New bill inspired by Sheridan County commission appointment

SHERIDAN  — A bill stemming in part from the appointment of Holly Jennings to the Sheridan County Board of County Commissioners is headed to the House floor for consideration.

House Bill 176, “Vacancies in public office-amendments,” aims to prevent a situation similar to Jennings’ appointment from happening in the future, keeping the appointment process from ever hitting the judicial branch.

Sheridan County’s four sitting commissioners chose not to appoint one of the three options because they felt the nominees were insufficiently qualified. By doing so, the appointment decision was left to Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Darci Phillips, and she ultimately selected Jennings, one of the three nominees offered by the Sheridan County Republican Party’s central committee.

“The process for filling a vacancy for a political office when the person vacating the office was affiliated with a major party is pretty straightforward,” HB 176 sponsor Rep. Laurie Bratten, R-Sheridan, said. Existing statute — Wyoming Statute § 18-3-524 — requires a county party’s central committee to make three nominations to fill a vacant county office; the board of county commissioners is then directed to appoint one of the nominees to the vacant seat within 30 days.

A conflicting provision in the statute, though, allows a judge to fill the vacancy if the seat is not filled within 30 days. Bratten’s bill would remove that provision.

This story was published on February 7, 2025.