Local boards lack applicants
Weston County, Newcastle officials call for more applications for volunteer boards
Positions on Weston County’s and Newcastle’s volunteer boards don’t tend to get a lot of applications, and the boards need more people, officials say.
Newcastle
At the Newcastle City Council’s meeting on Feb. 20, Councilman Tyrel Owens said that while he understands there’s a need to appoint someone to the Planning and Zoning Commission, he’s concerned about the process.
“I also, on the other hand, would like to properly vet some of these people so that we have an idea if they have our community’s best interest in mind,” Owens said. “I work all over the state, and there’s a lot of people that are moving here, and we don’t always know if they share the same views and values that our community has.”
At its Feb. 5 meeting, the council unanimously voted to appoint Mark Williams and Kathy Levasseur to three-year terms on the Planning and Zoning board, filling two openings.
Mayor Pam Gualtieri said at that meeting that Williams wrote in his application that “I was a board member prior. I know the expectations, and I like the folks that I would work with.” Gualtieri also noted that Levasseur said that she was “interested in serving the community and being helpful to Newcastle citizens. I have time to do what may be necessary.”
Newcastle’s clerk-/treasurer, Stacy Haggerty, said at the meeting that those were the only two people who had applied and that the city had run ads for a few weeks, even months, prior.
“I think the board needs them,” she said.
According to Haggerty, Newcastle’s Planning and Zoning Board’s five members serve three-year staggered terms. City residents who would like to serve on that board can fill out an application at City Hall, 10 W. Warwick St. Open seats are advertised in the newspaper.
Weston County
When asked to provide insight about the county’s process for filling vacancies on appointed boards, County Clerk Becky Hadlock said via email on Feb. 28 that the News Letter Journal could reach out to each of the boards to answer the questions, but Weston County Commissioner Vera Huber provided information in a phone interview on March 2.
Huber told the NLJ that people may have a passion that draws them to serve on a relevant board, and that applicants for county boards write letters of intent, stating why they are interested in the board. In the past, when there have been several people vying for the same board position, applicants have also participated in an interview process.
Often, however, interest is sparse, Huber said. Only one candidate, over a long period, might apply for a given board. Some boards, such as the Fair Board, require a lot of dedication and an enormous amount of time. Others, like planning and zoning, might sound “a little dry.”
Huber served on the chamber of commerce board while she had her own business. She said that in order to have the motivation to serve a years long term on a volunteer board, the person has to want to support the community. According to a document she provided the News Letter Journal, most boards meet monthly.
“I think you have to have that desire in your heart to give back to the people that you live with in your community and your county and make it a better place, whether it’s keeping traditions alive or making sure that our laws and the way we are able to live stays the same or improves, or whatever your interest is,” she said.
She acknowledged that before she became a commissioner, she was aware of the boards but didn’t think about the work that the volunteers do to help keep the county government functioning. She calls these people “unsung heroes.”
“It’s fantastic that we have so many people in our area still that care enough to do those things,” Huber said.
Around the time when she became a commissioner, in early 2023, some people left their board positions, Huber said. One individual said that they didn’t know what their responsibilities were as a board member when they joined the board.
According to Huber, the state’s training requirements for board members are helping people understand those duties, but, for the most part, Weston County boards do a good job of making sure their members understand what’s involved.
While she said the boards are “quite self-sufficient,” she believes the county commissioners need to be liaisons to the volunteer boards so they can help them find solutions if they have problems. The board has encouraged all volunteer boards to attend commission meetings anytime if they want to share updates or need help solving problems.
“We welcome them, and the majority of them welcome us to come visit their meetings,” she said.
According to Weston County’s website, the Board of Commissioners is accepting letters of intent for a position on the Mallo Camp Board, three positions on the Planning Board, and a position on the Predator Board. Applicants may mail a letter to Weston County Clerk, 1 W. Main, Newcastle, WY 82701 or bring it to the clerk’s office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Mayor and three council spots on this year’s ballot
Newcastle’s six council members and mayor are sworn in to their seats in January following the year in which they are elected, Haggerty said in an email on Feb. 28. Their terms are four years and staggered; there are three seats up for election every two years.
This year, Mayor Pam Gualtieri and Council members Tyrel Owens and Daren Downs are up for election, according to Newcastle’s website. Council member Tom Voss is also up for election this year, Haggerty said in an email on March 4.
“The filing period for these elections is usually a two week time period in May and the filing fee has been $25.00 in the past,” Haggerty said in the email on Feb. 28. “Community members that are interested in running for City Council pick up the applications and return them … to City Hall along with the filing fee. Once the filing period has ended we give the applications to the Weston County Clerk.”
She said she is unsure if anything will change for the 2024 election. The county clerk sends the city the applications and guides for the election process.