GOSHEN COUNTY – John Ellis has Wyoming ranching in his heart.
Ellis was born in Hanna in Carbon County, on a ranch his family started in 1899. John and his wife were on the family ranch by themselves and it became too big for them to take care of. The land was mostly accessible only by horse back and could not be managed by vehicle or four-wheeler.
The ranch was 21,000 acres, with 40 percent Bureau of Land Management land. Alone with the children gone, 15 years ago Ellis and his wife decided to sell the family ranch and moved to Goshen County, where they bought another ranch.
Ellis said, “This is the smart thing to do come to Goshen County. It is a great place to live. Goshen County is agricultural, agriculture is my life.”
Appointed in 2015 to fill a vacancy on the county commission, Ellis then elected to a two-year term, Ellis has been serving for three years. With the vacancy of Karl Rupps seat coming up this year, Ellis knows that a team effort will have to be re-established.
“I feel bad about Karl leaving because I think we have been a really good commission,” Ellis said. “People don’t realize how much of a team effort the county commission really is.
“It is not an individual effort,” he said. “To make a good commission, it takes three people and three strong people that are able to communicate with one and another and (who) can come to a consensus that is best for the county. Which we have done.”
Ellis hopes that if re-elected, the newly-elected commissioner is somebody who can carry on that close team work. Ellis said they have done things that have benefited the county.
“The reason that I have decided to run again is there are things that we have started that we need to finish yet,” he said. “I would like to see them through and hopefully benefit the county.”
Ellis has a strong appreciation for the county’s agricultural base. The budget has been stressed since he has taken the appointment of county commissioner, which is not getting any better.
“You have to grit your teeth and stay conservative and hopefully make it through till things get better,” Ellis said.
Ellis believes the commissioners have made a great team, with their combined knowledge from being business men in the community and knowing how to be conservative.
“I think this is very, very important,” he said. “I know it is. That is why we are able to pay the bills for the benefit of the county.”
Roads are important to the county and one subject people bring up to him is how bad the roads are. The commissioners do the best they can with how little they have.
“We got the gravel project done, which was a big benefit to us,” Ellis said. “We have extra gravel that is now centrally located. Now we should be able to get some of the roads graveled that people have been hoping for.”
