Max Mickelson (Republican)

126 Elk St
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901
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Max Mickelson and his wife, Darcie, are raising their family in Rock Springs, where he co-owns Able Hands, a local business serving people with developmental disabilities. Max was raised with a strong belief that public office is a temporary trust and that leadership means making yourself useful to the people you serve. He values faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility, and treating people with dignity. He believes city government should be practical, accountable, and respectful. As mayor, his guiding principle has been simple: “We take care of our city by taking care of our people.”

Max Mickelson has served as Mayor of Rock Springs since January 2023. He previously served three terms on the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees and on the Wyoming State Board of Education. He is also a longtime local business owner and employer. As mayor, he has focused on reliable services, stronger staffing, disciplined budgeting, modernized city processes, and accountability to residents.

Max Mickelson double majored in biology and classical studies at the University of Kansas. His education combined scientific analysis with the study of history, language, philosophy, and civic institutions—disciplines that continue to inform his approach to public service, problem-solving, and leadership.

A lifelong Republican, Max Mickelson has volunteered in his community for 26 years, including coaching youth soccer, serving on the United Way board, supporting the Mobile Food Pantry, and participating in community cleanups. He chaired the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities and served as vice-chair of the State Board of Education. Max is an Episcopalian, a member of Kiwanis, a Master Mason, and a signer of the Become a Peacemaker pledge.

Rock Springs is not an abstraction to me. It is a miner finishing a double shift, a city crew repairing a water line in January, a parent who expects someone to answer when they call 911, and a teenager deciding whether there is a future for them here.
My first term was about stabilizing the fundamentals. We rebuilt police staffing, strengthened fire services, confronted the growing EMS burden, improved budgeting, addressed years of deferred maintenance, modernized outdated systems, and corrected long-standing employee wage problems.
I am running again because the work is not finished. The next term must protect the progress we have made while building a city government that is more reliable, financially disciplined, and capable of solving problems before they become crises. I am not interested in preserving a proposal simply because it is mine. I am interested in fixing the problem.
These seats belong to the people. My responsibility is to protect what works, strengthen what does not, and hand our city back better than I found it. We take care of our city by taking care of our people.

1. Reliable services and infrastructure. Rock Springs should work every day for everyone. I will continue addressing deferred maintenance, improving streets and water systems, maintaining parks and facilities, and replacing outdated processes before failures become emergencies or cost taxpayers more.
2. Public safety that is actually staffed. We have made substantial progress rebuilding police staffing and strengthening fire response. The next term must protect those gains, support the people doing difficult work, and establish a responsible, sustainable path for ambulance service.
3. Financial discipline and accountable government. Every public dollar should serve a clear purpose. I will continue program-based budgeting, realistic revenue planning, careful control of costs, and direct accountability for results. City employees should understand the mission, have the authority to act, and be responsible for outcomes. The goal is a strong organization that solves problems consistently, not one that depends on the mayor making every decision.