Candidates line up at state, county and municipal levels

Wyoming’s 2012 campaign season is officially under way.The filing period opens today (Thursday) for candidates seeking Wyoming’s national, state, county and municipal offices. Candidates who want to be on the Aug. 21 primary election ballot have from now until June 1 to file.

Up for election this year are the seats of all state representatives and one local state Senate seat, two Park County Commission posts, four seats on the Powell City Council and the Powell mayor’s office. Two of Wyoming’s three seats in Congress also are up for election.

“I see the beginning of the filing period as a time that spotlights many opportunities for people to get involved in the election process,” said Secretary of State Max Maxfield in a statement. “The great thing about Wyoming is that we have grassroots elections, so there are tremendous opportunities for individuals to participate in government.”

The Secretary of State’s Office will post daily 4 p.m. website updates throughout the filing period showing which candidates have filed for federal and state offices. The web address is http://soswy.state.wy.us.

The Park County Elections Department similarly plans to post once-daily candidate updates at  www.parkcountyelections.net.

Both sites also provide basic election information for candidates and voters.

The Park County Commission tends to draw the most contenders and county elections deputy Molly Cozzens said her office  has received the most inquiries about the commission.

“Definitely,” she said.

The seats of commissioners Bucky Hall and Dave Burke are up for election. Hall, of Cody, has announced he’ll seek re-election, while Burke has said he will not. Folks who have announced their intent to seek the post are Lee Livingston of Wapiti, Powell City Councilman John Wetzel and Greg Gaspers of Cody.

Powell City Hall is the place to file for municipal races, including the mayor and concil races.

Mayor Scott Mangold is not seeking a third term. Councilman Don Hillman of Ward 3 publicly announced he will run for mayor of Powell.

Four of six Powell City Council seats are up for election this year, including Hillman’s Ward 3 seat.

In Ward 2, Councilman Floyd Young said he will seek re-election.

Councilman Jim Hillberry also announced he will make a bid for re-election in Ward 1. The second Ward 1 seat, currently held by Eric Paul, also is up for election this year. Paul, who was appointed to fill a vacancy last year, said Wednesday he will run to fill out the remaining two years of the four-year term.

In Wyoming House District 25, the seat representing the Powell area, Rep. Dave Bonner, R-Powell, is not seeking a third term. Republican Dave Blevins of Powell publicly announced he will file for the two-year term.

In House District 50, Rep. Pat Childers, R-Cody, plans to seek re-election, while David Northrup of Powell and Cody City Councilman Charles Cloud, both Republicans, have joined the race.

District 50 represents the eastern part of the city of Cody plus Clark, Crandall, the Heart Mountain area, the Willwood and Ralston. This will be the first contested race for House District 50 since 2000.

In House District 26, which represents Garland, Deaver, Frannie and all of northern Big Horn County, Rep. Elaine Harvey, R-Lovell, has announced she will seek re-election.

Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, will seek re-election in State Senate District 18. Coe has served in the seat since 1988, winning his last five, four-year terms as the only candidate running. Bob Berry of Cody, a Tea Party activist and Republican, has announced he will run against Coe this year.

State Senate District 18 spans western Park County from the Willwood and Ralston to Clark, Crandall, Cody and Wapiti.

Statewide, the congressional seats of Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., both are up for election. Republican soldier of fortune Thomas Bleming is running against Barrasso, while Chris Henrichsen, a Democrat and political science instructor at Casper College, has announced a run against Lummis.

The primary election determines which candidates advance to the general election ballot in November.

Each major party — Republicans and Democrats — can advance as many candidates to the general ballot as seats are available. So, for example, with two Park County Commission seats up for grabs, no more than two Republican candidates and two Democratic candidates can make the general election ballot in November.

Unaffiliated candidates for partisan positions can make the general ballot by petition. Members with Wyoming’s minor or provisional parties (Libertarian, Country and Constitution parties) have until the close of business on Aug. 1 to certify any candidates they want to appear on the general election ballot.

With non-partisan City Council seats, only two candidates per seat can make the general ballot from the primary.

Candidates for seats on governing boards for districts — such as school, college, hospital and fire districts — will file Aug. 8-27.