State Senate Candidate Responses: Why Should People Elect You to Represent Them in the Wyoming Legislature?

What is your background? Why are you running for office? Why should people elect you to represent them in the Wyoming Legislature? (limit 500 words)

Ogden Driskill (District 01)

I am a sixth-generation rancher from Devils Tower, Wyoming.  I have been married for 37 years to Rosanne Shoop Driskill.  I have 3 children: daughter, Andrea (Matt )Wood, ranching in the Moorcroft area and Andrea teaching school in Moorcroft and working at the Devils Tower KOA with two children Ellen and Gary, daughter  Katerie Driskill doing women’s advocacy work in Oregon and Son Lincoln (Ashley) Driskill who help manage the ranch and the Devils Tower KOA.  They have one child Merritt.   I am a small businessman as well operating small business employing around 50 people.  I have served on numerous boards local, state and national, both for profit and non-profit.

I am running for office to keep Wyoming’s tax burden low, continue to cut the states budget where we are able and above all represent and help my constuients in any way that I can.  I will continue to be a constitutionalist strongly defend our second amendment rights and pushing to bring as much control as possible to the people.  I will continue to sponsor legislation that helps lower regulatory burdens for individuals and businesses and creates new jobs with little or no cost to the state.

I should be elected for Wyoming Senate District 1 because I am the most qualified candidate for the job and have the experience and reputation of getting things done.   I am in a position to be at the upper levels of leadership and have the respect of fellow legislators and have a proven track record of being a fiscal conservative (playing a key role in cutting the state general fund budget to levels not seen in decades), being a strong 2^nd Amendment supporter(proven by sponsoring concealed carry, Stand your ground, and other pro second amendment bills.  I have never voted for a tax increase since being in the Senate and if fact sponsored one of the few bills that actually LOWERED taxes for individual taxpayers. I am a legislator that doesn’t just talk about what he will do—I am a legislator that acts.  This is proven by the bills I have passed and the work I have done with individuals and local governments.  I have sponsored legislation that has created jobs and companies that contribute to Wyoming’s economy—at little or no cost to the state.  In short I am effective on both a State and local level both with governments and individuals.

Judy McCullough (District 01)

I grew up west of Oshoto, graduated 8^th grade from a one room school in Crook county, graduated from Campbell County High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science at the University of Wyoming.  I taught high school home economics in Hulett and was an extension agent in Johnson county.  A year after my first husband died of brain cancer in Buffalo, I moved to Moorcroft and married my late husband Curt McCullough.  After he died in 1995, I got a university education in running a ranch, dealing with hired men, and marketing.

In an effort to keep fair competition in cattle marketing, I became involved with the Agricultural Committees for Powder River Basin Resource Council, and Western Organization of Resource Councils.  I was in on the ground floor of the start up of R-CALF USA, and I was one of three who started the Wyoming affiliate, the Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming, which by the way is a great organization for Wyoming ranchers, and is respected by the Wyoming Legislature.  I have lobbied the Wyoming Legislature as well as attended committee meetings to try to influence legislation.  I have flown to D.C. to lobby and testify to congressional delegates from Wyoming and other agricultural based state delegates.

I am running for Senate 1 because I am the best candidate to represent the 3 counties that make up this district and I was asked to run by several people in all 3 counties.    As your Senator, I will bring to Cheyenne honesty, strong ethics and a good head for business.  I care very much for Wyoming and our country.

Lenard D. Seely (District 01)

Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.

Jeff Raney (District 23)

(No photo provided.)

I am Jeff Raney, candidate for Senate District 23.  I am running for two simple reasons. I am against a state income tax and I am for creating new revenue streams through diversification. I have 30 years of business and logistics experience at the local, state, national, and international level. I stated four years ago that Wyoming was headed for an economic downturn and the senate needed to get ahead of it, and not deplete the state’s reserves.

In the last budget session my opponent led the charge to overspend revenue by $1.15 Billion and depleted the reserves by 60%. His solution to the fabricated “structural deficit” is a plethora of taxes, including a gross receipts tax, a state income tax, an ad valorem tax, and a progressive sales tax, fuel taxes, licenses and fees, all of which he proposed or supported in the last budget session. I am against any and all of these taxes, and will not support new taxation.

Wyoming is in a fragile economic recovery. Any of these taxes will slow recovery, and a state income tax will stall or halt any chance at recovery.

Why should the taxpaying citizens of Campbell and Converse counties vote for me? I admit that I don’t have the decades of government bureaucracy experience my opponent has, but I do not see that as a negative. Cheyenne is packed with lobbyists that only represent themselves and their cronies.

I will not serve anyone but the taxpaying, hard-working voters of my district. I intend to bring common sense back to the budget process. We can start by getting back to the original intent of the state Balanced Budget Act, a balance between revenue and spending.

I have received endorsements from the Wyoming Gun Owners Association, Wyoming Right to Life, Americans for US Term Limits, Wyoming Prosperity Project, Americans for Tax Reform, and the NRA rated me AQ over my incumbent opponent. This is the first endorsement by the NRA of a challenger over an incumbent in Campbell County in 3 decades. My opponent blocked and voted against the Wyoming Concealed Carry Act, and also tried to gut the Wyoming Stand Your Ground Law.

I am the only pro 2^nd Amendment, pro-life, pro-transparency, pro-economic diversity, pro-accountability, pro-economic recovery, anti-tax candidate in the race. I am not promising, I walk the walk. DRAIN THE SWAMP.

Jeff Wasserburger (District 23)

I have been a teacher, coach, associate principal, and associate superintendent at Campbell County School District for 34 years. I retired from the school district last year. I am now the executive director of the Board of Cooperative Higher Education Services.  I have an undergraduate degree in teaching, a Masters degree in Educational Administration, and a Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership which qualifies me to be a superintendent in Wyoming.  My training has largely been in education.  I have served for 16 years in the Wyoming legislature.  I represented Campbell County in the House of Representatives for 12 years where I was the House Judiciary chairman for two years, the House Education chairman for four years.  I sat out of the legislature for 6 years and four years ago I ran for the Wyoming Senate and won.  I served two years on Appropriations committee, two years on the Senate Revenue committee, and two years on Senate Education committee.  I am running for office because I feel that I have a great deal of experience in the legislative process and many years of seniority.  I have been through many years of cutting the budget and years where the funding is in surplus and new programs and construction was easily funded.  I have seen the best of times, and the worst of times and many different issues along the way.  I want to continue to represent the citizens of Campbell and Converse counties due to my experience and conservativism.  I was a member of the Senate Appropriations committee when we cut $410 million dollars from the budget.  It wasn’t easy and there was a human cost to those cuts.  I feel that I am a voice of reason in this election and will listen to the people and work easily with them.  I feel that I can represent them better than anyone else in the race.  I will promise to work hard for the citizens of Campbell and Converse counties and will do the best that I can to balance the budget.  It won’t be easy.