Our View: Delegation should travel Wyo.

Generally speaking, it isn’t a policy for this newspaper to publish letters to the editor signed by groups. Of course, exceptions can be made and while a recent letter we received doesn’t warrant special treatment, the subject it brings up is worthy of discussion.

A letter, signed by the “Citizens of Cheyenne,” requests the Wyoming senators and representative serving in Washington, D.C. to host a town hall-type meeting with residents in Cheyenne to discuss and explain actions the three have taken during the first months of the year. Wyoming’s residents, as reported by Wyofile.com, have a lot of questions regarding the votes Senators John Barrasso and Mike Enzi have taken. They also have a few for Representative Liz Cheney.

However, while the idea of a town hall session is a good one, we’d like to remind the Wyoming delegation that Cheyenne is not the sole location to visit when returning to Wyoming for the upcoming congressional break in April. Nor is Casper, Gillette or Jackson Hole for that matter. The Wyoming delegation should plan on hosting a multi-stop tour of Wyoming, traveling together and hosting sessions where residents can ask questions of their elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

The tour could hit eight or 10 Wyoming towns, possibly hitting two in each corner of the state. In the southwest corner, they could visit Evanston and Green River, stop in Rawlins then Casper, travel to Jackson Hole, then Cody and Buffalo, move to Gillette then conclude by traveling to Laramie and Cheyenne. This way, a real majority of Wyoming’s residents would have a chance to come out and listen to the Washington, D.C. delegation, ask questions and comment on what they think should be a focus for the three.

Often times, it feels as if some of our representatives in Washington, D.C., forget cities and towns exist outside of the major population centers in Casper, Cheyenne and Gillette. Sure, Sen. Barrasso is a regular fixture at the River Festival’s Cajun shrimp meal, but Sen. Enzi’s visits seem to be few and far between. The same could be said of Rep. Cheney, though she hasn’t served as a U.S. House of Representatives member for more than a few months.

Wyoming’s residents need to be heard and the best way is for Sen. Barrasso, Sen. Enzi and Rep. Cheney to travel throughout the state and hear them firsthand.