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Vote in the primary election Aug. 16

Five republican candidates for one commissioner seat

One candidate out of the five running on the Republican ticket for Hot Springs County Commissioner will advance to the general election in November. There are no Democrats running so the new commissioner will be decided Tuesday in the primary unless a successful write-in candidate were to enter the race in the general.

Five men are running for the open commissioner seat vacated by Brad Basse.

Joseph Casciato

Joseph Casciato said he believes he is the best candidate because he is the common sense candidate with a common sense vision for Hot Springs County.

"Our hospital is very important to us," he said. "Together we can find the proper solutions for our hospital, without taxes that will do more economic harm than good. I have watched other communities fix healthcare problems without new taxes and it can happen here also."

Casciato said he would also like to lead a coalition of county commissioners to lobby the State Legislature for mill levy changes.

"The 69 mills we currently pay are unequally distributed," he said. "We should redistribute instead of increase taxation."

Casciato said he would like to see county commissioners become more involved in opposing federal policies that weaken local control.

"In many cases, federal law is on our side, we just need to hold the bureaucrats to the law," he said.

Casciato said he is running for county commissioner because he believes "together, we can make a difference."

Phillip Scheel

Phillip Scheel said he is the best candidate for County Commissioner because he is very committed to Hot Springs County and has a successful track record of working hard to make Hot Springs County a better place to 'live, work and play.'

"I have experience working with large budgets and understand how to operate with a budget to maximize impact," he said. "As a local business owner, I have a record of success in Hot Springs County and understand that success only comes with hard work, high ethics and integrity."

Scheel said the biggest issue he sees in Hot Springs County is the decline in revenue from oil and gas, which leads to do shortfalls in county revenue.

"Realizing that this is a cyclical trend, we need to our best to make those dollars go as far as possible," he said. "I have reviewed the budget that the current commissioners have set for the upcoming fiscal year, and I think they did the best that they could with what they had to work with."

It is very important to keep jobs as a priority without cutting essential services, Scheel said.

"These cuts will be felt throughout the county this year but because county valuations lag behind a year, the next fiscal year will be even tougher," he said. "We need to make sure we set ourselves up for success in the future."

Scheel said the current commissioners have handled county business very well. In the future, he said he would gather community opinions and support of projects. He said he would continue to encourage citizen participation in upcoming county decisions, such as the future use of the old airport, the reconditioning of Black Mountain Road and the new Master Plan for Hot Springs State Park.

"As a Wyoming native, I recognize the opportunities that I have to make positive change in my community," he said. "As an active member of this community, I feel that I have a good perspective on where the community is headed and needs to be headed to diversify our economy."

Scheel said he would like to retain current jobs and bring jobs back to Hot Springs County.

"Hot Springs County is where I have chosen to live because of the community-minded people that we have here," he said. "This is a great community and I think with positive decision-makers at the top, we can make it even better."

Hub Whitt

Hub Whitt said after spending eight years on the School Board and four years on the Land Use Planning Board as well as graduating from the Hot Springs County Leadership class of 2010-2011, he has the necessary experience to be a leader in the community.

"I have been a small business owner in the past and was very successful with everything I was involved with," he said. "I feel after working with other School Board members and the stakeholders in our community that I bring the experience needed to continue to keep our county running in the black."

Whitt said the issue he is most concerned with is the county valuation.

"Most people may not realize it, but when the price of oil is shown as being $40 a barrel, that is not what we are getting for our oil," he said. "That price is based on West Texas Intermediate Crude and the oil produced here in the county will be sold for roughly half that."

Whitt said he would like to address the hospital concerns.

"If we lose this hospital, we will continue to lose population in the county," he said. "If we don't have a hospital, we don't have a community. We need input from the citizens of our county and to let them decide what will be done with it. I'm happy to see that this issue will be placed on the ballot."

Whitt said he is not in favor of forming a district for the hospital because he believes it will cause more problems than it will solve.

"We are placing the tax burden on the biggest taxpayers in our community - the oil and gas companies," he said. "We already ask them to fund far more than anyone else in the county."

As for the one-cent tax, Whitt said he believes it would be a far better choice, but the voters need to be allowed to decide.

"With the one-cent tax, it will be paid by everyone passing through our county who buy anything as well as those of us who live here," he said.

If our valuation continues to go down, Whitt said some cuts will have to be made.

"We will certainly lose some personnel as we move forward and perhaps those positions will not have to be filled," he said. "We may have to cut some hours in certain positions as well as continue to use equipment that is older."

Whitt said he is running because he wants to give back to the community in some way.

"We owe it to ourselves and our community to step up and volunteer in certain situations," he said. "When I decided to run for this position, I sat down and tried to figure out how many hours a month I would be busy with county business. After looking at that, I decided that I had the time to not only do the job, but do it well. Any elected position takes up much more time than expected and I now have the time, energy and dedication to put this position at the top of my list."

Whitt said he sees this as an opportunity to make this county into a better place to live, to retire and to hopefully bring more new business to the county.

"I believe there are opportunities that have not been looked at," he said. "We can bring new and bigger business here."

Whitt said he would like to see a passenger train brought back to the county, running through Wind River Canyon once or twice a day.

"I believe we could bring some light industrial business into the county with the right tax incentive," he said. "The old airport would be a great place for these types of businesses to be located. I have more ideas and with your vote, I believe Hot Springs County and the town of Thermopolis could once again be a thriving community."

Whitt said there are great natural features here and he believes that with the right leadership, the county can not only survive but also prosper and grow again.

"I would like to ask for your vote in the upcoming election," he said. "I believe with the right leadership, we can make Thermopolis and Hot Springs County a destination and a place that people and business do well."

Joe Martinez

Joe Martinez said he is willing to listen to all information and facts provided on each issue and take that information into consideration when deciding how to vote.

"I will be impartial on each item, ask questions and do as much research as possible to come to the best conclusion and vote accordingly," he said. "I have made many contacts in the legislature over the years and I will utilize those contacts on issues at the state level that will directly affect Hot Springs County. I will be an advocate for businesses as well as individuals."

Martinez said the county budget is one of most important issues currently.

"It is important to be sure we continue to focus on those items that are of utmost importance and do our best to ensure current county employees can continue to count on future employment within the county," he said. "This is going to be based on future assessments and we need to look farther into the future than just right now. Planning is important to be sure we can weather the lean times and not overspend in the lush times."

Community involvement and feedback are important in planning for the future, Martinez said.

"We need goals and a mission statement," he said. "This will drive decisions to ensure they are directed at meeting those goals and the mission of the county."

Martinez said he wants to continue to be involved in the future success of the community.

"I do not have a specific agenda nor do I feel there needs to be significant change," he said. "I want to represent the citizens and businesses of Hot Springs County. I am asking Republicans to vote for me as the Republican representative in the election because I will work diligently to ensure citizens and businesses are represented."

Martinez said he is in favor of the hospital forming a district.

"Whether we choose to form a district as a community or if it fails, we must work diligently to ensure the viability of the hospital for the future of our community," he said. "We stand to lose a lot and it will have a significant trickle down effect if we lose this important service and provider in Hot Springs County."

Mike Chimenti

Attempts were made to contact Mike Chimenti for an interview but he was unavailable.

Chimenti previously said he has leadership and experience, is committed to making a difference with integrity, honesty, strength and commitment. Chimenti represents quality in government. He plans to take action, get results and work for the people. He is dedicated to and working for the people of Hot Springs County and Thermopolis.

 

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