In 2022, the State of Wyoming redrew the senate district boundaries. State Senate District 6 now includes all of Platte County and the eastern portion of Laramie County. I am a candidate to represent this area, which is basically from Glendo to Pine Bluffs. The communities and surrounding areas are rural but also include some of the acreage homes on the northeast and east side of Cheyenne. The district map can be found on the wyoleg.gov page at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f086f052f28b4185a785f19344a057be/page/Current-Senate-Districts/I am seeking this seat in the Senate to provide respectful, rural representation to the district. There is a lot of “country” in this district. Wheatland is the largest municipality in the district and bears little resemblance to Cheyenne in its issues. It is important that the district’s constituents, including the smaller communities of Albin, Burns, Carpenter, Chugwater, Hartville, Glendo, and Guernsey are equally represented. I believe my term as a Platte County Commissioner demonstrated by ability to make decisions based on fact and rooted in my Christian values. I addressed local issues such as infrastructure improvements and delivered positive results.
BackgroundBeing a Wyoming native and third generation Platte County resident, I understand the “Code of the West”. I was honorably discharged from the US Army (Engineers), worked internationally in upstream oil and gas production and hold engineering degrees from Texas A&M University. I currently grow alfalfa with the intention of marketing it to dairies, although as any ag person knows, Mother Nature often can have a large impact on “my plans”.
Governmental PhilosophyI think the most effective and responsive government is closest to the people. The three main responsibilities of government are:
Protect citizens from violence. Examples include law enforcement, fire protection, military, the court system and incarceration
Provide services individuals cannot effectively provide themselves, such as roads/bridges
Invest in citizens to enable them to provide for themselves – Education.
Otherwise, stay out of the way of private business
Policy Positions
Constitution: I have taken an oath of office two times in the past (US Army and County Commissioner) stating that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That commitment still holds true today.
Energy: Supporting Wyoming’s legacy energy industries of coal, oil and gas, trona, and uranium is critical to our state and a very high priority for me. We must also pursue opportunities in emerging technologies such as hydrogen, nuclear, and rare earth elements.
I support coal and natural gas fired electrical generation. These energy sources compose the backbone of the electrical grid, are 24/7 dispatchable and are rampable, unlike wind or solar. Renewable sources of electrical generation are acceptable in their intermittent capacity but lack the full time reliability of coal or natural gas. The thought of elimination of coal/natural gas electrical generation facilities is folly.
Agriculture: I will do everything I can to protect the values of agricultural families and their ability to stay on the farm/ranch without interference from government. Water is a critical component of agriculture and I will work with the State Engineer’s office to insure it is applied to beneficial use.
Jobs and Economy: Focusing on the support of the energy, tourism, and agricultural sectors is a high priority to me as they are critical to the state’s economic prosperity. Improvements to installed technology, such new optical fiber infrastructure, would create more opportunity for ‘work from home’ jobs.
Property Tax: As the last legislative session demonstrated, there is no quick fix for this complex issue. However, I think positive progress was made by adoption of certain exemptions and caps. The challenge is balancing property tax reductions with the need to fund services provided to our citizens. Schools and counties rely heavily on property tax revenue and their protection needs to be considered in the overall reform process. I do not favor eliminating property tax completely and replacing it with an increased sales tax as this shifts the burden to non-property owners – often the younger people just starting out.
I look forward to meeting more of you and to representing the people of SD06. I will be a Senator you can be proud of and will strive to enact legislation that will empower people to earn success. I can be reached at: edjSD06@gmail.com.
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