Tyson Williams

An eighth and final candidate has filed to run for Park County Commissioner. Tyson Williams joins an all-Republican group eyeing one of three open seats on the commission.

In addition to Williams, they include Angie Johnson, Dossie Overfield, Scott Steward, H. Keith Dahlem, Lloyd Thiel, Matthew Scott and Ken Montgomery.

Williams of Cody, listed the recent increase in property value assessments, stronger property rights and election integrity as three key reasons he decided to file to run for a county commission seat.

“One of my primary things that inspired me was, I was listening to a local resident and she said that several people in her community in the Powell and Cody area had mentioned how much their assessments had gone up, and they were having to rethink remaining in their homes,” Williams said. “To me, it struck such a chord, especially as a young husband, as a young father with young children.”

Williams, 39, manages a local heavy equipment business in Cody, which he co-owns.

“Property rights are a big thing for me,” he said. “I definitely want to be a big advocate for residents for their property rights.”

“The third thing I’ve been hearing from constituents,” he continued, “is their concern for election integrity. They wanna make sure their voices are heard.”

Returning to the subject of high-property valuations, which have increased by more than 10% this year for many Park County homeowners, Williams said he thinks the commission needs to find a way to alleviate those increases across the board. He suggested one area to examine are mill levies, collected and redistributed to public entities and services such as school districts.

“I think we need to look into the current mills that are in place that are currently generating surpluses for the county,” said Williams, who prefaced he understands the positive side of home values increasing, as people from other states eye Wyoming as a great place to live, particularly Park County and nearby Yellowstone National Park.

“This is a beautiful part of the state,” said Williams, who was born in Greybull and attended Northwest College in Powell from 2001-2003. “The trouble we’re going through now makes sense because it is a very good place to raise a family.”

Williams has three children. He moved back to the area 11 years ago and has lived in Cody for nearly eight years. The county commission candidate said he’s encouraged that eight people have filed to run as commissioners.

“I think it’s great there are that many hard workers and eager members of the community that want to go out and help our neighbors,” he said. “That’s an uplifting and encouraging environment to live in, I think.”

The candidate, who considers himself a business owner and family man, said he likes his chances of being elected to the Park County Commission.

“With my background, I’m hoping I can bring some benefits to the table to assist our county workers with the hard work they do,” Williams said.