Small Town News

Election filing begins

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All Big Horn County officials seeking re-election; council seat open

All county elected officials will be seeking re-election, according to early declarations; while one Basin councilor steps down and another mulls seeking mayor seat.

The filing period for the Aug. 17 Primary Election gets under way today and continues through Friday, May 28. Candidates for county offices file with the Big Horn County Clerk's office in Basin, candidates for town council and mayor offices file at town hall and candidates for the Wyoming Legislature, U.S. Congress or a state office, file with the Wyoming Secretary of State's office in Cheyenne. There is a $25 filing fee.

Voter registration is open from now until July 19 prior to the Aug. 17 Primary Election. Registration is available at the polls.

Clerk Dori Noyes, Treasurer Becky Lindsey, Assessor Gina Anderson, Coroner Del Atwood, Sheriff Ken Blackburn, Clerk of District Court Vickie Larchick, County Attorney Georgia Antley Hunt and commissioners Thomas "Scotty" Hinman and Keith Grant have all announced their intentions to file this month.

A few challengers have already announced their intentions as well. Ben Mayland officially announced at the Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner that he will challenge Blackburn and seek the Republican nomination for sheriff. Linda Harp announced last month that she will be seeking one of the two commission seats. She will be filing as a Republican as well.

Rep. Cynthia Lummis is expected to file for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. Neither U.S. Senate seat is up this year. Sen. John Barrasso's seat is up in 2012 (finishing the term left by the late Sen. Craig Thomas) and Sen. Mike Enzi's seat is up in 2014.

At the state level, the governor's race is wide open with four Republican candidates seeking that party's nomination -- Matt Mead, Colin Simpson, Rita Meyer and Ron Micheli.

Jim McBride is expected to face challenges for his re-election bid as Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction. With Meyer seeking the governor nomination the State Auditor race is wide open.

Joe Meyer is seeking re-election to the office of State Treasurer and Max Maxfield is seeking re-election to office of Secretary of State.

Voters will also be deciding on whether to retain local judges including Circuit Court Judge Thomas Harrington and District Court Judge Robert Skar. At the Supreme Court level, Chief Justice Voigt and Justice Marilyn Kite are up for retention. Judges have until Aug. 2 to file for retention.

Only one state legislative seat is open, House District No. 28, and Rep. Lorraine Quarberg (R-Thermopolis) has stated she will seek reelection. HD28 includes a portion of south Big Horn County including Basin, Manderson, Hyattville and Burlington and Hot Springs County.

There will be one tax issue on the Primary Election ballot. The South Big Horn Senior Center Board is seeking to form a tax district to levy one mill. If approved by voters a five-member board will be elected in the General Election. (See related story.)

Basin

On the local level, with Basin Mayor Phil Juillard announcing his decision to retire after 32 years of serving the town as mayor and a council member, the race is wide open.

Basin Planning and Zoning Chairman Amy Kania announced her intention to seek the office.

Two council seats are open, currently held by Mike Lewis and Dave Cooper. Lewis announced Monday night that he hopes to continue his service to the town but is undecided at this time whether he will file for reelection to his council seat or file as a mayoral candidate. He said he is interested in running for mayor but wants to make sure he has the time to devote to the office.

Cooper said he does not plan to seek a third term to the council.

Manderson

The Town of Manderson has three vacancies to fill during the 2010 Primary Election.

The mayor's four-year seat now held by Helen Saunders is up for election in the town with a population slightly higher than 100.

Two seats on the town council are also up for election. A four-year seat now held by Elizabeth "Betty" Wilenius and a four-year seat held by David Hall.

At Monday night's regular meeting, a third vacancy was announced. Councilman Dale Freeman submitted his written resignation citing personal reasons.

Freeman, when contacted Tuesday, declined to list specifics saying, "I was elected for frank and open communication by the citizens of Manderson and I hope I was able to do that in the year and a half I was there ..."

Freeman served one and a half years of a four-year term. Saunders will now appoint a replacement.

Town Clerk Shannon Kemp said paperwork was submitted to Big Horn County Clerk Dori Noyes last week identifying vacancies.

It is possible, because of the timing of Freeman's resignation that the seat will not appear on the primary election ballot. Instead, Freeman's replacement may serve until the original term expires at the end of 2012.

The election calendar listed at the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office states May 3 is the last day for the Secretary of State to certify to the County Clerk what offices are up for election.

Both Noyes and deputy election clerk Annette Dillon are out of the office this week.

Burlington

Mayoral candidates for Burlington will campaign this fall for the opportunity to fill Mayor Kenneth Hockley's seat, which expires this year.

Burlington town maintenance supervisor Bruce Dooley said two four-year seats on the council are also open this year --currently held by Wade Aagard and Ken Cook.

School, hospital and other special district boards will file in August and be elected in the November General Election.



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© 2010 Basin Republican Rustler Basin, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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