TORRINGTON – From Wyoming, to Washington, D.C., and back again – Torrington resident and House District No. 5 candidate Ruth Van Mark feels equally as comfortable in the political realm, as she does in ag-centric Goshen County.
Van Mark was born here. When she was in sixth grade, her father received a job offer in Casper, and the family lived there for about year. Another job opportunity led the Van Marks to Washington, D.C., back to Goshen County in 1979, and then again to the nation’s capital during the Reagan administration, where her dad was the Acting Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration. Her parents moved back to Goshen County permanently in 1991.
Van Mark earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn.
“After graduating from college in 1982, I got a job on Capitol Hill working for a congressman, and stayed on Capitol Hill for 30 years,” Van Mark said. “While working, I went and got a master’s in public administration from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. When I retired in 2012, I was working for a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma (Jim Inhofe) as his committee staffer on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW).”
When Van Mark left D.C., she was Republican staff director of the Senate EPW. Her position was phased out after Inhofe served the maximum six years as ranking minority member.
“I moved back here … I was tired of the traffic and all the nonsense,” she said. “It turned out to be providential, as about a year after I moved home, I found out my mom had Parkinson’s, and I became one of her primary caregivers – until this past January when she passed away.”
When current House District No. 5 Rep. Cheri Steinmetz announced her bid for the Senate District No. 3 seat, Van Mark saw a chance to put her political experience to use.
“I do feel like I’ve been doing this for awhile,” she said. “When the seat came open, it seemed like a great opportunity to do something I truly love.”
Van Mark listed her one of her strengths as policy-making – “I like the process of … having a problem presented to you, finding the best solution, and making it workable for the public.”
She added her expertise is in transportation and infrastructure issues.
“Just looking at Goshen County, what we need is economic development,” Van Mark said. “I come from a strong ag background … but we do have to somewhat expand our economy so we can keep our young people here … we need to have a vibrant, expanding economic environment if we want our kids to stay.
“I want to continue to build on the wealth of our county,” she continued. “I would hope, at some point in the future, to expand on the ag aspect of county. While it appears the sugar factory will be doing only limited production, we need to have more opportunities like it to use the ag products we produce here in Goshen County. It would be great to have a meat processing and packaging plant. I would want to be a part of that solution … I would hope that, as your representative, I could be a resource to help create those opportunities in Goshen County.”
With strong roots in the area – Van Mark’s father’s grandparents homesteaded south of Torrington, where the family remains proud owners of a fourth-generation wheat farm, and Van Mark’s mother’s parents homesteaded at Table Mountain and grew sugar beets – she said she is committed to promoting and growing Goshen County.
“While I haven’t ever worked with sugar beets, I have cut a few wheat fields – it was my summer job in college,” Van Mark said. “I want to make ag a continuing profitable industry in this county, and help young people get into the business. It’s a very satisfying business, where you produce something and get something out of it. The energy industry also needs to be encouraged. We need to responsibly develop those resources.
“I think Goshen County is a great place to live and do business,” she continued. “We’ve got our small-town values, which, in today’s world, is an enviable lifestyle. It’s a safe place to raise your kids, grounded in good, core work ethics, and I would like to be part of an ongoing process to make Goshen County continue with all positive aspects we have.”
