Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I would like to preface my comments with the statement that I believe our local elected county officials (treasurer, assessor, clerk, clerk of court, county attorney, sheriff and commissioners) do an excellent job. I have had dealings with all of them, and find them to be extremely professional, and applaud their dedication and service.

My question/comment is: why are these positions political? All of their duties are spelled out in statute, and Wyoming law.

I personally see no reason that these individuals need to be defined, judged or elected by party affiliation.

There are some legislators who want to extend this party designation even deeper into the public service offices so that it would include city offices and all other elected positions (weed and pest, museum district, natural resources, etc.) This proposal just seems like overreach to me.

Do the potholes in my county road or the weeds in my ditch really care if these officials are Republican, Democrat, Constitution, Libertarian or other? We are fortunate in Crook County in that these officials are excellent at their jobs, and I vote for the person who I think will do the best job.

At the very least, I think that there should be an open, and civil discussion on this topic.

Thank you,

Randy Leinen