Property tax cuts, reductions to Medicaid and the repeal of most gun-free zones affect each community in Wyoming differently.
With those issues in mind and the next legislative session on the horizon, state government reporter Chris Clements will be hitting the road.
Over the course of four days, he’ll be listening to Wyomingites’ concerns in the northeast corner of the Equality State. He shared his goals with WPR’s News Director Kamila Kudelska.
Editor’s Note: This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Kamila Kudelska: Where are you going and why?
Chris Clements: I’ll be spending time in Gillette, Devils Tower, Hulett and Sundance. The whole idea is to take folks’ temperature on a host of different issues.
I’ll be asking about specific things like property tax and gun-free zones. But I’ll also ask people questions that are broader, like how they feel about the direction the state is heading in and what they’d like to see their state leaders do differently. Also, I want to know about how changes to how towns and cities receive mineral royalties could be impacting revenues.
Those are just a few of the questions on my list. The whole idea is for people in the northeast quadrant of Wyoming to be heard.
KK: You’ll be heading to grocery stores, laundromats and post offices in those communities to do your interviews.
CC: That’s correct. If you live in any of those towns, there’s a decent chance you’ll see me sometime from September 21 to 24. I’ll be the tall, bespectacled dude with an odd-looking fluffy microphone wandering around your public spaces. If you see me, please come say hello!
KK: Besides Wyomingities in general, do you have any plans to interview specific people?
CC: I’ll be meeting up with Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) in his town and visiting Sen. Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower) at his ranch. Bear is a former chair of the further-right Wyoming Freedom Caucus, and Driskill is a former president of the Senate who some lawmakers have accused of being too moderate, [though he disputes that characterization]. I have a few other lawmakers I’m still hoping will agree to talk with me, too.
KK: We’ll also hear about your journeys live on All Things Considered on Tuesday afternoon at 4:44 p.m., and you’ve got some future stories lined up that’ll be based on your trip.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
