'Keep it ... about the people:' Representatives to meet with public in Cheyenne town hall

CHEYENNE – A people’s town hall will be held at the Laramie County Library starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, where the public can meet with and ask questions to their local state representatives.

Rep. Lee Filer, R-Cheyenne, the organizer of the event, said the point of the town hall is to give state lawmakers a chance to hear from their constituents. The panel of representatives will be moderated by Cheyenne resident Jeff Daugherty. Members of the public can write down their questions on paper, Filer said, and put it in a basket for Daugherty to ask the lawmakers.

He’s also working on getting a map of the House districts in Laramie County, so people can look up where they live and see who their representative is. A map is already available at wyoleg.gov, under the tab “Find My Legislator.”

"(It's to) keep it more about the people than the politicians," Filer said.

All of Laramie County’s representatives from around the Cheyenne area were invited, but Filer said only five had confirmed their appearance: Reps. Rob Geringer, Daniel Singh, John Eklund, Steve Johnson and himself.

While some lawmakers, such as Reps. Bob Nicholas and Clarence Styvar, declined the invitation – both said they couldn’t go – a few other members “blew up” on Filer, he told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

“All these people agreed with me at the end of the (legislative) session to go ahead and set something up,” Filer said. “And I tried like 15 different emails to ask them if certain dates would work for them.”

Three weeks ago, Reps. Ann Lucas, Gary Brown and Johnson held their own town hall at the Laramie County Library, with an appearance by Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray. Filer said that event was pushed out a few days before it was scheduled, and “it was pretty much an invite-only.”

Lucas and Brown were among the representatives who "blew up" on him, according to Filer. However, Lucas told the WTE by text message she planned to attend the panel Wednesday night.

“I’m not aware of any ‘contention,’” Lucas said in a text message, later adding “I don’t think I get upset easily.”

Brown did not return the WTE's request for comment.

Invitation only

Johnson organized the town hall that was held a little over three weeks ago, where he, Lucas and Brown were the only invited representatives who spoke. Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, R-Cheyenne, attended the event as a patron and not a speaker, although Johnson told the WTE Wasserburger was invited.

Johnson’s invitation list was tailored to the freshman lawmakers who campaigned with him during the primary elections last year, he said. Geringer, who is a freshman lawmaker, and Filer, who was reelected to the Legislature for the first time in more than a decade, were not a part of this group.

“We just collectively decided to run, and that's how we met each other,” Johnson said, referring to himself, Lucas, Brown and Wasserburger.

Johnson’s and Lucas’ campaigns were officially endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline Republican lawmakers, according to its Facebook page. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus’ endorsement was a huge help, Johnson said.

“They did help us out, they did send out mailers,” Johnson said, referring to attack mailers sent out on behalf of some candidates. “I might not be here without their help, and I'm going to help them whenever I can, however I can.”

The Wyoming Freedom PAC (political action committee) sent an influx of attack mailers in the recent primary election campaign season, a growing trend in past election cycles across the Equality State. A high number of incumbent legislators lost their seats to their Freedom Caucus-endorsed opponents in the August primaries, and the new 68th Legislature has one of the largest freshman classes in the state's history.

Following the November general election, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus officially took control of the state's House of Representatives.

Johnson said he and a few others were invited to become a part of the Freedom Caucus, and he told the WTE he is now a proud Freedom Caucus member. Invitations are sent out based on the representative’s voting record, Johnson said. Only the state’s House of Representatives has an official group of Freedom Caucus members, although there are a number of allies in the Senate.

Johnson said he doesn’t understand why more Republican state representatives aren't a part of the group.

“People are thinking, ‘I don't want to be Freedom Caucus. I'll be associated with the, you know, bad side.' I'm like, ‘What's the bad side?’” Johnson said. “It just didn't make sense to me, and I think we just got to overcome that bad taste in the mouth of these other people. … I don’t understand why they wouldn’t really accept the invitation."

Former Rep. Clark Stith, a Republican from Rock Springs, chaired the Wyoming Caucus, a group of more moderate Republicans that was formed in response to the growing Freedom Caucus. This group consisted of Republican lawmakers who didn't find themselves aligned with the hardline bloc.

Several lawmakers, and candidates for statewide office, previously told the WTE they didn't want to be affiliated with an ideological group. Many said they were independent thinkers and only want what's best for their constituents.