Seeking first full term, Mayor Wetzel runs unopposed

Posted 8/4/20

John Wetzel has served in the Powell city government since 2007, beginning as a councilman and being appointed as mayor in 2017 to replace the late Don Hillman.

In 2018, Wetzel won nearly 67% of …

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Seeking first full term, Mayor Wetzel runs unopposed

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John Wetzel has served in the Powell city government since 2007, beginning as a councilman and being appointed as mayor in 2017 to replace the late Don Hillman.

In 2018, Wetzel won nearly 67% of the vote in the mayor race, which allowed him to serve out the remainder of Hillman’s term. Now he’s running unopposed for a four-year term.

“I like serving the people of Powell, and I’m getting used to it after all these years,” Wetzel said.

As a council member, he was involved with a number of initiatives, including building the Powell Aquatic Center and transfer station and getting the Powell Golf Club on solid financial footing.

Wetzel said his role as mayor is to keep things running smoothly. That means acting in a fiscally responsible way — maintaining reserve levels — and protecting infrastructure: water, sewer, streets, electric and fiber.

“I think as mayor, your biggest concern is protecting and maintaining the assets of the city,” he said. “Infrastructure is so important, and people don’t realize it.”

Wetzel also said he appreciates that, for all he and the council have done together, it’s been in a relatively cordial atmosphere.

“My best accomplishment, still, is keeping it running smoothly,” he said. “I don’t want to say it was without controversy, but there’s nothing wrong with good conversation and debate.”

In his next term, Wetzel expects one of the bigger challenges he and the council will face is the declining revenues from the state. That will mean cuts to state support and the need for more money on the local level.

He said he supports the passage of the 1% sales tax measure, which voters will decide on in November. Wetzel said it’s a good way to “invest in the community.”

With the revenue it raises if it passes, he thinks it should go to shore up the town’s infrastructure, including slurry seal on the streets. The treatment extends the life of the road, saving the cost of rebuilding roads. But the city hasn’t had the funds to keep up with the ideal sealing schedule.

“If we don’t keep up with that, it could be a disaster financially,” he said.

Another project Wetzel said might be good would be widening Division Street, which would include replacing aging water and sewer lines beneath it. Last year, the city completed a similar project on Absaroka Street.

“We certainly need to have a discussion with the residents on Division Street, see what their vision is as well,” Wetzel said.

He also wants to keep the planned overhaul of the Vining Substation on track. In June 2019, the 30-year-old station caught fire, and the city has been pursuing a rebuild. The city plans to complete the project over the next two years.

Wetzel is originally from Ohio and after seeing a teacher’s slideshow of a hiking trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, he set his sights on living in the West after he graduated from high school.

“I picked the University of Wyoming and never looked back,” he said.

He moved to Powell in 1992 with his wife, Shelby, who is a Powell native and a part owner of the Powell Tribune. They have three adult children.

Since 1997, Wetzel has worked as the general manager of the Buyer’s Guide, a Cody-based shopper co-owned by the Tribune and Cody Enterprise.

Election 2020

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