Republican candidates debate

Republican candidates took the stage at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night this week to debate their opponents in the upcoming primary election.

One of the more heated debates was for the position of Sweetwater County Sheriff Monday night, while the longest was Tuesday night's debate between the candidates for Sweetwater County Commissioner, which lasted two hours.

Sheriff debate

The debate between current Sheriff John Grossnickle and former Rock Springs Police Chief Dwane Pacheco focused on topics including mask mandates, relationships with other elected officials, and gun control laws.

Pacheco was asked about mask mandates in a question stating he "previously demanded local compliance with mask mandates" and asking if he would "force compliance with future mask mandates that restrict personal freedoms" if elected sheriff.

Pacheco said he wanted to correct the question.

"We didn't demand local compliance," Pacheco said. "We simply provided the change orders to our local businesses."

He explained the Rock Springs Police Department helped the Department of Health distribute new health orders regarding mask mandates.

Grossnickle was asked if his position had changed since he was "against mask mandates" in the past.

Grossnickle said he needed to clarify that he wasn't against mask mandates but was against mandates he believed were unconstitutional. He said wearing a mask is a personal choice and he still believes the mask mandate by the governor was unenforceable and the mask mandate from the county health officer was unconstitutional.

In a rebuttal to Grossnickle's statement on mask mandates, Pacheco said the duty of law enforcement officers is to enforce the law, not to interpret it.

In the next line of questioning, Grossnickle was asked how having a positive working relationship with the county attorney's office and the board of county commissioners helps the sheriff's office.

"Having positive relationships allows our sheriff's office to work smoothly," Grossnickle said. "We might not always agree but we can sit down at a table and come to a resolution that benefits not only the sheriff's office, but the citizens of the county, and that's what's important."

Pacheco was asked to comment on "numerous derogatory comments" he made about the current county sheriff, the county attorney's office, and the county commissioners, asserting they are "in bed together."

Pacheco said his comment about being "in bed together" was about the current sheriff and county attorney. He added he has concerns about the abrasiveness of County Attorney Dan Erramouspe. Pacheco alleged one of his personnel was left in tears by Erramouspe and sent flowers the next day, which Pacheco believes was inappropriate.

Regarding questions on gun control, both candidates said they would not under any circumstances enforce a red flag law, and both spoke in favor of concealed carry permits.

County Commissioners debate

Chris Davis, Roy Lloyd, Les Mauch, Jeff Ramaj, Robb Slaughter, Jeff Smith and Keaton West participated in the debate for county commissioner. The other candidate running for a commissioner position, Island Richards, was absent due to COVID-19 in his household, but was able to submit opening and closing statements.

The debate included several rounds of questions on topics including the amount of money kept in the county's reserves, the specific purpose tax, the county liaison system, the potential creation of a county CEO position and fire and ambulance services and funding.

West questioned the decrease in the county's reserve funds over the recent years. Smith, who is currently the chairman of the county commission, noted the drop in revenue over the last few years was been unprecedented, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so having money left in the reserves was something to be proud of. Smith added he is in favor of keeping the reserve amount low in general so taxpayers can benefit from the money they pay instead of having it sit in a bank account. Lloyd, who is also currently a county commissioner, added the commissioners set an amount to not go below in order to remain fiscally conservative but keep money for a "rainy day." He also stressed the importance of being strategic in identifying needs before using reserve funds.

Slaughter, who served as the Sweetwater County Treasurer for seven terms, also advocated for using more reserve funds on things like infrastructure projects so taxpayer money can go back into residents' pockets.

West also questioned if the reserves were used for raises and said doing so continually would be a "huge problem" that would cause the reserves to decrease over time. West said we need to live within our means and the county should balance the budget based off revenue.

In discussing the general purpose tax that failed in last year's general election, both Smith and Lloyd said they would do things differently if they could do it again. West and Lloyd both expressed their concern over this year's specific purpose tax failing because of the way last year's tax was handled. Mauch and Ramaj also said they believe now is not the right time for a tax due to inflation.

In regards to the county liaison system, which the county commissioners recently ended, almost all the candidates expressed support for the system and said they believe it is important for communication with other entities and organizations. Smith said he stood by the decision to end the system, which he spearheaded. According to Smith, there are still points of contact between entities and the commissioners, and the new system is less restrictive and allows for even more sharing of information.

When questioned about recent discussions over appointing a middle management position for the county, such as a CEO, all the candidates said they oppose the decision.

In discussion on fire and ambulance service in the county, the possibility of combining the services, and the question of funding them, most of the candidates expressed support for the concept of combining services and said more work needs to be done to figure out how to fund them.

The debates were hosted by the SweetwaterGOP, and the livestream videos of the full debates can be viewed on Facebook.

The primary election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 16.