GOSHEN COUNTY – Regardless of the election or the offices to be filled, it essentially boiled down to two things for candidates during an open forum Wednesday: Keeping funding moving through the region and ensuring their respective charges – be it state, city, school district or college – grow into the future.
That was the general consensus, at least, as candidates for Torrington mayor and city council, Goshen Schools and Eastern Wyoming College boards of trustees, along with a handful of state offices, gathered the high school auditorium with residents for an open candidate forum, hosted by Goshen County Democrats.
“Next to voting, this is the most important thing you’ll do,” said James W. Byrd of Cheyenne, Democratic candidate for Secretary of State. “An informed public, informed voters, are the best people to go out and vote.”
After introductions and brief remarks from Byrd and Jeff Dockter, also of Cheyenne, Democratic candidate for state auditor, the bulk of the evening was devoted to local candidates and local offices. First to the podium were Torrington mayoral candidates Randy Adams and Dennis Kelly.
Both current members of the Torrington City Council, Adams and Kelly praised each other for the work each has done on that body while telling the assembled crowd why they wanted to be the next mayor.
“Because I care,” Kelly said. “A lot of people in Torrington are on fixed incomes and I care if they make it from day-to-day.”
Responding to questions, both Adams and Kelly said they’d support building of a recreation center with an indoor pool for the use of the entire county, noting it would be a good way to promote ongoing collaboration between the public- and private-sectors. Both also agreed the current partnership with the city and county and the Goshen County Economic Development Corporation is vital to attracting new business to the community.
“We need to continue what we’re doing now,” Adams said. “That’s work aggressively with economic development. The city of Torrington is a partner in this effort and it’s working well.”
Both also expressed provisional support for granting municipalities the power to levy taxes, as did Torrington City Council candidates Ted Kinney and Doug Mercer. All also stressed the importance of the city living within its means. Any tax levied should be for a specific reason or project and, once that reason is accomplished, the tax should be eliminated.
“Budget shortfalls can come from different things,” eight-year council incumbent Deanna Hill said. With the aging infrastructure in the community, repairs or replacement of water, sewer and other utilities can create shortfalls in the city’s budget, she said. But there are other ways to pay for those specific needs, including rate adjustments, Hill said.
“But if a municipality has reduced its costs, with voter approval, a term tax should be in the realm of city authority,” Mercer said.”
The three council candidates also agreed with the mayoral candidates on ways to attract vital new businesses to the community. Goshen County is the only county in Wyoming with a county-wide economic development team, Mercer said. It’s important those efforts have the support of the community and residents.
“We’re lucky we have two business parks – they have everything (new businesses) need,” Kinney said. “What we need to do is work with the Economic Development Corporation to promote Torrington as a great place to raise a family, to do business.”
GCSD No. 1 Board of Trustees
Next up were candidates for the Goshen County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees. Candidates Kerry Bullington, Ryan Clayton, Mark Jespersen, Katherine Patrick and Zachary Miller, all of Torrington, agreed supporting teachers, district grading policies and school funding are the big issues the board will face in coming years.
Making the most efficient use of the dollars available, even amid massive budget cuts handed down by the state legislature, is important. Informing legislators of the needs of students and the consequences of reduced funding can also go a long way, the candidates agreed. They also promoted a shared vision for the district, which they said is encapsulated in the current mission and vision statements already adopted by GCSD No. 1: “Caring people that lead, empower, and inspire all students to achieve excellence. Our commitment is to prepare each student to become a career and college ready citizen. We will partner with families and community to provide an engaging and challenging education in a safe and positive environment.”
“As far as I’m concerned, if we’re faced with budget cuts, we need to look at what we’re doing and make sure we’re using our resources efficiently. If we can prove that to the state, maybe it would put us in better position for the state to say maybe there don’t need to be additional cuts.”
Clayton agreed: “It’s like a home budget – if there’s less income, you have to cut. But with education it’s different. We have to provide the best education for our students.
A question from the audience focused on keeping Goshen County and Wyoming students at home and how the district and trustees could address what was called the “export” of those students out of state, due to lack of jobs. The candidates agreed training those students to be work-place ready while attracting new business to the state could help reduce the number leaving, but not entirely.
“It’s just a factor of living in Wyoming,” Patrick said. “I would like to see everyone who’s born in Goshen County stay in Wyoming, but I’m not sure as a school board we can impact that.”
Wyoming Legislature
Democratic legislative candidates Marci Shaver, running for the Wyoming Senate in District 3, and Joan Brinkley, running for the Wyoming House of Representatives District 5 seat, spoke next. Though invited, their Republican opponents Cheri Steinmetz for Senate and Ruth Van Mark for the House, elected not to attend the forum.
“I’m seeking office because, shortly after my husband died, our House district Representative showed up at the college and advocated against a policy to protect the rights of transgender students,” Shaver said. “Nobody was running against her and, at 3 p.m. on the last day, I said that somebody has got to be me. I’m running for equality in the equality state.
“My vision for the state is to fulfill the constitution wo all citizens are treated with respect,” she said. “We’ll have trouble attracting companies to Wyoming … because we don’t have legislation in place, we don’t have regulations ensuring their people aren’t (discriminated against) because they’re gay.”
Shaver also said she would support expanding Medicaid insurance coverage, noting people are “literally dying” because the state declined federal funding for the program.
“Why we left all that money on the table when we’ve taken other federal dollars makes no sense,” she said. “It’s costing us citizens, not just money.”
Brinkley said she’s seeking office because she wants to make a difference. To do that, she realized, she had to get involved.
“I want to learn what can we do that’s best for our area,” Brinkley said. “Wyoming is primarily a Republican state – that doesn’t mean the people don’t care about public lands, clean air and water. I think we can find more common ground.”
Building on the state’s strengths and finding “predictable ways to finance (the state budget) so we’re not so dependent on the ‘boom-and-bust’ cycle” are the best ways to move Wyoming forward, she said. “I’d also like to see Wyoming address health care – rural communities need access to health care providers.”
As a member of the “minority party” in the House of Representatives, collaboration and cooperation is “imperative,” Brinkley said. “I’m a big believer in civility and respect.”
EWC Board of Trustees
As the evening wore down to a close, candidates for the Eastern Wyoming College Board of Trustees stood to introduce themselves and briefly give their reasons for seeking a seat.
Dr. Thomas Eaton of Veteran said he’s running for the board “because education is what I do. At the (board meeting) last week, I couldn’t say more than I was absolutely impressed – it’s running solid.”
Eaton’s opponent, incumbent Bob Baumgartner of Yoder, was appointed two years ago to fill a vacancy on the board: “I can say I’ve benefited from Goshen County quite well. I want to give back to the community, to give back to EWC. I have almost two year’s experience on the board. I’d like to continue to put forth what I’ve learned.
Fellow incumbent Angie Chavez has served on the board as a trustee-at-large for eight years. A retired EWC employee, Chavez said she’s seen the workings of the college “from every side. On the board, I’m the person who brings a different perspective because of my years at the college with such a wide range of people. I’m not afraid to ask questions and participate in discussion.”
Chavez is running against Darrell Wilkes and Cecil Sauer. Wilkes, a rancher from near Hawk Springs, said he has “a pretty good idea of how the higher education system is supposed to work. As a board member, my role would be to focus on fiduciary stewardship, policy and strategy.”
If elected, Wilkes said he would be a “broken record – innovation and growth. I absolutely despise the status quo. Across the country, enrollment in community colleges is going down. If I’m on the board, I’m not going to be satisfied with a strategic plan that says do the same thing next year we did last year.”
Sauer did not speak during the forum.
Trustee District 4 candidates Thomas McCreery of Torrington, Daniel Tadewald of Van Tassell and Jackie Van Mark also shared their desires for a seat at the table at EWC. Other District 4 candidates Roger Huckfeldt, Carol Noble and Stanley Zimmerman, all of Torrington, did not speak at
the forum.
McCreery is currently a member of the EWC Foundation Board, working with the finance committee to fund the Agriculture Technology Education Center at the college. He said the college needs to keep its focus on the transfer programs currently in place with the University of Wyoming.
The biggest challenge currently facing EWC is money, McCreery said. “Money and keeping affordable education for young people. Education is key.
“A lot of things people don’t understand is EWC has a huge outreach through the eastern part of Wyoming,” he said. “The board is a great opportunity to serve the community and the college.”
A desire for service also drove Tadewald to seek election to the board. Like McCreery, Tadewald attended EWC before transferring to UW to complete his college education.
“EWC was probably one of the most beneficial stepping stones in my life,” Tadewald said. “If I’d gone to UW right away, I wouldn’t have made it.”
If elected, getting the ATEC fully funded and built would be a primary focus Tadewald to “help EWC build for the future. I always wanted and felt obligated to give back for what I was gifted out of high school. What better way to give back what I got given than to serve.”
The final candidate to speak, Van Mark said, without EWC, she and her sisters probably wouldn’t have received the education they did.
“In this day and age, technology, apathy and money are the biggest problems facing EWC,” she said. “Why do we need to support EWC? It’s apathy on the community’s part. How many have heard this – the high school on the hill? It’s not a high school, it’s a college.
“I’m well versed in policy and procedures,” Van Mark said. The board’s job is to “oversee the rules and regulations, policies, and to make sure the college meets the needs of the community and
the students.”
