Voters in House District 60 will have to choose two candidates for the upcoming General Election in November. The candidates were asked a series of questions by the Green River Star and their responses to those six questions can be found below.
1. In three sentences, describe yourself and why you’re seeking election.
Ted Barney (Republican): I have been a resident of House District 60 my entire life. While serving on the Green River City Council I learned that I really enjoy representing people and researching current issues as well as potential future issues that the people of Green River may face. I want to be the voice of the people of Green River in Cheyenne.
Lindsey Travis (Democrat): I am a parent, a spouse, a librarian and a proud citizen of Green River. I am seeking election to Wyoming House District 60 because we need forwarding-thinking leaders who can help initiate change and drive our state toward a future where all Wyomingites can thrive -- I am the leader who can do that. I am the assistant director for the Sweetwater County Library System and have a strong background in public service, leadership, advocacy, and collaboration -- I am ready to listen, to work hard, and fight for what’s right for Wyoming House District 60.
Mark Baker (Republican): I am seeking election to Wyoming House District 60. I previously served five sessions in the Legislature and would be honored to be elected to serve Sweetwater County again. I am passionate about having a safe, fun and productive place to live and I hope to utilize previous experience to fight, in Cheyenne, for the resources that we deserve.
Mike Burd (Democrat): I have been fortunate to grow up, raise a family of my own, have a great job, and watch Green River grow and change over the years, into the safe, clean, friendly town that we all know and love. For those reasons, I have tried to give back to my community and state, through my volunteer work and being an advocate for working people and the recreational opportunities we enjoy.
2. If elected what are the top three concerns you plan to take to the legislature? Why are those important to you?
Travis: My top three concerns are education, the economy, and health care.
Education: We need to support our children and give them a good start at life with a strong educational foundation. If educational funding is at risk, we put our children at risk. This year, education is at the forefront of discussions because we are asking our educators to change the way they are teaching and asking them to be ready to quickly adapt to changing circumstances -- it’s not the time to cut educational funding.
Economy: We need a diverse economy that allows all Wyomingites to succeed. We have been able to see this year the effects of our current boom and bust system -- it has hurt hardworking families in our community. Economic diversification needs to start at home in our communities by investing in small businesses, entrepreneurs, and our current workforce. We need many types of voices at the table when making decisions about Wyoming’s future. I will bring a new voice and will fight hard to bring sustainability to our economy.
Health care: Health care should not be a privilege, it should be a right; but every day, people are having to decide between taking their kids to the doctor and paying for other necessities. This is not fair. I will fight for affordable and accessible health care for all Wyomingites.
Baker: I believe the most important issue facing Wyoming now is the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications of the health orders. The pandemic has impacted most aspects of our lives. It is also important for the state to support our local governments, businesses, schools and families to ensure Wyoming is stronger in the future. I also believe that Interstate 80 has become very dangerous to our local traffic and that the State of Wyoming must begin to address some of the safety concerns immediately.
Burd: Job opportunities in some of our major industries are in serious decline. It’s been said many times we need to diversify our economy. It is time to get serious or our children may have to leave Wyoming to get jobs. We can and should manufacture in Wyoming.
We pay some of the highest costs in the country for healthcare, yet our rural hospitals are barely hanging on. There needs to be more options to obtain coverage, and turning 26 years old should not be a scary moment for our youth, when they are forced off their parent’s coverage. Concerning school funding, Wyoming is facing budget cuts all across the board, but we cannot afford to cut the opportunities for our children, who are our future, to get a quality education, from quality instructors.
Barney: The top issue is developing a short term plan to boost Wyoming’s lagging economy by increasing tourism in the State, which is currently our number two source of income. The second issue is to develop a long term economic diversification plan that looks beyond mineral extraction to utilize Wyoming’s vast resources for manufacturing and innovation. The third concern is since I’ve been working with state statutes for the last 20 years on almost a daily basis, is to clean up some loopholes that are contained in the criminal code, and working on the legalization of the production and use of marijuana within the state.
3. Recently, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office investigated allegations of a person committing acts of bestiality against horses. It turned out that the practice is not illegal in the state. If elected, would you support a legislative means of making such acts illegal? If so, how would you propose this law?
Baker: If elected, I would be open to discussing the issue. I previously served on the Judiciary Committee in the Wyoming House, and during that time, many difficult bills were presented to the committee. The issues related to any sex crimes are difficult to discuss and sometimes difficult to imagine. It is important to not make bad legislation as a reaction to a highly covered incident. I support having the discussion and ensuring that the deficiency in the law is properly discussed and addressed.
Burd: I was surprised to find out Wyoming is one of the few states in the country that does not have a law concerning this. It should be illegal and we could fashion it after other states that do. I think that anyone that commits this type of act should also have an in-depth mental evaluation. They need help.
Barney: In my 60 years of living in Wyoming, this is the first time that I remember hearing of someone actually being caught in the commission of this type of behavior. Since the circumstances of this type of behavior could result in various other misdemeanor charges, like WY Stat § 6-4-201, public indecency for instance, I’m not sure that I see the need to spearhead the charge for a bestiality statute when there are more important issues to be dealt with.
Travis: This case has garnered a lot of attention and people are appalled that there is no law against it. I would support a legislative means of making such acts illegal. I’m sure such a law would bring bipartisan support in the legislature.
4. The state’s leadership continues to work towards a purchase of surface land and mineral rights owned by Occidental Petroleum. If a final ratification of the purchase were brought to the legislature, would you support it? Why or why not?
Burd: I would support it with the provision that as many jobs as possible stay in the state, to manufacture finished products to be shipped elsewhere, with fair wages and benefits.
Barney: My initial reaction when I first heard about the potential land and mineral rights purchase last year was, “What does Occidental Petroleum know that we don’t that they would entertain selling off these rights?” Although I can see some potential benefits to the purchase, I won’t support it until the question above is answered in full, to my satisfaction.
Travis: I am still undecided on the Occidental Petroleum purchase. While the land could help the state’s portfolio and be a good investment, the state will have to manage the land, which will cost money that we may not have right now. I would have to see how the final purchase plan looks before deciding whether to support it or not.
Baker: I do not feel that I have enough information to support the purchase. The lack of public disclosure and discussion has raised a lot of red-flags from many community members. I believe the state should re-consider the bid and allow for more public input. Sitting legislators are expressing concerns about a lack of transparency and I currently share those concerns.
5. Supposing an issue was brought up by constituents that may oppose your party’s platform, how would you handle it? If it came to a choice of support a party platform or constituents’ request, which side would you chose?
Barney: Party platforms are formulated at the county, state, and national levels. I want to represent the people who live in Green River, Wyoming. One constituent is a whisper, a dozen is a voice (just like those party convention delegates who make party platforms), but an entire neighborhood is a roar that will drown out the written words of any party’s platform.
Travis: Each issue needs to be considered separately and through all lenses. It is not possible to say that I will agree with the party’s platform across the board, and constituents are not always in agreement on how to handle each issue. As an elected leader, I will spend time researching issues to ensure that whatever decision is made it will be in the best interest of the constituents and the state.
Baker: Often local constituents have concerns and they are brought in bill format. It is important to me that we all have a voice and I enjoy civil dialogue about the issues. I think it is important to listen and talk about the issues. I also feel it is important to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. We should be able to have discussions and still be friends. In the legislature, I often found myself voting differently than others. I believe platforms are guidelines and constituents may not always agree with votes but that it is important to trust my instinct and listen to the discussions with an open mind.
Burd: Anyone that is elected is there to represent the wishes of their district and should do, so even if it is counter to their platform, or their own thoughts.
6. As the state’s economic outlook worsens, how should the state address the growing deficit in its budget? Should the state continue making budget cuts, initiate new means of revenue generation/taxation or a combination of the two to address the issue?
Travis: The state needs to take all options for fixing the deficit into consideration -- there is not a save-all answer. A combination of cuts and new means of revenue generation is the most equitable decision. If we only consider cuts, it ends up seriously affecting our quality of life, our state services, and our most vulnerable populations.
Baker: The most important message is that Wyoming will be okay, and we will adapt through the hard times and thrive afterwards.
The infusion of funds from the Federal Government will assist with some of the issues, but it is also an opportunity for our State Government to reevaluate the way it does business. Governor Gordon has asked for, and approved reductions, but also innovated by moves like consolidating the Human Resources. We need to remain open to discussion, but do not need to panic and raise taxes.
I believe our revenue should be rightsized to our government.
Now is not the time to raise taxes, but I support taxing new industries, while getting government out of the way of the free market.
Hemp cultivation and wind turbines are examples of new industries that could, but are yet to generate sizable revenue for the state. There are also revenue sources that can be utilized locally in a different manner than they are currently; AML (Abandon Mine Lands) funds are federal and can be utilized differently. The Miner’s Hospital also has a large, restricted corpus. The Para-Mutual Commission is supposed to support live horse racing, and Sweetwater County will no longer host those events. Funds generated by the Para-Mutual Commission have been utilized for the State Fair and predator mitigation, and by re-directing current funds, fighting for idle funds, and recapturing funds from current streams, Wyoming can manage its budget and move forward stronger.
Burd: I don’t think you can cut that much from the budget alone to make up that large of a shortfall. We need roads, bridges, snowplows and so much more to live the life we enjoy. No one likes taxes. The best outcome would be to broaden our tax base with new jobs, if that doesn’t happen, Wyoming will have to make some very uncomfortable choices
Barney: Three of the four years that I served on the City Council in Green River, we had to make budget cuts and we were very successful with that task by not making blanket cuts, but by listening to the various city departments’ needs, and the employees’ input. The State of Wyoming will have to do the same thing while we initiate the short term measures to increase both local and state tourism dollars.
The one thing that I will never support, under any circumstances, is the implementation of a state income tax in Wyoming. A state income tax goes against everything that is the Wyoming that I have proudly been a resident of my entire life.
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