Beyond the ballot — Weston County’s political parties focus on community involvement
Michael Alexander
NLJ Reporter
Outside of their political functions, both the local Republican and Democratic party organizations are engaged in community involvement.
For about four years, Kari Drost has served as chair of the Weston County Republican Party.
“We want to be good partners to the community,” she said.
With this objective, the WCRP participates in local events, both in person and monetarily.
“Every event that we are invited to, we try to go to,” Drost said.
Drost mentioned the county fair as an instance of such involvement. She said that the local GOP sponsors the fair and purchases a banner. They also sponsor a buckle awarded to one of the winners of the junior rodeo.
“We (have) tried to be a presence at the fair so that we (can) get involved with some youth groups and show our appreciation for that community,” she said.
Increasing youth engagement in the party is a major goal of the WCRP. In her interview with the News Letter Journal, Drost noted that those most involved in the party tend to be older, and she claimed that youths could benefit from learning about the various life experiences of current members.
“We have to get out there more and interact with (the youth) and get to know them. And, you know, I think when you do that through nonpolitical events, you forge relationships that make people see you as part of the community,” she said.
This is especially important, Drost said, because such relationships encourage dialogue with others and the exchange of ideas. To foster such dialogue, the organization hosts at least three town hall events each year.
“Town halls … seem to be the event that people like the most, so we will continue doing our town halls because we’re blessed to have elected officials that you can come out and see face-to-face and interact with, and I think that’s really important,” she said.
The Weston County GOP hopes to host Rep. Harriet Hageman along with other elected officials, such as Secretary of State Chuck Gray, State Treasurer Curt Meier Jr. and Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman, at an event this summer. Drost said the event date is dependent upon Hageman’s schedule.
The Weston County Democratic Party shares similar aims with its political rival.
Former Newcastle Mayor Deb Piana has chaired the organization for about two years. She said that the group will be hosting a picnic on June 19 at Dow Park to celebrate Juneteenth. The picnic will be open to the public, and invitations have been given to Campbell and Crook County Democrats, as well.
“We’ll provide the meat and place settings, etc., and it’ll be a potluck carry-in,” she said.
The WCDP hosting an event like this may strike some local residents as novel, for it is only relatively recently that there has been an active Democratic Party in Weston County.
“For maybe seven or eight years, there was no active party here,” Piana said.
After this stretch of dormancy, the local party reorganized in September 2023. According to Piana, Greg Haas, the chair of the Johnson County Democrats, held a meeting in July 2023 at Pinnacle Bank in Newcastle geared toward getting the political group back in operation.
“Several people that were interested showed up, and from there we just got busy,” Piana said.
This busyness was necessary, for the local party hosted the Wyoming Democratic Convention in September 2023. Piana said the convention was a success, and one aspect of this success was capitalizing on the gathering to hold a food drive for the local food pantry, B.R.E.A.D.
“People from all over the state, of course, were (at the convention), and they donated food and money,” Piana said.
Former House District 02 Rep. Allen Slagle, who serves as the state committeeman for the Weston County Republican Party, is unsure about whether the group’s community involvement and politics can be separated. He said that what gives a political party cohesion is shared values, so one purpose of the WCRP’s efforts is to inform people about the party’s platform, which he said represents its values. One way the group accomplishes this is by holding monthly meetings.
“It’s just one of those deals where you try to get people educated on (the platform) and then have them share those truths and values with the people that they’re around,” he said.
The WCRP holds its central committee meetings on the fourth Monday of each month, and they run for about an hour and a half. According to Slagle, the precinct committee men and women, of whom there are 18, attend the meeting and discuss the party’s platform.
“We get a little more discussion because people have differing points of view. Then we discuss pros and cons for those (points of view),” he said.
Pam Pzinski, vice chair of the Weston County Democratic Party, summed up the community involvement of the WCDP by sharing the state party’s motto: “Here for Good.”
It is with this sentiment that the local party not only donates to local food pantries but also to animal welfare organizations, such as the Weston County Humane Society and Alley Cats Cat Rescue.
Like its Republican counterpart, the local Democrat organization holds monthly meetings. The group meets on the third Saturday of each month at the Weston County Library. During these meetings, voluntary dues are collected, and it is with these funds that the group makes its charitable donations. Pzinski said the group hoped to host an Easter egg hunt this year but lacked the necessary funds.
“We’re going to have a rummage sale to try and put money in our treasury so that we can do some more things,” she said.
At the most recent meeting, Pzinski said that about 14 people showed up, which might be the most the group has had. Despite the low membership, Pzinski believes it is worthwhile for Weston County to have an active Democratic party.
“I just think that a two-party system is a healthy system,” she said.