I believe the most crucial challenge facing our community is navigating rising costs while keeping our city safe, affordable, and appealing to the next generation. My priority is ensuring that Casper is a place where young adults can afford to live and actually want to stay. This means we must manage our existing city resources so we can protect essential services like public safety; maintain our infrastructure; and support the community amenities that improve our quality of life. I joined the council with these same goals, and if re-elected, I will work with city staff to continue our focus on these priorities.
If re-elected, I will prioritize our budget on core essentials. As a strong advocate for public safety, I have supported adding police and fire staff to protect Casper. We must optimize our revenue to ensure safety and infrastructure needs are met first. During my time on the council, we have actively encouraged new businesses by creating an Urban Renewal Authority to use TIF funding to drive investment. We approved conduit debt financing to allow for the use of industrial revenue bonds. We also utilized the voter-approved SPEC tax to fund major infrastructure projects without draining day-to-day funds. I have fought hard to keep the ski lift and the second sheet of ice alive by encouraging citizens to raise funds for these projects, ensuring our families have the high-quality recreational amenities they expect by offering assistance towards these projects without funding them entirely by the City. I will continue working with city staff to maximize our resources, protecting tax dollars while encouraging business growth and community attractions that keep Casper a safe, affordable, and appealing place for the next generation to live and play.
During my time on the council, I have acquired a solid combination of financial and public safety experience, backed by a personal dedication to Casper’s future. During my first term, I participated in more than 10 different committees and workgroups that helped me learn more about the inner workings of our city. On the financial front, I worked with city staff to help implement Priority-Based Budgeting. I also serve on the Finance Committee, where I have learned exactly what income we receive, how we invest it, and ultimately how we decide to spend or save it. This hands-on experience allows me to truly understand how our budget operates. In public safety, I have gained real-world insight by serving on the Dangerous Buildings and Opioid Epidemic Funding committees. Additionally, I have served as the council’s liaison for Public Health, Municipal Court, and Drug Court. This work keeps me focused on adding the public safety staff our neighborhoods need. My service on the City Council is not politically motivated; it is deeply personal. As a parent with three adult children, my ultimate motivation is keeping my family right here in Casper. I am fully prepared to spend my second term keeping Casper safe, financially sound, and inviting for the next generation and my grandchildren.
I think this is a complicated question because many people prioritize different things based on their individual situation. However, cost of living is one of the biggest on-going issues, along with access to affordable healthcare and specialist care. There are also many families that struggle during summer months to ensure their kids have food to eat and affordable activities to do. These are larger issues, of course, and many families and individuals struggle in ways that cannot be neatly categorized. Part of the issue is that many people do not know what services and help are already available in the community or how to get in contact with those services. “Being in the know” is a different kind of challenge people face here.
The first step to face off against some of these challenges is to help more people be “in the know” about the kinds of help and services that are already here in the community. While there are websites and some projects that have worked to centralize information, if people don’t know where that central information hub is, then it is useless to them. Out-reach and education about existing resources, gathering data on where gaps exist, and working toward closing those gaps can help resolve many challenges that individuals and families in Casper face every day. When people have their basic needs met, it will be easier to work on some of the larger on-going issues in the community.
I am a lover of people, am passionate about creating community, and I want to see Casper thrive. I appreciate the experience and expertise of others around me and truly believe that conversation, compromise, and teamwork are vital elements to bring about long-term solutions and success. While working at Casper College as a tutor in service to students, I have learned that the least of us have something meaningful to say and teach.
What I understand about any elected position is that the duty of the official is to listen to the community and represent their best interests within the decision-making process. Winning a seat in city council isn’t about the singular ideas that I have but rather giving voice to the thousands of constituents who I represent, ensuring that they are not lost or dismissed. I believe that I can take on this role and be a voice for Ward 3 in Casper.
We are seeing an increase in Drug related crimes, theft and vandalism. We need to focus on raising awareness to our community on how to curb crime and hiring more law enforcement for one.
Community awareness and law enforcement support is key. Monthly meetings with law enforcement and our communities have been successful in curbing crime and violence in areas I have served in law enforcement and have past resided. Community involvement is essential in this matter.
I retired after 20+ years in the Marine Corps as an O3 Master Sergeant. Many of the bases where I was stationed around the globe I was Military Police.
I am also a retired Deputy Sheriff in Beaufort South Carolina where I retired from Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot as a Chief Marksmanship Instructor.
I am an individual that likes to work with the community I live in. I am very outgoing and passionate about working with communities and their leaders.
*Inflation/Cost of Living
*Housing being affordable
*Public Safety
*Economic Diversification
*Failing infrastructure: water, sewer, streets, lighting, city owned building deterioration
*The city has worked hard over the last couple of years to address these infrastructure issues. I support continuing to make infrastructure repairs a priority. I would also look for innovative ways to off-set the cost of infrastructure repairs.
*I like that the city is addressing the affordability of housing by selling unnecessary city-owned buildings to developers to rehabilitate them and put them on the market as affordable homes. I do not support selling public lands.
*Casper has a strong police force and fire department. Gaming brings significant revenue to Casper that pays in part for its general fund, public education, infrastructure, law enforcement & road maintenance. However, with that revenue comes adverse side effects. We need to explore reducing these incidents to keep our community safe.
*Every resident needs to become individually educated when a potential company is looking at relocating to Casper. We need to ask our own questions and ask for clarification when we don’t understand something. We need to bring outside industry to Casper but we also need to protect our land, water, wildlife, fisheries and make sure it’s not burden-some to the community. We need to be open-minded, and informed before we say no to any industry. We need to diversify the economy. I would work to make sure the community has multiple opportunities to become informed.
*I am a small business owner that chose to return to Casper and relocate our business here.
*I’m involved in Casper organizations that improve the lives of people in the community.
-Director, Advance Casper Board of Directors, which works on economic development in the community.
-Director, Wyoming Community Foundation, Local, Casper Board of Directors, where we learn about the needs in our community and give grants to non-profits in Natrona and Converse Counties twice a year.
-Director, The Lyric Board of Directors. The Lyric will be a world class performing arts center that will bring a variety of theater and musical companies to the region and will give local artists a beautiful place to perform and will increase tourism and sales and lodging tax revenue.
-Member, Natrona County Improvement Committee which seeks to educate the community regarding livability and economic development projects in Casper.
-Member, Casper Rotary Club
-Member, Casper Area Chamber of Commerce
-Advocate, Visit Casper
-Professionally, I am an Accredited Public Relations Professional with over 30 years of experience, mainly in financial services and non-profit organizations.
-I was born & raised in Casper, and have lived in numerous communities over the years. My husband and I moved our medical device company to Casper 5 years ago and we love being part of this vibrant community.
The residents of Casper want to know that they are safe and have their basic needs met for everyday living. To drive on well-maintained streets; have reliable and affordable utilities; and know their emergency services are properly funded like fire, EMS, police and health facilities. They want to be able to enjoy our beautiful parks and sports facilities. All residents of Casper deserve a city council person who is available at all times and willing to listen and find a satisfactory solution to any problem no matter how small to any and all residents.
I have always been available in my political career and worked hard to find solutions and will do so when I am elected to the city council. I will work diligently with all city officials, agencies and departments for a satisfactory outcome. With my past experience, serving on the Casper City Council and on the Natrona County Commission, I have worked on over 28 budgets. I am looking forward to working with Casper’s new city manager, city staff, other city council members plus state legislators in the city’s budgeting process and to continue to provide an accessible and unified governing body for the city of Casper.
I have a vast and lengthy history in city and county government. I was elected and served eight years on the Casper City Council and then was elected to serve on the Natrona County Commission for twenty years. My interest in government began in my high school civics class. I worked as an aide in Washington D.C. for a Wyoming Congressman. I have volunteered for many local clubs and organizations. I am currently a driver for Meals on Wheels and a board member of Kiwanis Club. I have always been proud to serve my community in public service or as a volunteer. I have have never known a stranger and when I’m elected to city council, I promise to always be available to listen and do my very best to help with the concerns of the citizens of Casper. I have continued to attend city and county meetings in order to keep up-to-date with issues. As I mentioned before, I was involved with 28 city and county budgets and have served on almost all of the city and county boards. I am familiar with property tax levies, funding city and county services, how to promote public health, safety and public welfare and assisting the city manager with their concerns and city projects. Throughout the years, I have been given appointments by governors to serve on local government coordinated councils and was presented recently by Governor Gordon the Bronze Achievement Award in grateful recognition of a lifetime to selfless service and lasting impact.
