Campaign Phone
3077606213
I am qualified to serve based on the following experiences:
Finishing my first term on City Council representing Ward #3
Currently the Chair person of the Finance Committee Meeting
City Council Representative for Cheyenne Animal Shelter
City Council Representative to Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Precinct Committee Woman Precinct 3-4
Governor Appointee to Corrections Industry Advisory Board
Member of Leadership Wyoming '22
Rotary Area Governor & member of After Hours
Republican Women of Laramie County member
Zonta member
DKG Upsilon Key Women Educators member
Have lived in Cheyenne over 34 years
Professional Educator over 30 years
I am involved in our community, accessible, and committed to Cheyenne's quality of life.
I have demonstrated communication and accessibility for Ward #3 residents. I am a huge proponent of "no decisions without us". I work hard to involve those who are impacted by proposed legislation in the conversation. I participate in Chamber of Commerce activities and community service organizations which keep me connected to our local business and industry stakeholders. Additionally, in my day job I oversee career and technical education across Wyoming for grades K-14 (community colleges). This unique vantage point allows me to be on the cutting edge of our community's economic development while developing our future workforce and helping to diversify Wyoming's economy.
I believe that the future is bright for Cheyenne. We definitely have things that we need to continue to work on such as those in our community who are struggling with homelessness, affordable housing, and unnecessary regulatory constraints. However, our distinct location at the corner of I-25 and I-80 we are a desirable community. We have amenities that our community enjoys and a quality of life that is second to none. We are fortunate to be the state capital and enjoy strong tourism. We have welcomed manufacturing companies, data centers, and a variety of franchises over the last four years. Our downtown area is the heart of our community and we need to continue to improve, encourage, and support small businesses!
I don't believe there is one answer. This is a complicated topic and will need a multipronged approach. I believe there are several things we can do to encourage affordable housing in our community. We need to continue to review and evaluate our UDC and regulations that may discourage and place unnecessary burdens on local developers. We also need to look at private and public partnerships. We need to continue to look at grants, zoning regulations, and collaborate with local agencies such as Habitat for Humanity and My Front Door. We also need to work with the Governor and Wyoming State Legislature on legislation that will address this challenge that nearly all communities are facing.
I believe that there are three major challenges we are facing:
1. Water--water is vital to our community. I believe we need to make sure we are providing safe drinking water and are able to meet the needs of our city residents. This includes conservation, access to additional water supplies, and maintaining the infrastructure. We have many miles of clay pipes that will need to be replaced.
2. Public Safety--As Cheyenne grows we need to make sure that we have sufficient emergency responders to protect our residents. We need to make staffing a priority. We can't continue to annex items into the city and stretching our public safety resources.
3.Roads and infrastructure--We have to be able to maintain our roadways, sidewalk , curb & gutter.
Campaign Phone
(307)220-1973
In the last 10 years there haven’t been many issues that have come forward that I have either initiated or was actively involved with.
I drafted the human rights ordinance to benefit a mission of LEADS and the Chamber of Commerce when approaching entities interested in coming Cheyenne. Colonel Barrington from FE Warren also thanked me for my work on this. When I run into Betsy and Dale and I usually talk to them about concerns they have.
I was instrumental in the splash pad for kids and open container for the parents. I work with Ward One councilors on specific projects in association with the DDA
I’m currently working on Wyomings first Housing Choice Voucher program for mortgage assistance through HUD. Potentially the pass through with the city can open a statewide initiative
Meth and Fentanyl. I’ve been hosting forums to offer solutions from the law enforcement to treatment options.
Campaign Phone
(307)287-7247
As someone who has worked in both the private sector and education field, I understand the needs of businesses that have minimal government regulations and the needs of the community through fiscal conservatism. Having a master’s degree in geography and being GIS certified, I teach students how cities operate, including problems that arise, such as gentrification and zoning. With this knowledge, I know how to address these issues. In January, I was appointed to the Board of Land Adjustment, which helped me gain an understanding of the UDC codes and which ones need to be improved or deleted.
Not just the perspectives of major employers, business groups, labor force, and regular citizens, the local workforce should be setting the economic agenda, but the regular everyday people, as they(the customers/potential employees) know what is best for our community. Citizen input should hold the most weight as, in recent years, there has not been much transparency in companies that are moving into Cheyenne. The present economic agenda for Cheyenne is perceived to only be focused on data centers; this needs to be expanded to include attracting more manufacturing jobs, to add to the companies we presently have at locations such as The Cheyenne Logistics Hub, situated the crossroads of two major Interstate highways and has railway access.
Downtown is not as healthy and successful as it could be. The basics need to be addressed such as sidewalks and some small businesses do struggle in downton. To help small businesses there could be a monthly forum hosted by the city, the DDA, and the Chamber of Commerce at the library.The forum could cover topics ranging from changes the city implemented, with a focus on small business impact and workshops, such as: how to obtain permits, point of contact if questions for the various city departments, etc. Also, we need to review the UDC codes; some of them are draconian, hampering expansion and can be a barrier to potential businesses. A good idea would be having a city employee(they would get bonus pay) to be a point of contact.
At the city level, we need continuous review of the UDC codes, removing unnecessary codes for developers, and more codes lead to increased housing prices. We need to make it easier for apartments/multi-family housing above retail space, especially in downtown. Minneapolis, Minnesota, has allowed for denser duplexes and triplexes in some areas previously zoned for single-family homes. Another idea(state level, not city) is to have a law similar to Florida’s Live Local Act that passed in 2023. One aspect of that law that would be beneficial for our community, is it sets aside funds to aid with down payment and closing costs for first-time homeowners, emphasizing: first responders, teachers, active duty military, and veterans.
Challenge #1-Crime/Law & Order: Need to hire at least 3-4 more police officers per shift. The city ordinances need to be enforced, and these include traffic violations. We also need to enact an ordinance stating that Cheyenne is not a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, Denver is less than 100 miles away. Challenge #2-Affordable Housing: Deleting unnecessary UDC codes. Allow for residential zoning for apartments/multi-family housing above retail space, especially in downtown. I would advocate for a state law similar to what Florida passed in 2023, the Live Local Act as mentioned previously. The city needs to enact an ordinance to stop out-of-state corporations from buying up single family houses. The State of Nebraska tried to pass this.
