ROCK SPRINGS — A political forum between two of Rock Springs’ three candidates for mayor revealed a similar desire to see the city thrive, but vastly different ideas on what needs to be fixed and where the city should be led.

Mayor Max Mickelson and Council Rick Milonas faced off in a Sweetwater County GOP-sponsored discussion Wednesday night. The third candidate on the August ballot, Kathy Phelps, did not attend the discussion. 

The contest over being Rock Springs’ next mayor is the latest chapter in a long-running series of conflicts between the two men since before Milonas was elected to the Rock Springs City Council two years ago. Milonas mentioned his motivations during his opening statement, talking about how he wants to ensure no one else deals with the problems he had with the city when trying to bring a business to Downtown Rock Springs. Milonas’ faced problems with the International Fire Code when attempting to rent a building to a local coffee shop. The city has since established a committee to review city ordinances and building codes to help reduce barriers for businesses.

Conflict has flared between the two several times since Milonas joined the Council. Most recently, the two clashed when Milonas filed an ethics complaint against Mickelson amid allegations that Mickelson and Rock Springs Urban Renewal Agency and Main Street Manager Chad Banks filed an ethics complaint against him after he spoke to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office about alleged corruption in Rock Springs. Milonas’ complaint against Mickelson was dismissed by the Council and an investigation into the city conducted by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office revealed that no wrongdoing was taking place. Bank’s ethics complaint against Milonas, focused on language Milonas used in a video he posted to social media, resulted in Milonas receiving a written warning from the Council and an order to receive mandated training.

For Mickelson, his reelection bid is about finishing work he started when he became mayor in 2023. Mickelson said the city deserves “serious, steady, reliable city government.” He believes this includes fixing issues that haven’t been addressed, and being honest with residents about what the city government can and can’t do. He said his campaign is about if the city moves forward with discipline, steadiness and respect, saying he is proud of the work that had already taken place.

Milonas has different views, claiming the city has a problem with waste and overspending. Milonas cites waste as a major issue and alleges money spent in having goats eating plants in the Bitter Creek and changing the city logos as examples of waste. He also disagrees with increases in how much the city is paying in employee wages, claiming the amount has gone up from $23 million to $30 million during Mickelson’s term. Mickelson highlights increases in the city’s police and firefighting agencies, with the police department’s officer count going from 29 to 39 in that period, which he said gives officers a chance to see their families. Mickelson said the city recently added three full-time firefighter positions to the fire department which saves the city money in reducing overtime hours budgeted for the department. Mickelson disagrees with Milonas’ take on goats, saying the creek is a protected waterway where the use of herbicides is highly regulated, saying the goats have been impactful in reducing plant growth around the creek.

Milonas floated the idea of suing the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Abandoned Mines Division to pay for continuing work along the Bitter Creek, with Mickelson saying work with Wyoming’s congressional delegation has already netted millions of dollars for the Bitter Creek work. Milonas also expressed his desire to save the city’s Civic Center, saying he will rescind the resolution that will result in its closure at the end of the fiscal year in 2027. 

The men’s closing remarks encapsulate their different approaches to the city’s highest office – with Mickelson saying he wants a Rock Springs that continues providing services to its residents and is a viable place for young adults to settle.

“As mayor, I think about a shift worker driving home after midnight, looking for a street light on their block,” he said. “I think about a mom filling a water glass for her child without wondering if it is safe. I think about a freshman at Tigers games looking around our town and quietly deciding if there is a future here. That’s who this job is for.”

Mickelson said his priorities were stabilizing the basics, which include public safety, infrastructure, city services and its finances. He said that work continues because city government isn’t a theory. He commented on Milonas’ earlier comment that he plans to get louder if he isn’t elected, saying it isn’t a plan for Rock Springs’ residents, but a plan for disruption.

“The difference between us is simple – I have brought forward budgets, staffing plans, equipment solutions, ordinance reforms, infrastructure work, and public engagement,” he said. “My opponent has brought forward complaints.”

Mickelson highlighted MIlonas’ lack of engagement on the Council, saying his commitment is to keep working for the residents who put him in office.

Milonas sees Mickelson’s leadership as a problem and pushes himself as a strong leader “who won’t fold when the heat comes,” and is capable of plotting a future for the city that shies away from “woke” ideology.

“I can live anywhere in the world, but I choose Rock Springs because I love it here and it just kills me to see where the mayor is taking us – right off a cliff,” Milonas said. “What about the new Somalian city flag, the new woke logo, Pride Month, and the new $200,000 monument to rewrite our history, demoralize us, shame us about our white heritage? All Communistic tactics.”

Milonas said the city has wasted money, cut services and raised taxes, citing the situation with the Rock Springs Civic Center’s potential closure next year and increased recreation fees as examples of that methodology. 

“I will bring change, trust and fiscal responsibility to the city,” Milonas said.