Justin Waterworth

As he runs for a seat on the Powell City Council, Justin Waterworth says he’s knocking on doors and listening to residents.

There are many opinions among the roughly 1,200 registered voters in Ward 3, Waterworth says, and they all deserve to be heard and taken into account.

On the local level, “it seems like it has been a very small group of people that have been very active in politics,” the 38-year-old English teacher said in a recent interview, “and I think that this year there’s been a little more push to maybe be a little more … centrist, moderate, I don’t know the word for it, but just start working together like neighbors again.”

A Powell native

Waterworth was born in Powell then grew up in Worland, where he was an accomplished high school debater. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in secondary English education from the University of Wyoming and taught in Elim, Alaska, and Ten Sleep before joining the Powell Middle School staff in 2018.

Waterworth has coached soccer at the middle school, been an assistant speech and debate coach at the high school, and is the president of the Powell Athletic Roundtable.

He considered running for the Wyoming Legislature this year, but ultimately decided to campaign for the council.

“I think it’s the place that you can connect with your neighbors the best, and in ways that actually affect their daily lives,” he said.

Seeking
thoughtful growth

Waterworth said he and his wife were lucky to get a home in Powell before the Covid-19 pandemic, saying there’s “no way” they’d be able to afford a place now.

“I like that we’re building houses,” he said, referring to recent developments in the city. “I’d like to see a few more affordable houses.”

Waterworth thinks it would be worth having the council go through the costs of building a residence and ask, “are there things that we maybe have created in terms of policies or ordinances that are making it more expensive for a home buyer, because we’re requiring certain red tape or hoops or whatever …?”

Waterworth also referenced a need for “planned growth.”

“As Powell grows, we should be thoughtful about where and how development occurs so we preserve the qualities that have made Powell such a great place to live while also creating opportunities for the future,” he said. “I see growth as something to manage well — not something to fear.”

For example, he said the city should be mindful of infrastructure and the limitations of specific sites.

He also thinks the city could use policies to incentivize businesses to move into Powell and its empty storefronts downtown. 

Promoting transparency and the ward

In his conversations with residents, Waterworth said he’s heard concerns with “transparency or lack thereof.” He said it’s important to be “as transparent as possible [with] what is being done and how it’s being done.”

Part of that, he said, is being more clear about what the council can and can’t do. For example, Waterworth said property tax relief is generally not a city issue, but “we can be as transparent as possible with where we’re putting that money that’s coming in, so people know that it’s being spent on things that are important, and that it’s being spent wisely.”

Waterworth also wants to promote more pride in Ward 3 and everything it has to offer, describing it as a place with a lot of things to do and lots of people with different opinions.

Overall, Waterworth said he believes just about anything can be accomplished by talking to people, compromising and coming to decisions that work the best for everyone.

“I am not a political hardliner. There’s good ideas from everywhere,” he said. “And I think a big thing that has really turned people off to politics is they feel like they’re ignored.”

Waterworth faces incumbent Councilman Tim Sapp, Lupe Bickford and Venus “Freedom” Bontadelli in the Aug. 18 primary. The top two vote-getters will advance to November’s general election.

Ward 3 is made up of everything east of Division Street and, generally, south of Third Street, including the entire south side of town.