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    Opinion: Ask a Busy Person to Do It

    Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opi[email protected]

    Dear Editor,

    “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” This quote as been attributed to many people from Lucille Ball to Benjamin Franklin. While the originator of this quote is not important, the subject matter is incredibly important and relevant when discussing the mayoral race.

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    The reality is that being a do-er is a personality trait and do-ers are inherently busy people. Mr. Herron’s Letter to the Editor shared some pretty harsh OPINIONS suggesting that Tim Hancock would be too busy and not have time to perform the mayoral duties. These opinions are contrary to how Tim has proven himself over the years. Because Tim is a do-er, his track record of “task completion” and “prioritizing one’s time” have been proven over and over through his time as a council member, being active in many facets of the community, and having a successful career. All this while being an involved husband and father. Mr. Herron mentioned that Tim is currently Fremont County’s Chief Deputy Prosecutor, which is a position he’s held for 10 years. However it is one position, not multiple positions as was incorrectly portrayed. During this time, Tim has gained experience to not only become efficient at his profession, but also excel at it.

    Mr. Herron implied that for someone to successfully be mayor, the candidate needs to be retired or have the capacity to work 2 full/part time jobs. However, let’s not forget that Mayor Gard owns his own business, and being a successful business owner takes TIME. The fact that Mr. Gard has been able to fully run his business, AND serve as mayor shows that it is possible to have a career and serve as mayor. Again, Tim’s time served as a council member shows he’s quite capable of handling the time demands, especially when you see that his time on city council equates to nearly half the time he’s had his current work position, further demonstrating his time management competency.

    In addition to being ABLE and WILLING to make time to serve Riverton, Tim brings valuable and insightful experience to the table. First, Tim has experience working with staff and elected officials from his time on City Council. Under his council tenure, the city’s Master plan was developed, adopted, and implemented. This same plan is still being used to provide guidance and direction to city leadership in their decision making/strategic planning, which include many of the accomplishments gained over the last 4 years. Tim has a Juris Doctorate and brings a unique legal perspective and experience to city leadership, helping Tim see the big picture to provide valuable insight on the different scenarios that arise and quickly determine the best long-term plan of action. Tim also has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA), which is the same degree that our current and past city administrators hold. An MPA is a specialized degree that focuses on managing public services. All this education and EXPERIENCE makes Tim well-rounded for managing our city’s $30 Million annual budget. Tim does not take this lightly, and he understands the impact decisions could have, not just on the here and now, but also for Riverton’s future well-being.

    Most importantly, Tim believes that leadership is not about holding all the power and authority, but rather it’s about empowering and guiding a team to function at its best. He believes empowering the professional and experienced talent already within the city to use their strengths is the overall best way a city can run. In contrast, Mayor Gard has twice attempted to diminish the power of our votes by proposing a strong-mayor format. This format causes an imbalance of power because the mayor would have the power to solely manage operations. Tim believes that the current strong-council format strengthens your vote because directions to staff are passed or defeated via council vote. This allows us as residents to discuss our thoughts/concerns with our council members, giving residents more ability to influence changes as needed. Strong-council also promotes consistency and accountability within the city government and staff. A strong-mayor would have the power to remove and appoint staff solely at their discretion, potentially creating a negative environment for staff, and does not encourage loyalty to the city. The very threat of having a strong-mayor format can cause talented professionals to seek more stable/secure employment elsewhere. We have already seen this happen in our city from these attempts to establish a strong-mayor.

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    With less than a month until the election on November 8, I challenge every single one of us to research each candidate, and truly find where they stand on different issues important to you. Tim also made his cell phone number available to everyone from the very beginning of his campaign (307-840-1206). You can call or text him and he would be happy to chat with you about your questions/concerns/ideas. You can also interact with him on the campaign Facebook page Tim Hancock 4 Riverton. Don’t take my word as gospel truth, nor should you take any other assumptions as gospel truth.

    As for me-from the research I’ve done, and from the answers to questions I’ve asked-my vote is for Tim Hancock on November 8th.

    Sincerely,
    Ed Newbold
    Riverton

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