Ron Micheli
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Joseph Ronald Micheli, known as Ron Micheli (born May 30, 1948), is a former director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture who also served from 1977 to 1992 in the
Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming Legislature, Wyoming State Legislature. There are 62 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the Wyoming, st ...
. He ran a strong third-place finish as a candidate for the Republican
gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In ...
in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. His primary opponents were former
U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
Matt Mead Matthew Hansen Mead (born March 11, 1962) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 32nd List of governors of Wyoming, governor of Wyoming from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, who won the nomination and later the
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
, state auditor Rita Meyer, who placed second less than a percentage point behind Mead, and Speaker of the Wyoming House Colin M. Simpson of Cody, who finished in fourth place.


Personal life

Ron Micheli was born in
Fort Bridger Fort Bridger was originally a 19th-century fur trading outpost established in 1842, on Blacks Fork of the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming, United States and was then part of Mexico. It became a vital resupply point for wagon ...
in
Uinta County Uinta County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 20,450. Its county seat is Evanston. Its south and west boundary lines abut the Utah state line. Uinta County, together with ...
in the southwestern corner of
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
to Joseph G. Micheli (born 1927) and Rebecca T. Micheli (born 1925). In 1966, he graduated from Mountain View High School. In 1970, he received a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree in
animal science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...
from the
University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...
at Laramie. He was voted the "Outstanding Animal Science Student" by the agriculture honorary fraternity Alpha Zeta. Micheli has also been recognized as an "Outstanding Alumnus" of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture. On June 13, 1969, Micheli, a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
, married the former Patricia J. "Patty" Smith (born 1949), a 1967 graduate of Hot Springs County High School in
Thermopolis Thermopolis is the county seat and most populous town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725. Thermopolis, Greek for "hot city", is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which ...
and a 1971 graduate of the University of Wyoming. The couple has eight children, all of whom have attended the University of Wyoming. As of 2010, five of the Micheli offspring had received their UW degrees.


Business background

Micheli is a fourth generation rancher in Fort Bridger, where he runs and operates a ranch in partnership with his brother, Dale Dee Micheli (born 1954). The ranch maintains a purebred
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
and
Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...
cattle operation with an annual bull sale each year in October. Ron Micheli is a former Regional Vice President of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and has received the "Guardian of the Grassland Award," the highest honor of the association. In 1991,
Gamma Sigma Delta Gamma Sigma Delta (), or more fully, the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta, is an international honor society for agriculture students and those in related fields. Founded in 1913, it is the oldest and largest such society for its a ...
named Micheli as Wyoming's "Outstanding Agriculturalist."Slack, Norma. Outstanding agriculturalist award presented. (1991, August 3). ''Wyoming Livestock Roundup'' In 1997, Wyoming Livestock Roundup named Micheli the "Outstanding Agriculture Citizen for the State of Wyoming".The Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts
awarded Micheli their Presidential Award, the highest honor given by that organization. Micheli received the "Compadre Award" from the
interest group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, which recognizes achievement on behalf of the state's sheep industry.


Political career

In 2007, after the death of U.S. Senator
Craig L. Thomas Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007) was an American politician who served as United States Senator from Wyoming from 1995 until his death in 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party. In the Senate, Thomas was considered ...
, the Wyoming Republican Party held a special election to choose three candidates to submit to the Wyoming Governor so the Governor could choose Senator Thomas's replacement. Micheli participated in the special election process and advanced to the final round of five candidates. Ultimately, Democratic
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Dave Freudenthal tapped
John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A mem ...
, a Casper physician, for the appointment. Before running for the United States Senate, Micheli served in the Wyoming House of Representatives. During his time in the House, Micheli held various leadership positions including
Majority Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline (that members of the party vote according to the party platform rather than their constituents, individual conscience or donors) in a legislature. Whips a ...
, Majority Floor Leader, and Speaker Pro Tem. Micheli served as the chairman of the House Revenue Committee for six years where he was recognized as the tax authority in the House. Micheli drafted and carried major revisions to the Wyoming Tax Code including legislation to ensure that agriculture lands were taxed according to their productive value. Micheli also drafted and successfully shepherded a constitutional amendment to clarify property taxation under Wyoming law. On social issues, Micheli supported legislation to require parental consent before a minor could procure an
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, and he sponsored and successfully enacted legislation to prevent the use of public funds for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother. Micheli also sponsored and carried the Victims Bill of Rights, sweeping legislation to protect victims of crimes. During his time in the Wyoming House, the media covering the legislature named Micheli as the most outstanding legislator. Micheli also served on the House Agriculture Committee, House Health and Human Services Committee, Mines and Minerals Committee, among others. Micheli has served as a Republican
precinct committeeman A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The captain establishes a direct link between a politica ...
for twenty-two years and on the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee for twelve years, including a stint as treasurer. Micheli served as the chairman of the Wyoming State Republican Convention in 1994 and twice headed the Platform committee, most recently in 2008. In 2012, Micheli served as an Elector for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.


Wyoming Director of Agriculture

Micheli served as the Director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture from 1995 to 2003. During his time as the director of this state agency, Micheli served on several national boards including serving as President of the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture (WASDA) where Micheli presided over an organization which included twelve western state departments of agriculture. As president of WASDA, Micheli helped to develop joint policy and positions with all twelve state agricultural departments to address concerns of the coalition. During his time as Director of Agriculture, Micheli worked extensively with various environmental and regulatory issues. Micheli also served as the chairman of the National Task Force on
Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...
Compliance. In this position, Micheli led a national task force to reduce the impact of implementing Total Maximum Daily Load ( TMDL) standards under the Clean Water Act. This task force worked with state and federal agencies to reach a compromise agreement on standards and enforcement that would protect waters and protect private industry and agriculture. Micheli represented Wyoming in the Western States Governors Association initiative to overhaul the Endangered Species Act. As the Wyoming representative on this task force, Micheli worked closely with members of Congress to craft legislation to amend the
Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...
. As the co-chair of the Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, Micheli represented Wyoming in congressional hearings related to predator control. Micheli also represented Wyoming before federal agencies on issues related to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, the authorization of the Farm Bill, and public land use issues. Micheli also led several state interagency tasks force to address issues facing Wyoming. Micheli served as the chair of the Wyoming Interagency
Brucellosis Brucellosis is a zoonosis spread primarily via ingestion of raw milk, unpasteurized milk from infected animals. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The bacteria causing this disease, ''Brucella'', are small ...
management team, having led an interagency task force to address brucellosis infection in bison and elk in the Greater
Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...
area that had caused several states to place an embargo on Wyoming cattle. This task force successfully worked to end the embargo and allow the exportation of Wyoming cattle to every state. Micheli also served as the co-chair of the Governor's Drought Task Force.Governor's Drought Management Task Force. from http://waterplan.state.wy.us/BAG/bighorn/briefbook/droughtplan.pdf


References


External links


Micheli for Governor
''official campaign site'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Micheli, Ron Ranchers from Wyoming State cabinet secretaries of Wyoming Republican Party members of the Wyoming House of Representatives University of Wyoming alumni People from Uinta County, Wyoming 1948 births Living people American Latter Day Saints 2008 United States presidential electors 2012 United States presidential electors 20th-century members of the Wyoming Legislature