TORRINGTON – Foreclosures on personal property have become more frequent in Wyoming for a variety of reasons, including the downward spiral of the economy over the past few years and ever increasing
medical costs.
The foreclosure plague is not only upending the lives of general laborers and neighborhood professionals. It has recently attacked two of the
state’s mayors.
Torrington Mayor Mike Varney is currently facing foreclosure proceedings on his home, according to a legal notice published in the Telegram on Friday. According to the foreclosure notice, the unpaid balance of the mortgage on the Varney home, as of Oct. 27, was $169,301.
Varney’s home is currently scheduled for public sale at 10 a.m. on Dec. 1 in the Goshen County Courthouse lobby.
When contacted Monday, Varney declined to comment on the situation, beyond noting he had retained legal counsel. When asked, Varney further declined to identify his attorney.
Other members of the Torrington City Council were relatively mum on the situation regarding the city’s top elected public official.
“It’s not connected to the city,” Randy Adams, the city’s mayor pro tem, said. “It’s personal and I have nothing more to say about it.”
Council members Bill Law and Dennis Kelly also declined to comment.
“We all have issues we have to deal with,” council member Deanna Hill said. “It’s hard to say when we don’t know what he’s dealing with.”
On Aug. 31 of this year, Laramie Mayor Andi Summerville was also served with notification of a pending foreclosure. Summerville, however, in a detailed story in the Laramie Boomerang published Sept. 12, explained her situation was caused by astronomical medical bills for treatment of a rare form of cancer. She had accumulated more than $100,000 in medical charges over the past three years, she said.
Nowadays, she said paying her bills is a matter of prioritizing the biggest necessity each month, according to the Boomerang article. Shortly after receiving the foreclosure notice, Summerville said she paid enough on her house to keep the family home.
According to the foreclosure notice, the unpaid principle balance plus interest on Summerville’s home was $115,646 and the house would have been sold Sept. 6 to the highest bidder if the debt was not settled.
Elected officials facing personal financial issues does not necessarily preclude their municipal duties. There are procedural protections in place when it comes to city finances, said Rick Kaysen, executive director of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities.
“Mayors, nor any other city official, have access to city funds without the authority of the municipal body,” Kaysen said. “Any access to municipal funds has to go through the process that is in place, including vouchers. And there is also an annual audit.”
According to records at the Goshen County Sheriff’s Office, which conducts foreclosure sales, about 15-20 local properties are foreclosed on
each year.
