Qualifying Round

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

By JH Weekly Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Who will be the next arts governor?*

Though he hasn't a lick of artistic ability, Gov. Dave Freudenthal – with the support of First Lady Nancy – has been a champion of the arts from the time he took Wyoming's top office in 2002, according to officials in the state's cultural offices.

While respecting that his successor will do as he or she sees fit, Gov. Freudenthal hopes that he or she will find it both enjoyable and rewarding to continue supporting the arts in Wyoming.

According to a report by the Western States Arts Federation, Wyoming's “creative economy” outpaces the national average, per capita, in individual artists, writers and performers and performing arts participation. The Creative Vitality Index also shows that Wyoming is second only to Colorado in the Mountain West Region. The report, which compiles data from 2008 and will soon be released with a statement by the governor, shows significant gains since 2006, and shows that more than 7,600 Wyoming residents hold arts and arts-related jobs.

Wyoming Arts Council manager Rita Basom said that the governor has directly contributed to this artist-friendly environment by helping to increase the council's budget and by increasing private donations to fund programs for individual artists. Nearly 80 percent of the council's budget comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, which funds more organizations than individuals to avoid political fallout.

The former WAC director and current director of Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources, Milward Simpson added that the governor helped fill Wyoming's Cultural Trust Fund, which had sat empty for nearly 10 years, and initiated two statewide arts summits.

When he first set out on the campaign trail, Freudenthal said, he recognized how important the arts were to the identities of Wyoming communities, and he knew the support was there to marshal in a concerted effort to emphasize the arts as much as history in the story of Wyoming culture. He sees the arts broadly defined as “the human effort to communicate with more than the spoken word,” and that Wyoming has room for all kinds of art from traditional landscapes and wildlife to stylistic and modern works.

If the people of Wyoming recognize the value of these works, the governor said, now is the time to make themselves heard. “If ever a constituency group is in power, it’s during an election,” Gov. Freudenthal said.

Candidates on the arts

Matt Mead (R) said that Wyoming's natural beauty has the ability to attract artists from all over the country. Citing a Michael Thomas bronze in Kaycee, Wyo. that he he said visitors pull off the highway to view, Mead said that artists' works attract cultural tourists. He sees Wyoming arts as being more closely tied with statewide tourism efforts, but though he confesses “a great passion for playing guitar that is inverse proportion to his talent,” he believes that art adds to individual quality of life. Mead pledges to follow Freudenthal's lead by continuing to make sure the arts remain relevant in Wyoming.

Rita Meyer (R) said that Wyoming's arts culture should include “historical perspective as well as present and future possibilities.” “Not melding arts culture with economic development can put a community at a disadvantage in attracting tourism and new businesses to the area. This is a 'quality of life' issue.” The governor, she said, is responsible for promoting the arts as much as economic development, natural resources and education. She would advocate for “incremental funding increases to the Cultural Trust Fund,” she said, and include the arts in Wyoming's infrastructure.

Ron Micheli (R) provided this statement: “I support the arts in Wyoming and would like to carry on the legacy of governors supporting the arts in Wyoming. I believe the arts provide a significant benefit for the people of Wyoming in terms of education and our own cultural awareness.”

Colin Simpson (R) did not return multiple requests for comment. Emails to Republicans Alan Kousoulos, John Self and Tom Ubben were also not answered.
  
Leslie Petersen (D) said that she wishes the arts had been included in the Hathaway Scholarship curriculum, which provides incentives for students to pursue post-secondary education. Born in Dubois, Petersen credits her mother, a painter, with instilling her with a strong sense of the arts despite so much as a local movie theater. She would like to see the arts added to the list of accolades for Wyoming life, along with low crime, high education standards and the outdoor lifestyle. Petersen also said that she would use her many years of experience fundraising for various political campaigns and community efforts to increase private funding for individual artists. “I know how to raise money,” she said, “and I think it's very appropriate for the governor to do so.”

Pete Gosar (D) said that his experience as a teacher has given him first-hand knowledge of the value of arts in education. Once a student of the piano – who professes no ability – Gosar said that the arts are a different part of the learning process that add value to education. “It's a different way to put context to culture,” he said.” Gosar said he would like to help artists reach “low-hanging fruit” by bringing more exposure to their works through competitions, collaborations with state tourism and support to expand their businesses. As governor, I could endorse that,” he said. “I would talk to Wyoming businesses and ask about the ways they've benefitted from living in Wyoming and ask them to give back.”

Rex Wilde (D) said that communities in Wyoming should “have the opportunity to support local artists.” He would seek that support from private sources and public sources. Personally interested in Western art and Southwestern art, Wilde said that state art purchases should be centered on Wyoming artists, who he said he would encourage to promote their work through state tourism websites.

Al Hamburg (D) said that he would encourage more mural projects across the state. A veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, Hamburg said that art is in his blood. He has painted murals in Torrington and his brother and both his boys are artists. “I'm a big believer in art, boy,” he said. “I can promote it [as governor].

Chris Zachary (D) thinks that kids need the arts as an avenue of expression, emotionally and spiritually. Having practiced psychology on kids with dual diagnoses, she has witnessed the ability of the arts to heal and connect. “The arts are imperative,” she said. “I think we need to take them more seriously at a much younger age.” In addition to trying to raise more money for individual artists, Zachary said that she would completely redo the state budget and hold someone in each department accountable for staying within it. “I think we will free up more money than we thought we had,” she said. – Matthew Irwin

*This story has been updated.

Even the state gets audited
State Auditor candidates Bruce Brown and Cynthia Cloud, both CPAs, seem to pretty much agree about the responsibilities of the office – paying the bills and overseeing small-business loans, for instance. A Devils Tower resident, Brown uses the word “experience” often to describe his qualifications and connections earned in private business. From Cody, Cloud focuses her campaign on transparency and accountability.

Both say they will attempt to make the state more efficient with its spending, with Cloud saying she’ll look for savings in operations and by pushing for paperless transactions. For the state’s economic development, both envision developing infrastructure – roads and such – with Brown being interested in converting unused public buildings into community centers, and Cloud saying that she’d ask tough questions of ranchers and farmers looking for loans. Both want to focus energies on local small businesses, education for workers and entrepreneurs and diversification by using Wyoming’s business-friendly environment as bait. Finally, Brown said that he would maximize multiple use of state lands while protecting private property rights and maintaining the “health of the land;” Cloud would try to reduce our reliance on the mineral industry and eliminate boom-and-bust cycles.

Slafter Effects? Probably not
In the race for Wyoming’s seat in the U.S. House of Representative’s, David Allen Wendt is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket. So unless you’ve got a write-in in mind to pit against Wendt, the primary race is a Republican’s only affair, and it’s a curious and lopsided contest.

Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn, aka Cynthia Lummis on the voter ballot, is running as the incumbent with a year and a half as Congresswoman under her belt. She faces a more or less unknown quantity in Evan Liam Slafter, a 28-year-old “self-employed artist” from Casper.

In articles by the Casper Star-Tribune, Slafter is quoted as saying that he doesn’t “really have a [political] position,” which, he said, makes him unique. “I’m just angry,” he said in the May 22 article. The article further quotes Slafter as saying that he would “bring Christ into the public realm” and notes that he doesn’t believe President Obama was born in the United States. “I guess what I would do as a representative is be myself and fight for the underprivileged, for logic, for accountability,” he said in the Star-Tribune article.

Slafter doesn’t have so much as a Facebook page to tout his nonexistent agenda and emails sent to him went unanswered. The best source for all things Slafter appears to be the website Patriotwhip.com, which apparently links to every mention of him on the Internet. Though he’s running as a Republican, the Huffington Post has Slafter down as making a $225 donation in 2008 to then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. He made the President’s List at Casper College in 2008 for completing 12 or more credit hours and maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better, and a piece of his artwork called “The Pornographic Mind” bears this detailed description: “sitting in my garage, drunk, what came out came out.”
Calls to Lummis’ press secretary for comment regarding Slafter were not immediately returned.

Unless the Wyoming public feels like rolling the dice on Slafter, Lummis probably won’t have to revert to some of the campaign tactics she used to railroad Democrat Gary Trauner in 2008.

Varying Republican ideals
Despite Teton County being a liberal haven – in a staunchly red state – it’s safe to say that some Republicans are pretty well received here. Ruth Ann Petroff (and her husband Mayor Mark Barron) might be good example of this.

Petroff – or ‘The Mayor’s Wife’ as she was creatively labeled in a recent local headline is competing against Republican Joe Schloss in the Wyoming House District 16 race. The winner of the primary election will run against Democrat Len Carlman, a local attorney, in the November general election.

Schloss - who ran for the same seat in 2008 but lost to Pete Jorgensen, now slated to retire  – has a governmentally entrenched background as a former agent for both the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

Petroff, on the other hand, is a newbie to the political arena. She has been involved in the community running various businesses – first Dominoes and then Hard Rock Café - and sitting on the boards of local nonprofits.

Petroff, 44, has created a Facebook page and a website for her campaign while Schloss, 60, represents a more seasoned – and perhaps less tech-savvy – generation of local politicos who rely more on signage and word of mouth.
Both candidates want to bolster energy production, particularly wind, in the state and are in favor of finding ways to create more Wyoming jobs.

Petroff appears to be a moderate conservative, vocal about what she sees as the dangers of extreme viewpoints on both sides of the political stadium. She told JH Weekly in April: “I see that, especially on the national level, politics are becoming more and more polarized. I think if we’re going to save our political system, we need middle-of-the-road, majority people to step up and participate in the process.” Locally, Petroff’s perspective might translate into her support for Town and County consolidation.

Cutting taxes, a traditionally Republican ideal, seems to be a priority for Schloss. In July he told the Casper-Star Tribune he would lead a continual and extensive review of taxes in the Cowboy State. “Any time you put more money into the pockets of the citizens, more money into the pockets of the businessmen owning the stores and industries, then in turn we improve the economy,” he said. 

Cutting state spending
A retired naval officer from Bondurant faces against a businessman half his age from Alpine for Wyoming House District 22. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Jim Roscoe of Wilson.

In a year of budget shortfalls from the national level down to local, Bill Winney, 60, and Emmett Mavy, 34, are both focusing on budget cuts, but according to a report by the Casper-Star Tribune, Winney wants to examine how funds are spent from program to program before cutting them altogether.

That same report said that Mavy is “disturbed” that the state spends more on the Department of Corrections than on the Department of Education. Both support a tax on wind energy once it reaches the district. Winney wants to create a property tax structure that encourages business growth, while Mavy wants property taxes to make way for workers to buy homes. Winney's bid for the seat failed in 2006 and 2008.

Resource management
Teton County Commissioner Leland Christensen wants to step into the Wyoming Senate District 17 seat left open by fellow Republican Grant Larson, who Christensen had consulted before throwing his hat in the ring. First, the Alta, Wyo. resident will have to slide by Samuel Harrell, a Wilson businessman.
With a cattle ranch in Indiana, experience running the family grain elevator business and more than 50 years as a realtor, Harrell believes that he has a broad enough background to make a difference through any number of senate committees. 

Both candidates believe that the issue of the hour is the economy, and the solution is to boost tourism in Wyoming and across the state. Christensen said that open space, working ranches and agricultural lands are worth working to preserve. As the rest of the nation continues to develop, he said, Wyoming's natural resources become more unique and valuable. Harrell said that Teton County has realized a “pretty happy medium” between environmental and commercial interests, which he would like to expand on the state level. He expects some resistance from the natural gas industry.

Growth matters in mayor’s race
Growth matters in mayor’s race

The mayoral race in Jackson features three candidates as diverse as they could be.
The incumbent is four-term mayor Mark Barron. The owner of High Country Linens and Blue Spruce Cleaners has piloted Jackson through its biggest economic boon in history after dispatching then-mayor Jeanne Jackson in 2002. In 2008, Barron received his only challenge when write-in candidate Mike Lance ran a respectable campaign by promising to rein-in growth. Less than a year later, growth in Jackson ground to a halt as the global economic slump took hold locally.
Enter Franz Camenzind. The former Conservation Alliance director threw his ponytail into the ring at the filing deadline, hoping to build on Lance’s momentum. In fact, Lance is serving as Camenzind’s campaign manager. Often labeled a “no-growther,” Camenzind said that tag is inaccurate and likely comes from his 13 years with the Alliance. He said as mayor he would prefer to direct the type and location of future growth.
Jim Evanhoe announced his candidacy in May. His rhetoric echoes the bubbling-under theme of some Jackson blogs: suspicion that corruption in local government warrants cleaning house. Evanhoe’s father, Carl, was once the mayor of Stockton, Calif. If governing is to be in Evanhoe’s future, he may want to distance himself from friend and roommate Kevin Petersen, who’s recent arrest record threatens to torpedo both Petersen’s Town Council campaign and Evanhoe’s chances of unseating an eight-year incumbent.
“The lawsuits filed by myself and Kevin will eventually show the community just how deliberately the ‘passive negligence’ [practiced] by uniform officers and ‘aggregated assault’ promoted by these officers almost destroyed Kevin,” Evanhoe said.
The top two vote-getters will face off in November for a two-year term as Jackson mayor which pays $30,000 per year.

Growth: What’s a mayor to do?
Mark Barron: If one begins with the belief that the world population will continue to grow then we must accept the precept that some growth is inevitable. That's why we, as a community, collaborate to convene a Master Plan and Land Development Regulations that balance various concerns in our community such as open space and wildlife habitat, affordable housing for our residents, transportation issues and economic sustainability. Balancing these often competing community issues and the rights of private landowners requires an honest and open process.

Franz Camenzind: I believe growth can be directed but not as easily reined-in. Property rights, including an owner's right for reasonable use and profit must also be respected. The challenge is to balance these individual rights with the rights of the greater community.

 If elected mayor, I will work to direct growth away from commercial uses and toward providing more housing opportunities. I will work to hold private building size to a maximum of 50,000 square feet with the intent of discouraging the entry of corporate retail business which by their structure typically takes profits out of the community, and because of their competitive stature, can drive smaller, locally-owned establishments out of business.

Jim Evanhoe: Take the number of citizens who live in our community – their basic needs at each economic level, who works and who doesn’t. [Then figure] the number of days, weeks, and months the town has visitors. [Do the same] for our two off seasons. Count the number of retail operations and their types, their cash flow, their profit margins. [Look at] property values, rents and lease terms for business and homes, property taxes, bank loan payments for businesses and property owners; also the assessed value of each business and property. Taking into account these items and projected costs and needs of the present and for the future of a community, this system of thorough accounting will tell you exactly what has to happen in the matter of ‘growth’ or ‘no growth’ for any community and, for sure, Jackson.

The sixth cent
The way government tends to work, we choose a politician and he or she works with other representatives to dictate how this show called civil society is managed. The Specific Purpose Excise Tax might sound intimidating, but it lets you the voter wield the power of the pen every few years. It puts you in charge of what does or does not get done around here, and it lets you choose whether or not you want to be taxed.

The Specific Purpose Excise Tax, or SPET, is basically a one-percent tax the public chooses to levy on itself. If even one SPET project on next week’s ballot gains a simple majority of voter approval, then the tax goes into effect. The tax is a penny, the sixth penny in fact, of every sales dollar, and it’s set aside to help pay for infrastructure projects in and around Jackson. The first four sales tax cents go to the state, the fifth cent goes to the city, and the sixth cent goes to SPET.

Teton County Treasurer Donna Baur said the SPET brings in roughly $10 million a year. When the economic bubble was full blown in 2007, it raked in $12 million. All but one of the four SPET projects passed by voters in 2008 have been funded to date. Baur expects the 2008 SPET will be fully collected by January 2011, opening the window for more SPET projects in the coming years. Assuming the economy doesn’t take an even bigger plunge, if all 11 proposed projects totaling $38 million are passed by voters, the SPET page of your ballot shouldn’t reappear until the fall of 2015, said Sherry Daigle, Teton County Clerk.

In many ways, the SPET ensures that both residents and tourists help pay for facilities they all rely upon and take advantage of, such as the sidewalks, rec center, roads and pathways. The significant economic contribution of visitors to Jackson Hole also helps pay for improvements to the hospital, library and public schools. Jackson’s schools have received more SPET funds than any other beneficiary.

All 11 SPET projects up for approval this year are sponsored by either the Town or County. It’s important to keep in mind that those responsible for the projects can only allocate SPET money to be spent on the activities spelled out on your ballot, so what you see is what they’ll get.
Prop 1 $1,465,420 will help fund numerous improvements at the Rec Center.
Prop 2 $3,250,000 will fund the purchase of land and pay for site planning, engineering and construction of a joint START Transit Facility and Public Works facility.

Prop 3 $8,450,000 will fund the design, planning, engineering, construction, equipping, collections and furnishings of an addition to the Teton County Library.
Prop 4 $11,750,000 will fund improvements to the Cancer/Oncology, Surgery, and Obstetrics units at St. John’s Medical Center.
Prop 5 $4,000,000 will fund continued improvements to the property at 225 North Cache, the future home of the Museum of Jackson Hole.
Prop 6 $3,790,000 will fund energy audits, planning, design, construction and installation of energy efficiency measures and local distributed renewable energy generation in Town, County and Special District buildings.
Prop 7 $850,000 will fund construction for a pathway along Highway 89, from the town of Jackson to the north side of the Gros Ventre river.
Prop 8 $1,000,000 will fund access improvements to the Wilson Bridge Recreation Area.
Prop 9 $1,450,000 will fund numerous improvements at the Teton County Fairgrounds.
Prop 10 $1,027,000 will purchase three water tenders and a wild land engine for Jackson Hole Fire/EMS
Prop 11 $1,000,000 will fund improvements to pedestrian ways around town.

Teton properties
County assessor is a partisan county office that becomes open with the retirement of Cathy Toolson. Democrat Dee Buckstaff joins Republicans Lisa daCosta and Dawn Johnson in the battle for the position that runs a four-year term and pays $75,000 per year. Johnson did not respond to multiple attempts for comment.

OK, what does the assessor do?
Lisa daCosta: The constitutional duty of the assessor is to identify and value all property in the county for property tax purposes. Legal requirements for determining taxable values are provided by the Wyoming legislature, and rules are established by the Wyoming Department of Revenue. It is the responsibility of the assessor to effectively implement these rules in a timely manner, and the office is audited annually by the Department of Revenue.

Dee Buckstaff: The County Assessor is the person responsible for placing a fair market value on all properties located in the county. These values are then used to calculate assessed values and tax amounts and they not only include real estate with and without improvements, but also personal property used by businesses. Fair market values are set in accordance with state law and the process is overseen by the Wyoming Department of Revenue. The State Legislature sets the laws that the Assessor’s Office must uphold.

What is wrong with the way the office is being run now and how would you fix it?
Lisa daCosta: I believe that to effectively manage the valuation of residential property and oversee the work of the consulting company that does the commercial valuations, the assessor needs to have more business experience and broader financial skills than in the past. As the county budget tightens, the assessor will need more effective staff management and budgeting skills to get all the state required work done on a smaller budget and perhaps a smaller staff. I believe that my 20 years of business and financial experience make me the best candidate to run the office, certify the valuations and serve the public. I also believe that, as a candidate, I am more focused on using the tools available to the assessor to bring assessed valuations down to more reasonable levels which better reflect market values in Teton County.

Dee Buckstaff: I believe that the office could work to educate property taxpayers better so that there is a clearer general understanding of the methods used to evaluate properties. I think our current assessor has shown a willingness to listen to property owners and work with them to set values that meet state regulations and are fair to homeowners. I would like to continue improving on communications with our clients while working to help everyone understand their rights in the setting of fair market value on their properties.

Council candidates on jobs
The nonpartisan City Council race involves five candidates for two open seats. Both Melissa Turley and Bob Lenz are re-running for another two-year term. Ray Elser and Michael Pruett are two challengers with extensive planning commission experience. Kevin Petersen is currently incarcerated and did not participate in this discussion. A position on the Council lasts two years and pays $25,000, annually.
Incumbents, stand on your record … challengers, what can you do better?

Turley: I trust voters appreciate my strong support for the Town’s environmental initiatives and for workforce housing. In my role as the former Chair and current Town liaison to the Environmental Efficiency Advisory Board, I have been involved in drafting and implementing the 10x10 Action Plan to reduce our energy use 10 percent by the end of this year, 2010. As Councilwoman, I have voted to increase the employee and affordable housing mitigation rates, supported the creation of new employee and affordable housing instead of the fee-in-lieu option and I will continue to support housing 65 percent of our workforce in Teton County.

Lenz: I voted against every large development that has come up. Against Eden at Glenwood and Gill, the Cook project at North Cache, and against Painted Buffalo Inn. Most people don’t know this but I was very involved in creating the pedestrian way at the Center for the Arts.

Elser: There is a perception in the community that the Council is not listening, and that the priorities of the Council may not reflect those of its residents. I have 13 years experience on the town planning commission. I am pragmatic and an independent thinker.

Pruett: I have prepared for this position with six years experience on the Planning Commission. Elected officials manage your money. I understand the fiduciary responsibility required in this position and I take that responsibility seriously. I will work to move our economy forward. As an owner of two businesses, I understand what it takes to run a profitable local business. I support the Town is Heart concept. I support education programs over regulation. I support a smaller government, lower taxes and cutting expenses over bigger government.

What’s best for the kids?
The Republican frontrunner against the incumbent for Superintendent of Public Instruction said she’s running because of her growing concern for the direction of public education in the state. A Cheyenne resident with 20 years of teaching experience, Cindy Hill believes she can change that direction through grassroots efforts that work more closely with people on the frontlines of education, namely teachers, students and parents. She wants the focus moved away from testing, such as PAWS, and toward rewarding individual successes. Incumbent Jim McBride said that PAWS is designed to collect data on every student, whereas the previous testing only collected data on the district level.

He said that PAWS, which is reviewed and updated by teachers and staff, is aligned with state standards, and he wants to ensure that Wyoming maintains its voice in the talk of nationwide regulations. He points out that the U.S. Constitution calls for states to run education. Republican candidate Trent Blankenship also wants to put education in the hands of local officials, end unpopular testing and shrink the size of Wyoming’s education office. Now a Pavilion resident, he’s the former Wyoming superintendent who resigned in 2005 because of political conflicts with Gov. Freudenthal.

He worked as a super in Alaska until he returned to Wyoming in March 2009. Ted Adams has been a superintendent in Laramie for two years after 20 years in education in Worland and Green River, as well as 15 years as a super in various districts across the country.

Comp Plan owns this county
Three seats will be open on the Board of County Commissioners. All three Commissioners with terms lapsing are running again. They are Democrats Ben Ellis and Hank Phibbs, who both run in uncontested primaries and are not included in this week’s election coverage.

Four Republicans are battling for three positions. They include incumbent Paul Vogelheim, Scott Anderson, Peter Moyer and Capt. Bob Morris. Salary for a four-year term is $37,500 annually.
Should large developments be in the town or county? 

Vogelheim: As the only current commissioner who is also a town resident, I do not want to see development just transferred into town. I’d like to see some commercial space zoned to allow residential units. 

There appears to be a contradiction with citizens asking us to maintain large contiguous open spaces for wildlife and wildlife corridors but 35-acre single family homes are still zoned and encouraged. I would like to look at South Park specifically for clustering and arranging near existing services, density and public transportation closer to High School Road.

Anderson: I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it seems to me that the large-scale development business is in a free fall. I think some areas of South Park would be appropriate for residential units.

Moyer: I do not favor large scale future development in either the county or the town. I do not favor the idea of dumping high-density future development in ‘nodes’ or other county areas because that basically urbanizes county neighborhoods. One exception would be for reasonable densities near the high school.

Morris: The clustering along High School Road should be accomplished not by upzoning, but in accordance with the Plan of '94 so that the southern 85 percent of the Hereford Ranch can be preserved as perpetual open space. Nodes should be planned not by upzoning, but in accordance with the Plan of '94, so that 85 percent of the land involved can be preserved as perpetual open space. I would do nothing to encourage commercial or free-market growth.

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