Joan Barron
Latest from Joan Barron
Joan Barron: The Belvoir Ranch Project Moves Ahead But Slowly
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "One of the attributes needed to work in government is patience. The wheels grind very slowly sometimes in achieving a goal. For Cheyenne City Councilman Scott Roybal his pet project — the Belvoir Ranch master plan — took 15 years of effort."
Joan BarronJune 01, 2025
Joan Barron: What Is Happening To Wyoming’s Sacred Cow — Local Control?
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "What was a shocker was the sudden attack on the tax money local governments spend to get representations from the such organizations as the Wyoming Association of Municipalities and the Wyoming County Commissioners Association."
Joan BarronMay 24, 2025
Joan Barron: Although Flawed, Wyoming Has Best System For Independent Judiciary
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "It is heartening to see so many people standing up for Wyoming’s method of selecting an independent judiciary. Although flawed, this is the best system there is for maintaining an independent judiciary."
Joan BarronMay 17, 2025
Joan Barron: New Changes Are An Opportunity for Change In The Wyoming Legislature
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Legislative leaders recently adopted sweeping changes in the interim committee bill process that collapsed in the last session. It is an opportunity."
Joan BarronMay 10, 2025
Joan Barron: The Amendment That Bit Back
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "I would bet that the 2011 class of lawmakers had no idea that the amendment they passed against Obamacare would be used to protect abortion rights more than 10 years later. It opened the door for a person to claim that their health care decisions are protected by the Wyoming Constitution."
Joan BarronMay 03, 2025
Joan Barron: Tread Lightly, Wyoming Lawmakers Looking To Broaden The Obscenity Laws
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Joint Judiciary Committee's top priority is Wyoming obscenity laws and whether changes are needed to limit access. I hope the committee treads cautiously. High school kids should be encouraged to read books like Gatsby."
Joan BarronApril 26, 2025
Joan Barron: National Groups Scripting State Lawmaking Is On The Rise Again
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, said he attended a National Confrence of State Legislatures, but was not impressed. The discussion was on marijuna, a topic he had no interest in, he said, noting he felt the organization had a liberal bias."
Joan BarronApril 19, 2025
Joan Barron: New Rules Review Grows Government
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The late Democratic Senator Robert H. Johnson was a force in the Republican- dominated Legislature in the 1970’s."
Joan BarronApril 12, 2025
Joan Barron: It's Time For State Lawmakers To Sit Down And Learn Stuff
Columnist Joan Barron writes: "The Legislature’s interim studies are a great way for lawmakers to get educated on the basics of established programs. This is of particular value for the high number of new legislators elected in 2024, who showed their need for more education in the recent session."
Joan BarronApril 05, 2025
Joan Barron: Sure Hope You Can Find Your Birth Certificate By Next Election
Columnist Joan Barron writes: "I don’t think anyone wants to see illegal aliens voting in Wyoming elections, though the possibility is remote. But I also don’t believe that people want to disenfranchise residents who cannot comply with the new voter registration requirements."
Joan BarronMarch 29, 2025
Joan Barron: What About Accountability For New $7,000 School Voucher Payments?
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "What protection, readers have asked, is there to prevent a parent from taking the $7,000 school voucher and letting the kid sit on the couch and watch TV all day?"
Joan BarronMarch 22, 2025
Joan Barron: Alan Simpson Grew To Be A Statesman
Columnist Joan Barron, who has covered the Wyoming legislature since 1970, writes, "Calling themselves ‘just a couple of country lawyers,” Simpson and Herschler outsmarted the hot shot attorneys who flew in from New York and D.C. The trona industry won and the defeated eastern lawyers flew out of Cheyenne."
Joan BarronMarch 18, 2025