GOP plans town hall in Newcastle

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
“The community outrage has been building here. My phone and email have been going crazy with the amount of people that are upset over recent events and what they feel is a ruling class that does not listen to them,” said Kari Drost, Weston County Republican Party chair. 
In an effort to reach as many people as possible, to discuss as many concerns as possible, Drost and the local Republican Party have planned a town hall for Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center. The idea for communities to hold a town hall to discuss concerns was first mentioned in a Jan. 13 email from Wyoming GOP Chairman Frank Eathorne. 
“Our website is at risk of crashing, and chairman’s phones are blowing up. A statement will be posted today, but we must do more to listen to and represent unsatisfied republicans in Wyoming,” Eathorne said in the email. 
With phones also ringing off the hook across the state, Eathorne suggested that communities schedule meetings to form statements, to listen to what community members have to say. 
“Town halls are not a call to action,” Eathorne stressed. “They are simply a mode of allowing people to know they are being heard. ... Again, I wanted to stress: The purpose of the town halls is not to lead a movement. They are intended to respond to the grass roots, who are reaching out to us in record numbers.” 
The frustration throughout the Republican Party has been steadily growing for months, according to Drost. 
She said that she began receiving an increased numbers of calls and emails after Gov. Mark Gordon signed a mask mandate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The local political enthusiast said she encouraged those who contacted her to have faith in local government agencies like the Weston County Commissioners and the Weston County Sheriff’s Department, noting that both groups have touted the need for Weston County to make its own decisions regarding public health orders. 
“But, the people feel that Gov. Gordon is overreaching and not listening to the people at all. I feel blessed to live here and am very proud of the way Weston County has handled this pandemic,” Drost said. “But the people are feeling oppressed and ignored by Cheyenne.” 
Then came the results of the 2020 general election, Drost continued. 
“The people of Weston County are conservative people and they were again feeling ignored — this time by Washington [D.C.]. The people told me repeatedly throughout the summer that they wanted President Trump to know that he had support. Most thought they could show that at the ballot box,” Drost said. “Then, when the election results came in and the cheating in other states was revealed, the frustration with how President Trump was treated and how we, all of his supporters, were treated, ignored or minimized, the frustrations boiled over.” 
This frustration, according to Drost, led to an influx in emails and calls from concerned voters. They wanted to know what they could do to show their support. 
“We tried appealing to our elected leaders — Sen. [John] Barrasso, Sen. [Cynthia] Lummis, Sen. [Mike] Enzi and Rep. [Liz] Cheney — asking them to please support our president. For the most part, Wyoming’s elected officials ignored us, so people think that the Democrats will continue to cheat and get away with it and that the Republicans will never stand up for us, their constituents,” Drost said. 
And that is when the final blow came to Wyoming Republicans, Drost said. The moment Cheney made her statement supporting impeachment, contrary to what 75% of her constituents felt. 
“People just exploded. I have never received so many calls and emails! The same thing happened across the state and to the Wyoming Republican Party,” Drost said. “The people’s anger and frustration is so apparent that I wanted to do all I could to make sure my friends and neighbors here in Weston County do not feel ignored.” 
“I want Weston County to know that someone is listening and is as outraged as they are. I truly believe that if we band together, we can make change. And I truly believe that we can elect leaders that will listen to us, but it will begin with all of us paying attention, getting involved and choosing candidates and leaders that think like us and represent our interests,” Drost said. 
So, Drost invited Eathorne to join the community on Jan. 26. That evening, citizens from across the county and beyond will have the opportunity to be heard as well as listen, she said. 
“To me, Weston County and Wyoming are gifts. But I also know from experience that those gifts can be taken away by government intent on growing and chipping away at our rights and freedoms,” Drost said. “I am committed to preserving the gifts we have here by fighting for smaller government, less regulation and minimal taxation.”