CHEYENNE — A political forum brought together some of Wyoming’s conservatives seeking statewide office, including three running for governor, in one of the first opportunities of 2018 to see competing candidates speak at the same event.
The town hall-style meeting Saturday was originally intended to feature only gubernatorial candidates, whether Republican, Democrat or from a minor party. But it evolved to include other statewide candidates, all from the Republican ticket. Dozens of members of the public from different parts of the state came, and many asked questions. The nature of questions suggested
that those in attendance were overwhelmingly or possibly exclusively conservative.
Of the six Republicans, two Democrats and one Constitution Party candidate for governor, three attended.
Bill Dahlin of Sheridan and Taylor Haynes of Laramie were the Republicans present, with Rex Rammell of Rock Springs as the Constitution Party candidate. Rammell was previously running as a Republican and spoke in that capacity at the State GOP Convention in Laramie in April, but he recently switched to the Constitution Party ticket.
Republicans Foster Friess of Jackson and Sam Galeotos of Cheyenne sent representatives, who made brief remarks.
The remaining statewide candidates in attendance were state Sen. Leland Christensen, R-Alta, running for state treasurer; state Sen. Curt Meier, R-LaGrange, also running for state treasurer; and state Rep. Nathan Winters, R-Thermopolis, running for auditor.
Those running for governor avoided making comments about one another or in response to statements they made. But all three of those candidates in attendance had criticism for the policies of Republican Gov. Matt Mead, whose second and final term will expire this year.
Most of that criticism revolved around ENDOW - Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming - an economic diversification mandate that kicked off in 2017.
The plan for implementing a wide array of strategic measures to bolster the state’s economy over the next 20 years includes policy changes and, perhaps most difficult in Wyoming, hefty public investment. The initiative’s first test came during the Wyoming Legislature’s budget session earlier this year, where lawmakers approved appropriations totaling around $44 million.
Dahlin said there needs to be a measuring stick showing progress with such a mandate to determine whether continued investment over time was effective. When he looks at the Wyoming Business Council - a state agency independent of ENDOW, but also tasked with economic diversification - Dahlin said he was skeptical that ENDOW’s funding was the right way to go.
“The Wyoming Business Council was developed 20 years ago for the sole purpose as the government entity to diversify our economy,” he said. “Twenty years later, almost $1 billion spent, we are still 70 percent dependent on the energy sector. . Now add the ENDOW program, and you’re just throwing another shovel in the hole. They have 20 years to diversify the economy, so another 20 years, maybe another $1 billion, we need to say, ‘No more.’”
Rammell - whose key issue is seizing public lands from the federal government to open up to what he estimates would be $1 billion in state revenue from energy development - said “ENDOW is the biggest waste of money I can think of.”
The reason Wyoming hasn’t solved its economic problems - and every other issue facing the state, as Rammell sees it - is a lack of leadership, he said. If he’s elected as Wyoming’s top executive, Rammell said he’d make audacious moves he believes other conservative elected officials want to, but can’t because of an environment that restrains him.
In his third bid for governor, Haynes said he’s happy to see that a constitutionally fundamentalist platform he credits himself with making “safe” is being touted by nearly all conservative candidates for office. While his method might differ from Rammell’s, Haynes also advocated for taking Wyoming’s lands from the federal government and opening most of them to energy development that he believes would generate enough revenue to fully fund government.
Using public funds for economic diversification, Haynes said, is bad policy, and even nefarious.
“The government stimulating the economy with subsidy programs is not appropriate for government,” he said. “It’s the government picking winners and losers. The more frightening term for it is fascism; crony-capitalism is how they soften that.”
Unlike the candidates for governor, the two Republican opponents seeking their party’s nod in the Wyoming treasurer race did speak directly to one another’s statements, indicating a potentially heated primary is underway.
While Christensen said he was the most prepared for the job of replacing Republican Treasurer Mark Gordon (now a gubernatorial candidate), Meier said he took exception to that.
Christensen said his professional, political and personal experiences gave him the insight to understand the problems Wyoming faced and how he could maximize the state’s investment portfolio to yield higher returns. But Meier pointed to his work as the legislative liaison to the Wyoming Retirement System, overseeing a multi-billion dollar state public fund. He also said his time in the private sector, working as a businessman, overshadowed the experience Christensen touted.
“My opponent just doesn’t understand it,” Meier said, referring to Christensen’s interpretation of the state’s investments.
But Christiansen responded that his not having the same experience as Meier’s didn’t matter as long as he knows how to lead.
