Early last Wednesday afternoon, city of Laramie Mayor Brian Harrington officially announced his campaign as a candidate for Albany County Board of Commissioners.
Harrington is running for the seat currently occupied by Commissioner Sue Ibarra, a Democrat, as she is not seeking reelection this year. Unlike the Albany County Commission, the Laramie City Council is a nonpartisan body.
When he ran for city council 2018, he didn’t shy away from his political affiliation as a Democrat, according to a Boomerang story at the time. He also added the sort of partisan issues that usually fill national conversations aren’t what was on his mind when he was looking at policy for Laramie.
“I found that the relationship that the council has had with the county over the last three to four years is worth ensuring it continues,” Harrington said late last week. “When I was asked to take up her position, I mulled it over a great deal of time because I really love serving on the council and serving as the mayor. It’s been really fulfilling and I love the team, both the council and the staff, and I think we’re doing a lot of great work.
“But at the end of the day, I wanted to ensure that collaborative leadership style between the county and the city continued.”
In the April 17 news release, Harrington emphasized his intent to continue the council-county collaboration as well as focus on community issues and accountability. He aims to continue to build transparency between the public and government entities.
“One thing that I’ve learned as the mayor and as a council member is that everybody who signs up for these jobs chooses to spend their professional life as a member of a municipal staff,” Harrington said. “The folks are committed to the town they live in and they love it. Anybody who’s willing to show up to a public meeting, tell the government what they’re doing right and wrong, or what they should focus on, those are people who really care about their community. … I want to ensure that sort of feeling and style of leadership is continued in the County Commission.”
He used the recent reunification and update of the Casper Aquifer Protection Plan as an example in the release, noting that it makes more sense to have unified plans between the city and county.
“Taxpayers benefit when we all work together to maximize effectiveness,” he said in the release. “When we aren’t paying attention or we’re going at cross purposes, that wastes money. … And for me, as a dad concerned for the health of my family, and as a business owner concerned with the health of our community, keeping our drinking water clean is a top priority. ”
During his campaign, he plans to do a lot of outreach to the residents throughout Albany County to ensure their opinions are taken into account. Most notably, he plans to visit Centennial and Rock River to include the residents in future plans for the county.
“If I’m fortunate enough to win, I want to serve in a way that really honors the folks that put me in office,” Harrington said. “I think Albany County is uniquely positioned given that something like 95% of the population lives within a couple miles of the city of Laramie. However, that doesn’t discount the folks in Centennial, Rock River or more rural locations and they’re certainly impacted by decisions from the County Commission.
“My intention is to listen to all of those folks equally, and I intend to campaign in the county and spend my time out there. I really intend to meet them where they’re at and walk the walk so they can actually believe me when I say that I care about what they have to say.”
The primary election season will begin in July with the general election time frame starting in September. For more information on Albany County elections visit albanycountywy.gov/164/Elections.
Let the news come to you
Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.
Explore newsletters
