Several years ago, I got involved in a fight to protect or local environment against Butte-Silver Bow, the so-called Environmental Protection Agency and British Petroleum.

We had some victories in that fight, which will likely continue for decades. We stopped them from dumping toxic waste near homes by Timber Butte, and we stopped them from dumping the same waste by homes in Centerville.

The best part of joining the fight is not the victories or getting under the skin of the people who try to poison our town. Rather, it was getting to know some of Butte’s best fighters. That includes Evan Barrett and Elton “Mick” Ringsak, Butte’s “Political Odd Couple.”

Evan can usually be seen wearing a “Montana Democrats” hat, while Mick was a self-described “Eisenhower Republican.” They were best friends until the very end.

Mick was a man without a party for the last decade or so. But he was still outspoken about issues and candidates. He always spoke out for what he saw was right, even if that meant backing a moderate Democratic senator like Jon Tester or a moderate democratic governor like Brian Schweitzer.

Mick passed away Tuesday at the age of 83, and the Mining City will never be the same. The world will never be the same.

I have known Mick for as long as I can remember. He and Dan McElroy owned Miller’s Boots and Shoes for decades. But I really got to know him over the last few years. The more I got to know Mick, the more I liked him.

He was kind and giving. He was funny, and he had a simple way of getting to the heart of any matter. Beating around the bush was never Mick’s style.

Mick served our country during the Vietnam War. He led the way to build an important road in Vietnam, and that road is now a major transportation artery.

In 1969, he was sent to Tunisia after a major flood wiped out roads and rail lines. Mick was charged with rebuilding three railroad bridges. They were told it would take two years, and Mick led an effort that finished the job in a matter of months. That led Mick to be knighted by the Tunisian government. He is one of the few United States citizens to get congressional approval to be knighted in a foreign country.

Mick served as the Small Business Administration’s Region 8 administrator under President George W. Bush, and he was a member of the Upper Clark Fork River Advisory Council.

Recently, he was a founding member of the Butte Watchdogs for Social & Environmental Justice.

Right up until the day he died, Mick was busy fighting for other people. It was simply what he did.

Listen in to this podcast, which was recorded in April of 2024 in a conference room in the Silver Bow Center on Granite Street, for just a small glimpse into the greatness of Sir Elton W. “Mick” Ringsak.

After hearing this, you will wish he would have run for president.

Rest in peace, Mick. You’ve certainly earned it.

Today’s episode is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.