(Riverton, WY) – Travis Becker has officially announced he will not run for a fourth term as a Fremont County Commissioner. 2022 marks his 12th year serving the community as a Commissioner and his 6th year as the Chairman.
“First and foremost, is just, I’m tired,” he shared with County 10 about not running for re-election. “I’d like to concentrate on my business, which I have neglected. Although my bride has taken it over and run it perfectly, I think she would like some help.”
Becker’s first experience with public service was serving on the Riverton City Council in the early 2000s.
“I thought it was a lot of fun and then life got in the way for several years,” he noted.
After Becker and his wife, Eyvette, acquired The Print Shop he decided he might have some time to dedicate to public service again with Eyvette’s help running the business.
“In all honesty, I could not do this without her. There’s no earthly way I could have done any of this without my wife.”
His tenure on the Commission has come with both challenges and accomplishments.
The biggest challenges Becker noted were priorities and dollars, and never having enough dollars for all of the priorities. He’s been on the Commission at both ends of the budget spectrum – when there was over a billion-dollar valuation, and at times like last year when it was nearly half that amount.
“You have to figure out what your priorities are and what the people’s priorities are and fund those as best as you can and everything else is gravy, I guess, if you will,” he explained.
One of the major accomplishments is the Riverton Justice Center located on Major Avenue.
A stray bullet went through the thin walls of the previous Riverton courtroom, which was an old sheep barn. Added to the unsafe handling of inmates prompted the Commissioners to lean on Becker to figure out a solution.
“I went to the state a couple of times and was able to get the state to pay for half the price of it,” he shared. “The county paid the other half through our reserves with the intention that we would pay that back over time, well, we’ve now paid it off…I think we brought it in under budget by almost three or $400,000…[It's] much safer for the public, for the employees, and should be there for many, many years to come.”
The land the Justice Center sits on was acquired by the county from Wayne Major, Sr. early on in Becker’s Commissioner career with the goal of something for the entire county to enjoy – possibly a new fairgrounds. Major wanted to leave a legacy to the people of Fremont County. A new fairgrounds is still possible, but funding it could take decades.
A very recent Commissioner accomplishment was setting up the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) process for county employees. The parameters are based on the northwest region of Wyoming, and the process is meant to make sure everybody is within a set area of their job descriptions and compensate accordingly.
“I think it’s a roadmap to move forward for the county. Maybe 10-20 years down the road, they can still use this process to help in budgeting and evaluating employees, and to help compensate them to the best of their ability.”
Being a Commissioner goes beyond a Tuesday meeting.
“People don’t understand that it’s a 24/7 position,” Becker explained. “Even though we’re considered part-time, it’s a full-time position. And you know, you’re always taking phone calls, having meetings, which is great. I mean, you should know that when you sign up for this. It’s fun. I’ve always enjoyed being a part of the solution.
“Overall, there are more positives than negatives and that’s the nice part about it. It’s been a joy. A lot of challenges, a lot of struggles but the fun outweighs the bad parts.”
As far as the next person elected, he recommends not getting bogged down in the minutiae.
“You have to look at the overarching picture. Sometimes, as a newbie, it’s hard. I mean, it takes a good year to get your feet under you, and then it takes another year to understand how to move your feet…Even after 11 full years, there are still things that catch me off guard.
“You can’t know it all,” Becker continued. “Don’t expect to know it all. Do the best you can with the information you got, and if you need more information, seek it out.”
As far as his legacy goes, he wants the community to know and understand that he was trying to do the best for the majority of the county, not just his district.
“It’s been a joy. It’s been a pleasure and a very humbling experience. But one I’ve enjoyed immensely and I appreciate the support. And if people miss me well, come visit me at The Print Shop.”