevensville being the oldest town in the state, the infrastructure is starting to fail.
He added that when he started, the town was in bad shape and had no money in reserve. During his time, they went with Montana Rural Water’s suggested rates, and now have a growing reserve that will allow them to pay off their bonds, put together matching funds for future grants and fix the failing sewer treatment plant. According to him, “It is not realistic or responsible to lower the water rates.”
He said his biggest personal accomplishment is that he is 39 years sober as a recovering alcoholic. He religiously goes to AA meetings and says, “It makes me a better person.” He added that as part of that process, he walks a lot. He says everyone knows that about him, and that they often refer to him as the “walking mayor.” He does five to seven miles a day for mental and physical health. He said he often spends that time mulling over ways to help the town, and to address issues people bring to him. He feels it is important to have an “open door policy, where anyone can come in and voice their concerns.”
Michalson also spoke on his experience as mayor, stating, “So many things go on behind the scenes that people don’t see.” He added, “Government is ever flowing and ever changing, with different pieces, staff, and more. I’m not a micromanager. I listen to people.”
When asked why he is running, Michalson said, “I see vision for the town, moving forward,” including infrastructure improvements that “the town has lacked for so long.”
He also said he wants to form a park district. According to him, many of the users of the town’s parks live outside of Stevensville, which puts all that burden on town residents. A district could allow additional funding to upkeep these spaces and improve them. “Why can’t we build a new pool in Stevensville? Why do we need to keep losing $20,000 or $30,000 a year on this old pool?” said Michalson. He admits that may be a pipe dream, but it illustrates his point. He feels there are ways to improve things, to keep them as people love them, but to make those things sustainable.
“Regardless of the outcome of this election,” said Michalson, “I want to thank the residents of Stevensville, as it has been an honor to serve this community for the last ten years.”
Jim Crews, Challenger
Jim Crews is from North Carolina, but grew up around Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 1982. During a lot of that time he was a nuclear machinist’s mate on submarines. A lot of what he values and expects were formed during that time.. “I was raised in the Navy,” said Crews. He values detail-following, and adherence to appropriate regulations..
Later in life, Crews worked for a power plant until 1994, in Phoenix AZ. He was also a firearms instructor and took pride in those jobs as well.
When asked why he is running for Mayor of Stevensville, Crews said, “I see things in the town that aren’t quite running right.” To him, the town has taken a lackadaisical approach to following protocol.
Jim Crews. Photo by John Dowd.
Crews said he has seen people be denied access to information that they have the right to see. Crews himself was trespassed from the town hall, allegedly for harassment. However, he said he has yet to receive any documentation or reasoning as to why. He added that they did not appear to follow the proper steps, moving from requests to complaints and then the eventual trespass notice. Crews added that he asked for the complaint reasoning and has received nothing. “I don’t think asking employees to follow procedure, or your rights, is harassment.”
An example he gave of the process not being followed involves the zoning administration. According to Crews, the zoning administrator does not seem to be doing his job. This is a position held by the current mayor.
According to Crews, who said he has reviewed a number of business licenses personally, it appears these documents and requests are not being reviewed by the administrator. Crews believes these are just being signed off without review, or in many cases passed along with no signature from the administrator. He claims the same has been true for building permits. To Crews, this is circumventing town law, and he even believes some things that are not supposed to be approved are getting approved.
Crews’ other main complaint was that the town seems to have no standard operating procedures, and the ones that are present are often not followed correctly. According to Crews, the town employees and administration seem to believe that they are the law, and that they can do what they like the way they like, following procedures only when it suits them.
“It seems like everything that goes on in the town is like that,” said Crews. “I’m a procedures and policy guy.”
He told a story of when he worked on a submarine and someone signed off on something small, like the proper ceiling of the main hatch, without properly inspecting it. When the submarine went under, it began to leak and had to return to the surface as an emergency. According to Crews, “A small leak can become a huge deal. That’s why procedural compliance is important. It affects people’s lives,” often in unexpected ways.
He admits that these town policies are not as directly dangerous to lives, but they can still hurt people and their livelihoods. He believes it is the government’s responsibility to follow these rules and regulations, as well as procedures, properly and appropriately. He said the people of Stevensville rely on them to do so.
Speaking on his experience, Crews said he was a council member in 2014 and also council president. He was appointed Mayor of Stevensville in 2016 and served as mayor until 2018. Crews’ wife, Cindy Brown, currently serves on the Stevensville Town Council.
As far as his goals, Crews stated that he is not running to lower the water rates, but he does believe they are too high. He said, if elected, he will implement a plan to study the situation, as well as implement a water and sewer committee, to look at the issue and come up with ways to save townspeople money.
Other goals Crews spoke of included honestly and legally representing the town and working to make Stevensville Town Hall a friendly and welcoming place. He also wants to restore transparency, repair roads and sidewalks, and make sure all public records are freely and digitally accessible.
“The mayor needs to lead the town, but he is not a dictator,” said Crews. “My agenda is, let’s get the town back on track and do what we can to keep it on track.”