New Western trustee chosen

The appointment of a board member to the Western Wyoming Community College Board of Trustees has led to a candidate claiming corruption was the reason she was not selected to fill a vacancy on the board.

During their board meeting Feb. 9, the trustees voted unanimously to appoint Ron Wild to a position recently vacated by Dr. Veronica Donaldson. Wild's term expires at the end of 2024.

According to WWCC Board President Jim Jessen, the board received two letters of interest regarding the position - one from Wild and the other from Angela Thatcher. Wild and Thatcher were part of a four-candidate race in the November election, seeking to be elected to two available board positions representing Sweetwater County School District No. 1. According to county election results, Stephen P. Allen and Dr. Donaldson won their seats by earning 4,520 votes and 4,194 votes respectively. Thatcher took third after earning 3,901 votes, while Wild placed last with 2,827.

The Western board hosted a special meeting Feb. 7 that took place exclusively in a closed executive session. According to Jessen, the board used the personnel exemption to close the meeting to the public, conducted interviews with both candidates and discussed who to appoint. Wyoming law allows governing bodies several reasons to enter an executive session to discuss sensitive topics, which can include employment and personnel issues.

Thatcher said she was interviewed at 5:45 p.m., Feb. 7 and received a call from Jessen at 7:37 p.m. that night to inform her the board chose another candidate. Upon finding out Wild was appointed, Thatcher said the board didn't respect the democratic process that had concluded three months prior and alleged the situation around the vacancy was corrupted.

"I don't know what else to call it at this point," she said. "It's about a quiet process that takes place behind closed doors."

Thatcher said she has nothing against Wild, saying he has a history of public service in Sweetwater County. She also said the issue she takes with the board doesn't involve the fact that she wasn't chosen for the vacancy, but that the decision doesn't make sense if the board valued the voters' will. She said board members spoke about wanting to respect the will of Sweetwater County's voters during their interview Feb. 7. However, she sees the decision as a deliberate move to keep her off the board.

Thatcher is a critic of the college's administration and was an employee laid off during cost-saving acts initiated in 2021. Thatcher's concerns about the college include decreased staff and faculty morale and the college not being as involved with the area's communities as it once was.

Thatcher said she heard rumors about Dr. Donaldson's intention to move out of the county prior to the November election, with people telling her Dr. Donaldson would have to resign and the board would be able to pick her replacement if she won election. Following Dr. Donaldson's resignation, Thatcher said residents approached her to apply for the vacant board position.

According to Christopher Wedges, the Wyoming Press Association's attorney, the state's open meetings laws support the procedure the college board utilized. According to statute 16-4-405(a)(ii), a governing body can consider "the appointment, employment, right to practice or dismissal of a public officer." Additionally, it "may deliberate on its decision in executive sessions."

Wedges said the choice of whom the board appoints to fill a vacant position is up to the board, saying it does not have to consider election results in its decision. The board could have appointed a candidate who did not seek election if such a candidate was available to it. However, while Wedges said the board's actions followed the law, the board also wasn't as transparent as it could have been.

"I wouldn't have done it that way," he said. "I would have done it in the open."