By Cindy Glasson and Mark Dykes
Editor and Reporter Photographer 

Candidates talk issues at forum

 

October 11, 2018

Mark Dykes

Monday evening, the audience listens to candidates positions in the federal, state, county and town arenas.

Monday night saw a candidates forum at the Thermopolis Middle School Commons, with general election candidates at the federal, state, county and town level provided two minutes to speak about themselves, though there was also time before and after the forum to visit with each individual.

Hot Springs County Attorney

Two attorneys are vying for the Hot Springs County Attorney's seat, incumbent Jerry Williams and newcomer, Jill Logan.

Jill Logan - A University of Wyoming graduate with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration as well as her law degree, Logan has been in Hot Springs County for 10 years.

Her parents were farmers and ranchers and while she is a stay at home mom most of the time and her family is a priority, Logan felt like she needed to do this.

"Its a thankless job," she said. "I don't have near the experience Jerry (Williams) has, but I will make this a priority. Campaigning is not my style, but I felt you deserve to have a choice and I am giving you one."

Jerry Williams – Williams has a private practice in Thermopolis as well as his duties as the current county attorney.

"I have done hundreds and hundreds of jury trials," Williams said. "I have seen thousands of cases over the years. This can be a tough job.

"It breaks down into three categories – the simple crimes like speeding or parking tickets. Then there are the addicts, drugs and alcohol, which we see a majority of, and then the really serious crimes. Those are the ones we work hardest on.

"We always strive for justice, whether its popular or not."

Hot Springs County

Commissioners

There are two open seats on the board of Hot Springs County Commissioners this election and three residents looking to fill those seats – Tom Ryan, Jr., Jack Baird and Sonja Becker.

Tom Ryan, Jr. – Ryan is the incumbent seeking re-election and is the current chairman for the commissioners. A University of Wyoming graduate, Ryan, who was born and raised in Thermopolis, moved home in 1985.

"I am committed to serving Hot Springs County," he said. "Its important to give back. One of my high school teachers, Karl Allen, taught me that.

"I am looking forward to some change and some positive things with the county moving forward."

Jack Baird – A lifelong resident of Hot Springs County and rancher for most of his life, Baird is concerned with water issues facing the county.

"I look forward to working on that," he said "And roads are always a big issue. I want to bring my conservative thinking to the board."

Sonja Becker – Becker grew up in Hot Springs County, and even though she is running on the Democratic ticket, she has a lot of conservative values.

"I am here to serve the community," she said. "I could sell my products for more somewhere else, Jackson, for instance, but I want to serve here.

"You can find my resume at the back of the room if you'd like to look at it and it will be at the library, too, if you'd rather look at it there. This really is like a job interview and any job interview I've had, you had to have a resume, so mine is available.

"I do things a little differently and look at things from a different perspective."

Hot Springs County Sheriff

Jerimie Kraushaar will appear on the ballot November 6 as a candidate for sheriff.

Jerimie Kraushaar – This year marks Kraushaar's 15th year with the sheriff's office, having worked his way up to patrol sergeant, the equivalent of undersheriff.

"I will be a working sheriff," Kraushaar said. "I am unbiased and fair as well as fiscally responsible.

"I am one of only 60 drug recognition specialists in the State of Wyoming as well as a child forensics interviewer. We handle a lot of drug cases in the county and I have worked a great deal of them.

"I intend to have a transparent office and am really looking forward to working with a new chief of police."

Hot Springs County

School Board

Four candidates of the seven running for the school board were on hand at the forum to introduce themselves and their reasons for running for one of the three open seats.

Jennifer Axtell – A current board member, Axtell is a graduate of Hot Springs County High School as well as a University of Wyoming Graduate and has worked the family ranch for as long as she can remember.

"This (being on the board) has been an incredible experience," she said. "I would like to continue to see the growth. I want to see programs put back into place and give our students more educational opportunities."

Kendi Heinz – Originally from Kaycee where she was raised on a ranch, Heinz holds her degree from Chadron State College in business administration. She is currently a loan officer at Central Bank and Trust.

"I want us to be a destination for teachers, not just a stepping stone," she said. "We need to get back to teaching our kids. Testing is not teaching."

Ronda Freel – Freel has spent 35 years in education, all of it in the Hot Springs County School District. She has taught all over the district from elementary to middle school and high school.

"I am excited to continue to work with kids," she said. "Its very important to be part of the district and help kids be prepared for their future, whether that's college, tech school or even the military.

"Our students deserve the best possible education we can give them."

Sherman Skelton – Skelton is also a current member of the school board, seeking re-election in November.

"I am a trustee," he said. "Trustee means someone is entrusted with something. The legislature has forced us to cut teachers and programs.

"We are proud, but cannot stop. We need to be actively engaged. We need to ask our students how increased class sizes affect them. People need to come to the school board meetings.

"Please, don't stop investing in our kids."

Hot Springs Conservation District

The Hot Springs Conservation District is proposing a single mil levy and asking for citizens to vote yes on Proposition #1.

The proposition is for a levy to provide funding to the district for water and soil conservation projects as well as recycling programs since their budget has been drastically reduced due to cuts from the county level.

By purchasing their products and services locally, the district feels the mil levy will help not only the Conservation District, but the community's economy as well.

State Representative

Running for State Representative for the 28th District are John Winter and Howie Samelson.

John Winter – He has some concerns about the situation in Wyoming, noting he is an advocate for agriculture and small business and believes there should be a common sense approach to the management of Wyoming resources.

He is also appreciative of the mining and gas industries. He's also concerned about education in Wyoming and hopes there will be some changes, and appreciates the transportation program in the state and hopes to help there as well. A Trump supporter, he added we should be helping him from here in Wyoming.

Howie Samelson – Asked if the people wanted someone representing them who wants to fully fund education, keep public lands open, diversify the economy, protect the rights of all people, foster additional uses for mineral resources, work toward government transparency and fairness of elections and communicate what is happening in Cheyenne.

If these are things wanted in a representative, Samelson said, then they need to vote for someone who looks neither right nor left solutions but works with other legislators to move Wyoming forward.

Town of Thermopolis Mayor

Candidates for Mayor of Thermopolis are Mike Chimenti and Mike Mortimore.

Chimenti said he has a good working knowledge of municipal budgets and how things work for the town, and noted he has several years working in both the Thermopolis Police Department and Hot Springs County Sheriff's Office.

Chimenti said his platform hasn't changed much since the primary election, and he still wants to see our community agencies working together as he saw fragmentation of that in the last couple years he worked. He pointed out he's talking about law enforcement, counseling services, the county attorney's office and Department of Family Services. We're all trying to do the same job, he said, and he wants to see the agencies working together.

Mortimore said he's always been devoted to the people of Thermopolis, though sometimes he's lost friends over it, and always wants best for them. Over the past 30 years, he added, he's been mayor or on the council for 20 of it. In that time, he's pushed Thermop in various locations and his wife has always been with him, and he took the time to wish her a happy 30th anniversary.

Thermopolis

Town Council

On the ballot for Thermopolis Town Council are John Dorman Sr., John Fish, Tony Larson and Krista Raymond.

Raymond, who is from Thermopolis but who spent some time working for the city of Lakewood, Colo., said she noticed Lakewood has the same problems being dealt with in Thermopolis in terms of budgets and issues that come up.

Raymond has been back in the community since 2010, and decided it's time for her to participate in the community more and bring some ideas to the table based on her previous experience.

Dorman said he is seeking the town council seat as there are several projects the council has gotten started that he would like to see continue on and be completed.

Several candidates were not in attendance at the forum. Some chose to have statements read on their behalf.

 

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