Candidates need to file
City, county, state seats up for grabs
On the heels of record turnout for this month’s hospital and museum district elections, local voters will quickly look ahead to their next trip to the ballot box as the filing period for the 2024 campaigns for several city, county and state offices begin May 16.
An email blast by Weston County Republican Party Chair Kari Drost reminded interested parties that precinct committeemen and women candidates need to file between May 16 and 31 for upcoming elections, and so will anyone interested in running for the Board of Weston County Commissioners, Newcastle City Council, Upton Town Council or Wyoming House of Representatives.
“The filing deadline is for major party candidates,” Drost said.
According to Weston County Clerk Becky Hadlock, two seats on the Weston County Commission are up for grabs this year. Those seats, she said, are currently filled by Chairman Don Taylor and Commissioner Ed Wagoner.
As for Newcastle city offices, Clerk-Treasurer Stacy Haggerty said that three council seats and the mayor’s position will appear on this year’s ballot. The current mayor is Pam Gualtieri, and the council seats up for election are now held by Tyrel Owens, Daren Downs and Tom Voss.
In Upton, two Town Council seats are up for grabs. They are occupied by Justin Norman and Rick Rothleutner, according to Clerk Kelley Millar.
As for precinct committeemen and women, Drost reported 18 total openings will be on the ballot. These include four in precinct 1-1, two in precinct 1-2, two in precinct 2-1, two in precinct 3-1, two in precinct 4-1, two in precinct 5-1, two in precinct 5-2 and two in precinct 5-3.
Voters will also cast their ballots on whether or not to retain Lynda Bush and Wendy M. Bartlett as circuit court judges for the Sixth Judicial District and Matthew F.G. Castano and James Michael Causey as district court judges for the Sixth Judicial District.
At the state level, both representatives serving Weston County, for House District 1 and House District 2, will be up for election. Those seats are held by Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Rep. Allen Slagle, R-Newcastle, respectively.
Also up for election this year are several federal positions, including Sen. John Barrasso’s seat in the U.S. Senate and Rep. Harriet Hageman’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Anyone wishing to file to run for election for any of these seats can do so by visiting the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, Weston County Clerk’s office, Newcastle City Hall or the Upton Town Hall. The primary election will be held Aug. 20, with the general election on Nov. 5.