WTE offers thumbs up and down

But DOWN to Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, and Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, for asking for it in the first place. Both had to know that their requests would not only be rejected, but be met with disdain, and that’s exactly what happened. Which means they were little more than election-year posturing.

In an op-ed sent out March 25, Mr. Sommers and Mr. Driskill pointed out that in order to pass new versions of the bills vetoed by Gov. Gordon that upset conservative lawmakers, the special session would need to last eight to 10 days. At a cost of $35,000 a day, that amounts to $280,000 to $350,000.

Not only is that a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars, there’s no guarantee that it would result in a different outcome. Plus, as the legislative leaders pointed out, the people calling for the special session are the ones who failed to meet the deadline for submitting a budget compromise to the governor in order to give them time to override his line-item vetoes.

As of this writing, lawmakers are considering a very limited special session in order to enact property tax reform this year for Wyoming residents. While we don’t believe that should happen either (mostly because we don’t think they can maintain that narrow focus), anything more than that is both unnecessary and unjustified.

Ellis’ departure at the end of the year is a loss for the Senate, entire state

DOWN to the news that Affie Ellis is leaving the Wyoming Legislature after two four-year terms.

To be clear, we completely understand her need to do so, especially in the current climate at the Capitol and with her children getting older. We’re just sorry to see a woman with her education and experience level leave the Legislature, which desperately needs more intelligent, thoughtful lawmakers.

Over the past eight years, this Republican legislator and local attorney has maintained levels of thoughtfulness and dedication unmatched by many of her colleagues. As a member of the Navajo Nation and the first female Native American to serve in the Legislature, she was a strong advocate for Native people and their concerns, including getting bills passed to begin to address the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, to protect Native American graves on state and private lands and to codify the Indian Child Welfare Act into state law.

Beyond that, though, Ms. Ellis has worked hard to encourage more women to run for and serve in the Legislature through her leadership of the Wyoming Women’s Legislative Caucus. While we wish this was unnecessary, the reality is that here in The Equality State, women remain grossly underrepresented, with just 20 of the 93 elected lawmakers, or 21.5%, being female.

Some will argue this shouldn’t be a concern, since we want the best person for the job to be elected. That’s true, but without women’s voices in the mix, laws needed to address inequality are unlikely to be considered, much less passed. Plus, the reality is that women bring a different perspective to governing, which is sorely lacking in our divided, politically charged nation.

All of this is to say that Wyoming needs more leaders like Affie Ellis — leaders with Wyoming’s best interests at heart and the dedication to do what’s right, regardless of who gets the credit. She will be missed, but we wish her and her family well.

Kudos to city officials and residents for making new fire stations a reality

UP to Cheyenne Fire Rescue staff, city leaders and Laramie County voters for their hard work and support of the need for three new, modern fire stations in the capital city.

It all started with the support in 2021 of a majority of Laramie County voters, who agreed to allocate $15.76 million in sixth-penny sales tax money to fund the new facilities. Meanwhile, city fire department staff and other city officials were determining the best locations for these new stations, two of which were needed to replace old, outdated facilities, and one that was needed to serve the ever-expanding east side of the city.

The first to go online will be the new CFR Station #5 on Converse Avenue, which replaces the one on Dell Range Boulevard, built in 1963, that was the oldest operating station in Cheyenne and had multiple infrastructure problems. The new Stations #3 and #7 are expected to be operational within the next month.

The goal is for these new facilities to further reduce response times and help ensure the safety and security of the community’s residents, as well as the first-responders who will work and live there.

Without the support of county voters, local landowners willing to trade or sell their property and city officials, these facilities would still be just a dream. They all have our sincere gratitude for their efforts.

City Council members right to schedule panel discussion about local drug problem

UP to Cheyenne City Council members Richard Johnson and his colleagues for scheduling an April 10 panel discussion to provide information about the ongoing problem of fentanyl and methamphetamine abuse in the city and the rest of Laramie County.

As Mr. Johnson said in a recent guest op-ed, methamphetamine and fentanyl cases “are like potholes in Cheyenne. One gets patched, and two more take its place.” While not unique to Wyoming’s largest city, local leaders can’t ignore it and hope it goes away, either.

That’s why we look forward to the exchange of information and awareness building that will take place in a couple of weeks. The hope is that local agencies will learn more about what others are doing, and this sharing of information will help lead to effective solutions.

If it does nothing more than raise awareness of the problem, the 6 p.m. April 10 session in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Library will have been worth it. Like Mr. Johnson and his colleagues, though, we hope it does much more than that.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle

March 30