Cassie Craven:  A Wild Week in the Wyoming Legislature

If the citizens of Wyoming get property tax relief, we will have no plowed roads and no police. These are the narratives we’ve heard during debate this legislative session. 

The Feb. 5 midnight committee meeting of the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee had a different perspective.

County commissioners for a handful of the state’s most powerful counties were called out for holing away millions in reserves from citizens’ property taxes. Rep. Gary Brown, R-Cheyenne, commented that in 11 years there was an excess of almost $141 million stashed away in reserves.

“That’s not just a little bit of money,” said Brown. “That’s excessive and when the people of the county are hurting, don’t you think that’s excessive?”

Laramie County now has only $92 million in reserves, the Executive Director for the County Commissioner Association noted. That’s $14 million less than 2024. The Director discussed the many “emergency” categories that the reserves are being saved for – like “election equipment reserve” and “planning.” 

People cannot afford groceries and are being taxed into poverty. We are taxed to live, taxed to die, taxed to purchase and people are fed up. 

Brown was asked if he had a follow-up question. Shaking his head he replied, “No. I’m not going to get an answer to my question.” 

Rep. Steve Johnson, R-Cheyenne, looked at the 2022-2023 breakdown and stated, “Laramie County collected $32 million in property taxes. They put $32 million in reserves. And I just think that’s excess in one year….The people of Laramie County should be a little bit upset and ask for some money back.”

But despite these obvious points of government greed, there is a perception by some that standing up for the right thing is an effort to gain attention upon oneself or run for a future campaign. This is a talking point that politicians lean on when they want to refocus criticism elsewhere. 

This week Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, of the Freedom Caucus said that Gov. Mark Gordon violated the law through recommend spending out of the “rainy-day fund” that would exceed 5% of the balance of that account. The governor’s spokesperson stated, “Perhaps Representative Bear should be more interested in helping the people of Wyoming recover from devastating wildfires than running his next campaign.” 

Watching Wyoming politics and lawfare feels like having a fight with a narcissist. Divert, dodge, deflect. Don’t speak up you grandstanding harlot. You must be fundraising. You are an attention-seeking liar. Block voting couldn’t possibly be the result of mutual belief, it must mean we are all stupid and delivering marching orders from Washington D.C.

Or maybe we the people are tired of being lied to and used. Maybe we actually want change. Maybe some decided to get serious about doing their homework and getting organized. 

A few remnants of the failed and governor-supported “Wyoming Caucus” are kicking and screaming while the majority of the House pushes toward government reform. Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, went on the record saying, “These people are more focused on running political campaigns than they are worried about running the state.”

Rep. Landon Brown narrowly won his last race after he supported a former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper convicted of rape, calling him a “man of God” at his sentencing, a comment he later regretted but made because he and the former trooper knew each other for 15 years and attended Bible study together.

The trooper was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison, despite the legislator’s words at his sentencing. This was after Rep. Landon Brown’s appearance on CNN to vocalize his support of Liz Cheney and distaste for now President Trump.

Some of these folks simply can’t read a room. They are so out of touch with how common people think, that I wonder if the great divide will ever mend. 

Luke Combs and Billy Strings sang it best:

“Bearing crosses we believe in dying on

Tempers flare, the flame flies higher

As we soar closer towards the sun

But I like to think too much damage ain’t been done

We’re all so far, so far apart now

It’s as deep as it is wide

We’re about to fall apart now

If we can’t reach the other side

We gotta find a way across the great divide.”

Like a wildfire, maybe the healing will only come after it’s all done burning to the ground – naturally rejuvenating the system by clearing out the rot that’s blanketed the surface for far too long.

Cassie Craven can be reached at: ccraven.law@gmail.com