Northeast Wyoming making legislative leadership history

Bri Brasher
NLJ Reporter
 
With the election season behind us, it’s now time for our elected officials to get to work, and. northeast Wyoming is riding high and making history this legislative session by claiming leadership positions in both the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Senate. The News Letter Journal caught up with Rep. Tyler Lindholm, R-Sundance, and Sen. Odgen Driskill, R-Devils Tower, to learn more about their new positions and their goals for the upcoming legislative session. 
 
Recently elected by his peers to serve as majority whip, Lindholm said he is excited to take on the role. 
“I don’t sit still very well, and I’m usually up running around. Being the whip is natural for me because really I already do it,” said Lindholm, who has served in the House since 2015. 
Lindholm and Rep. Hans Hunt, R-Newcastle, who was majority whip in 2015-16, are the first to hold majority party leadership roles from Weston County House districts in about 50 years, according to Lindholm. 
Driskill, who was elected vice president of the Senate by his fellow senators, said he is the first person in a leadership role from Senate Dist. 1 in quite some time. He added that the last to lead from Crook County specifically dates back to the 1930s. 
Simultaneous leadership in the House and Senate for the northeast corner of the state has not happened before in Wyoming history, according to Lindholm. 
Lindholm said that he believes representing northeast Wyoming as the majority whip is an advantage for the people he represents because he can make sure that the messages from this corner of the state are heard, and that leadership is effective in responding. He said his job is to make sure northeast Wyoming’s voices are at the table, which he means quite literally. As majority whip, he will attend weekly meetings with the governor to discuss priorities, legislation, budget and any other necessary topics. 
Driskill said that northeast Wyoming is almost unequivocally the strongest delegation in the state, especially in terms of its smaller population.
“We’ve got a little bit more influence in regards to the direction of the state of Wyoming and keeping our districts in mind,” Lindholm said. 
Driskill said he feels blessed by the unanimous vote for Senate vice president and is eager to take on the role. Driskill, who has served in the Senate since 2011, and Lindholm
reiterated how they see their “bosses” as the communities they serve, and said they are dedicated to working from
both the statewide and local
perspective. 
Lindholm chairs the Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee, a large committee dealing with important issues for the basic governance of the state. He served as vice chairman for two years before working his way up to chair, a position he will assume as of January. Lindholm cited economic development and keeping taxes low as areas of importance. 
Driskill chairs the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Committee and serves on the Revenue Committee. 
“Ag and tourism are most important for Weston County,” Driskill said. “It’s nice to be on something that directly impacts your county – things we live every day in our neck of the woods.”
According to Driskill, there’s a direct tie to tourism season and budgets, especially in Crook County. He said he tried his absolute hardest to avoid tax raises and fees by promoting the local economy. 
Because visitors add to tax revenue, “if I own a store in downtown Newcastle, I pay less taxes to run the courthouse or the city or county governments than I would if it wasn’t there. If it wasn’t there, we’d still have to provide the same services,” Driskill said. The senator also said he hopes to take a hard look at existing industries in Wyoming that are doing well and make them more successful. Diversification is important, but so is the current established Wyoming culture, Driskill said. 
Driskill also touched on the need to keep Weston County’s roads in good shape. He said even though the boom may be in Converse County, much of that traffic goes over Weston County roads. He said he hopes to see Weston County recognized by the state for mineral development in order to aggregate state mineral dollars to help with road conditions. Other issues mentioned as important by Sen. Driskill include chronic wasting disease, aquatic invasive species and grizzly and wolf management. 
While Lindholm took some time in deciding whether or not to run for a seat in the House this year, he ultimately decided to commit to northeast Wyoming in a big way. With a large family and the significant time and money sacrifice it takes to serve in the Legislature, Lindholm said he had to weigh his options. He said his wife has always been his biggest supporter, and she told him to grow up and get after it. 
“If I’m going to be doing this and serving my constituents, then I need to get after it and do it as much as I can. I’m not just going to be sitting and doing the bare minimum,” Lindholm said.