A Letter from Penny Ronning

Who better to learn about a life of public service than from the woman herself? Here’s Penny’s life story in her own words.

My Working-Class Roots in Billings, Montana

My life of public service and working toward the public good began on an asphalt parking lot at 1045 Grand Avenue in Billings, Montana. That’s where my dad’s restaurant, The Happy Diner, sat for many years, and that’s where I landed my first job when I was eight, picking up trash from the blacktop for a quarter.

That’s where I learned my work ethic. Doing that job for my father, I learned what it meant to be humble enough to pick up the things people throw away.

Hard Work, and the Value of a Dollar

Coming from a working-class family, I understand the principles and value of hard work. It’s why I have worked tirelessly to make life better for working-class folks and people experiencing economic, health, or societal challenges. I’ve been a business owner, a photographer, and a filmmaker, a voice for victims of human trafficking, an effective and attentive Billings city councilwoman, and someone who sees through the noise and the division to what unites Montanans.

I’m the daughter of a dad who ran a family restaurant and a mom who dedicated her life to federal service, working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and other agencies. I’ve seen the micro and macro effects of governance, up close and firsthand. I’ve seen government work in a way no other organization can and I’ve seen it fail, harming the people it’s supposed to serve. That’s why I hold tight to this guiding principle: “People over Politics.” It’s a basic moral code, something too many have forgotten when we talk about politics. It’s simple: It takes all of us.  

I often say that I’m that child who was raised by a village. I’ve been at the kitchen table where hard decisions about how to move forward have been made and I’ve seen the impact when people come together in common cause. I know what can happen when a work ethic is applied with a community-minded spirit. It’s why I’m running for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s 2nd congressional district.

Fighting for Families, Women, and Children

I’ve created, supported, and led community organizations to develop economies, provide for homeless children, promote the arts, and conserve our country’s wilderness. I earned a bachelor’s degree in film and have put it to work as photographer and filmmaker. I earned a master’s degree in business and put it to work for community development, as a business owner, and as a policymaker. As a tenacious advocate for victims of human trafficking, I co-founded the Yellowstone County Area Human Trafficking Task Force, the largest such task force in Montana. I have secured funding from the Montana Legislature for additional state agents to investigate human trafficking crimes, co-authored bills to strengthen laws on human trafficking, participated in national committees developing policy on crimes of human trafficking and child sexual abuse material, often referred to as child pornography, and, in 2020, I was the lone Montanan invited to attend the White House Summit on Human Trafficking. 

Economic, Public Safety, and Health Wins in Billings, Montana

As an elected Billings city council member for the past four years, I was instrumental in passing an ordinance to shut down illicit massage businesses.  I took a leading role on issues of public safety, economic development, energy cost savings and conservation, infrastructure, equality, mental health, substance abuse disorders, and homelessness. In my four years of service for the people of Billings, I am proud to say that I never missed one single city council meeting. I showed up and I did my job, day in and day out, even when life made other plans for me.  

When you show up with a Montana work ethic and you represent the people, wonderful things can happen.

I have proven that I will work with anyone doing the right thing for Montanans. That’s why I worked with Senator Steve Daines to bring home Montanans stranded in eastern Europe at the onset of the pandemic. That’s why I sat with Senator Jon Tester on a panel giving voice to issues impacting our tribal nations, and that’s why I have worked with the Gianforte Foundation on the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When you show up with a Montana work ethic and you represent the people, wonderful things can happen.

Where We Can Go, Together

We need to talk to each other as neighbors and fellow Montanans. Civility has been lost in the highest levels of government, and the people’s trust has been compromised. Our politics are busted, but we’re not broken. I’m not blind to the problems, but I see the possibilities that lie within us and extend beyond us. I was raised by generations of Montanans. I understand the hopes and dreams of Montanans who live in this great state, and I experience our needs, just like you. Let’s talk to each other as neighbors. Let’s work together doing what’s right for Montana. Together, let’s put people over politics.

Learn more about my experience as a voice for the people of Montana.