(Riverton, WY) Three state legislators are on the road and will be providing Riverton citizens an opportunity to address the issues and voice their concerns in a Town Hall Meeting that will be held this Saturday, October 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Riverton Holiday Inn.
Senator Tim Salazar, HD34 Representative Pepper Ottman, and HD33 Representative Sarah Penn will be conducting the meeting in a format that will consist of brief introductory statements about what committees they are on, current legislations that are being brought forth, and listening to what the people of Riverton bring to the meeting.
“Whether an issue is Federal, State, County or Municipal, it (town hall) is a place where questions are often geared,” said Representative Ottman. “Until a person is involved, it is often just a quagmire. We can help with that. There usually is not a time limit, but we do want to make sure that everyone has a voice.”
“By this, we hope to bring what we are doing in Cheyenne to the Public square,” Ottman continued. “It’s an opportunity for folks to put a face to a name, understand the districts we represent, learn what committees we serve on and how the Legislature works. The main idea of our time with people is to learn and know what impacts them. We want to understand their concerns, issues, and how legislation is affecting them, good legislation and bad. Often, we can get people to the contacts they need.”
Senator Tim Salazar said that they’ve been holding Town Hall Meetings since he was elected in 2016, and have about seven or eight meetings every year in Dubois, Pavillion, Riverton, and also this Friday in Jeffrey City.
Salazar said that a number of issues will be addressed on Saturday, including how the state might help public safety in higher crime municipalities, property tax reform, higher gas and food prices, and the state budget.
“We hope to accomplish interaction, accessibility, communication, but most of all just listening to the People we work for and how we can help them,” he said. “Elected office holders have a responsibility to meet their constituency on a regular basis.”
Ottman said that the Rock Springs RMP (Resource Management Plan) and the Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) “are two different and similar issues of great importance,” she said. “They could take hours in and by themselves, so it will probably be about giving [the people] information and other sources to look at. We have a few other people we are making invitations to and are also hoping to see many people there. People have to be informed and get involved in some capacity. It takes all of us to participate or we will allow a few to make our decisions.”
For more information, visit the Facebook pages of Senator Salazar and Pepper Ottman WY HD 34.