Casper-area voters decide special district boards
Residents in Natrona County voted for leaders in fire protection, conservation, and senior service districts Tuesday morning.
By Simon Bennett ·
4,512 votes went to two candidates for the Natrona County Conservation District Board of Supervisors. The race drew the highest turnout among the four special district elections held Tuesday in the Casper area.
Voters chose board members for the Natrona County Fire Protection District, the Casper County Fire Protection District, the Natrona County Conservation District, and the Natrona County Senior Citizen Service District. The Wyoming Association of Special Districts notes that the state has 14 types of such entities, and each county holds its own mix.
In the Fire Protection District race, voters selected two candidates for each of two separate seats. By Tuesday morning, only one seat had clear winners. In the race for an unexpired seat, Ryan Vandal and Brenda Hughes finished as the top vote-getters. Vandal led both of his competitors by at least nine points. John Gentry was the sole candidate in the unexpired district director seat and received 65 percent of the vote.
Voters in Gentry's race were also asked to pick two candidates. County Clerk Tracy Wood did not immediately respond to a Tuesday morning request for clarification on what happens with the second seat in that election. The Fire Protection District is overseen by five directors, who also appoint the chief of the district.
In the Casper County Fire Protection District, voters again picked two candidates in two different races for the board of directors. In the race for a pair of unexpired seats, Jaycee Klein and Michael Mack ran without opposition and collectively earned over 80 percent of the vote. In the other race, Kevin Knork and Robert P. Davis likewise ran unopposed and together won over 80 percent of the vote.
Laura Giles and Tommy Cobb defeated Kerry T. Finch to secure seats on the Natrona County Conservation District Board of Supervisors. They will serve two-year terms. Cobb brings previous board experience to the position. Giles and Finch, meanwhile, were both seeking seats without the advantage of incumbency. The five-member board consists of three rural supervisors, one urban supervisor, and one at-large representative.
According to the district's website, it provides natural resource conservation learning opportunities to urban and rural people by sponsoring and promoting visits to field sites where successful practical applications of conservation practices can be seen. The board's top priority is the health of the county's watershed.
Giles had 4,000 votes, and Cobb garnered 3,000 votes. Finch's votes paled in comparison at just 76. In the Senior Citizen Service District Board of Trustees race, there were three openings and only three people ran. Ruth Boyle, Crystal Morse, and Jane Efland each received more than 4,000 votes. There were also 23 write-ins.
The special district, known as NCCSSD, will fund vital programs and services for seniors, including Central Wyoming Senior Services, Inc., Casper County Meals on Wheels, and Wyoming Senior Citizens, Inc. Additional programs may also be included if they meet state requirements. The entity is funded through a one mill levy on local properties. Boyle and Morse were re-elected to the board.
