Court clerk appointed

Former Weston County District Court Clerk Tina Cote got her wish on Feb. 4 when the Board of Weston County Commissioners appointed her deputy, Riki Kaiser, to the position left vacant on Cote’s Dec. 31 resignation.

As per Wyoming Statute, the Weston County Republican Party advertised for applicants, holding a meeting on Jan. 27 to select up to three candidates for court clerk that would then be forwarded to the commissioners for final selection.

According to Kari Drost, Weston County Republican Party chairwoman, Kaiser was the only applicant after Brookelyn De La Rosa withdrew her name on Jan. 26.

The letter from De La Rosa stated that she had to withdraw her name because of several conflicts on cases due to her job at the county attorney’s office.

In her letter, she says that she hopes the person appointed by the commissioners can bring a change in atmosphere to the Weston County Courthouse.

“It’s in desperate need of a positive change. Tina Cote was the last elected in the courthouse any of us wanted to see go, and in my opinion was a loss to Weston County and a huge gain to Crook County,” De La Rosa said. “The commissioners need to look at why we are losing good elected officials to neighboring counties.”

In her letter of interest, Kaiser said she has worked nearly five years as the deputy clerk of district court and the knowledge, skills and abilities learned in that time make her a highly qualified candidate.