Editorial

Mix of candidates elected could be a good sign

Posted 11/15/22

There was no political wave of any color amongst local, nonpartisan elections in the Powell area.  

There was quite a mix of incumbent and newcomer, more moderate and more conservative, in …

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Editorial

Mix of candidates elected could be a good sign

Posted

There was no political wave of any color amongst local, nonpartisan elections in the Powell area. 

There was quite a mix of incumbent and newcomer, more moderate and more conservative, in last week’s Park County election results. 

Hopefully the result of that mix will be some new ideas introduced and some conservative, gradual changes in county institutions. 

While different groups published differing lists of candidates they recommended for boards, in the end neither Wyoming Rising nor Conservative Roundup PAC got all of what they wanted, although both got some. It’s a sign voters want some sort of a compromise between all one way or all the other. 

In other words, voters were clear they want change, not wholesale but more incremental change. 

This election also displayed that voters are engaged and want to see board members who listen to their concerns. After all, the point of serving on these boards is not only to advance the institutions they serve with, but to represent the wishes of their constituents. 

It was very good to see groups pop up to be involved in the process and get their priorities in front of candidates. Hopefully those candidates who were elected remember those concerns and never forget the necessity to answer questions of constituents and ensure their processes are as transparent as possible. 

What was shown Tuesday was that voters appreciate those who are engaged, who listen to all of the concerns and try to find ways to address issues. Some may come in with ideas that differ from the majority of the board, but the views of the newcomers should not be ignored but instead listened to. After all, these candidates are representing the will of a record amount of voters for a midterm general election. 

So, as we approach new board terms, it looks like we’ll have some newcomers who may rock the boat, but also reelected incumbents to ensure the boat doesn’t tip over. Expect to see some hopefully needed changes, but no axes taken to institutions that have on the whole done a good job. 

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