Continued support — Commissioners table rescinding resolution that created constitutional legislative vacancies
In another victory for those fighting to secure county representation in the state legislature, the Board of Weston County Commissioners again tabled a resolution that would have rescinded a previous resolution, 2024-10, that declared constitutional vacancies for a state senator and representative in Weston County on June 17.
As previously reported, on April 2 of last year, the board, consisting of former commissioner Don Taylor and current commissioners Ed Wagoner, Nathan Todd, Vera Huber and Garrett Borton, voted 3-2 for a resolution declaring what supporter William Curley called “constitutional legislative vacancies.” These vacancies, he says, are established by the Wyoming Constitution under Article 3, Section 3, which states that each county has a right to its own senator and representative.
Wagoner and Todd voted against the motion in April, but a new board was officially seated on Jan. 6 as a result of Marty Ertman beating Taylor in last year’s election. On Jan. 7, Wagoner moved that the board rescind the resolution declaring said vacancies, but he would later vote with the rest of the commissioners to table that motion for six months.
That prompted another discussion on the topic at last week’s meeting, and residents who support the original resolution asked the board to again table Wagoner’s motion to rescind to allow for continued forward movement in establishing apportionment that they believe will reflect the mandates of both the U.S. Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution.
According to Sue Mireles, who was appointed to fill one of the legislative vacancies declared by the county commission last year and referred to herself as “Weston County’s constitutional senator,” Weston County has been the driving force behind appropriation overhaul since the Concerned Citizens in Support of the Weston County Sheriff took concern with redistricting in 1992. She said the concerned residents have had the “issue at heart,” and continue to fight for Weston County’s right under the Wyoming Constitution to have a senator and representative that reside in the county.
“Why have a constitution if you are not going to follow it,” Mireles said.
Those efforts, according to Mireles, led to the recent passage of Senate File 174, which created a subcommittee to consider options that would allow lawmakers to follow both constitutions. The issue was assigned to the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions committee and a subcommittee is to be formed out of those committee members.
As previously reported, the committee is set to have three meetings across the state to discuss the issue and prepare a plan for legislative consideration.
According to Mireles, the members of the subcommittee are Sens. Cheri Steinmetz, Cale Case and Brian Boner, as well as Reps. Christopher Knapp, Steve Johnson and Nina Webber. At the time of publication, subcommittee meeting dates and locations were not available.
When asked by Commissioner Garrett Borton if the resolution has helped move things forward, Mireles said yes. She said she believes it shows that the residents of the county are not fighting against local leadership.
Dan Fouch, one of the concerned residents, told the board of the support across the state for the efforts of Weston County. He said that the entire Legislature voted in favor of the bill forming the subcommittee, and that the Wyoming Republican Party has voted to support constitutional apportionment.
The level of support was unexpected for those who opposed the 2024 resolution declaring the legislative vacancies.
“With the headway you are making, I have no intent to move forward. I personally can’t believe that many legislators actually agreed on something like this,” Wagoner said, commending the group on the progress they have made.
Chairman Nathan Todd said that his only concern is the creation of these “mock representatives.” Otherwise, he supports the resolution.
Ertman raised concerns with the wording of the resolution, and said that the “specifics” weren’t followed, and that “kind of got me.”
Because of this, Ertman said she would like to see another resolution. While she said that can be an issue the board addresses later, she would like to see a resolution that is a “little more true” to what happened.
Ertman then made the move to again table the motion that sought to rescind the previous resolution. She suggested the board could rescind and pass a better one, but also said that she believes that the parties concerned have always had the support of the board and that the “piece of paper” isn’t necessary for that support.
Mireles asked the board to not rescind the resolution, stating that the resolution initiated the Legislature’s steps to create the subcommittee. Ertman said she believes that process actually started in 1992, but acknowledged the resolution as a step.
Another resident, Patricia Bauman, told the board that she thinks it would be confusing and poor optics to rescind the resolution.
Commissioner Vera Huber echoed those thoughts, stating that she thinks “it could be misconstrued if we rescind this,” and noted that this could cause complications for the people who are working with the Legislature.
After listening to the discussion, Wagoner again said he would be in favor of tabling to “see how this plays out in Cheyenne.” At the time that a plan moves forward in the Legislature, he said, the board can then rescind the resolution and “clean the table up at the end.”
Commission clips
Notes from the June 17, 2025, meeting of the Weston County Commissioners
Dru Palmer, with DRU Consulting, provided an update on the Black Hills National Forest Plan Revision, Thunder Basin National Grasslands and the Greater Sage-Grouse environmental impact statement.
The board approved Resolution 2025-12, moving $95.61 from general emergency relief to general treasurer supplies; $389.12 from general emergency relief to general treasurer mile/travel/conventions; and $556.84 from general emergency relief to general treasurer communications. Commissioner Marty Ertman did not sign the resolution.
The board approved Resolution 2025-13, moving $1,025.39 from general emergency relief to general district court special attorney. Ertman did not sign the resolution.
The board approved a third resolution, Resolution 2025-15, moving $2,040 from general emergency relief to general annex computer software and $458.93 from general attorney communications to general annex communication. Ertman did not sign the resolution.
The board approved Resolution 2025-14, implementing Stage 1 Open Burning Restrictions on July 7.
To view the entire Board of Weston County Commissioners meeting please visit the News Letter Journal’s YouTube channel.