GILLETTE, Wyo. — County 17 has sent out a questionnaire to those running in the primary election in August. The following is the response from Reuben Tarver, who is running for State Representative for District 52.
- Please introduce yourself and describe your educational and employment history. Please include your name and hometown and highlights of past Campbell County involvement.
My name is Reuben Tarver and I am running for Wyoming House District 52.
High School Diploma from CCHS
Born in Casper, Wyoming
Raised on a ranch north of Gillette.
Still live and work there along with operating different businesses in the oilfield.
- Why have you decided to run for this office?
Watching the direction of our country and state has inspired me to do something about it. I feel we need less government in our lives. Not more.
Spending is out of control and taxes continue to go up. I would like to see more accountability and more transparency. Where is our money being spent? We’re being regulated out of business and I’m tired of it!
- Why are you the best candidate for this position?
I feel like I have the ability to reason with people and still get the job done without sacrificing what I believe in.
- What is your vision for the future of your district? What, if any, new initiatives would you like to implement if elected?
It’s difficult to say what I can do until I get there and assess the situation. Broadly speaking I would like Wyoming to be free of federal oversight. That would mean not taking federal money and working toward becoming financially independent. I am told that half of our budget is federal dollars. With federal dollars comes federal rules. That’s holding us back. That seems crazy to me, being we have coal, oil, natural gas, timber, cattle and farm ground. And then we depend on the feds to pay half our bills. That sounds like a management problem to me. And basically weak leadership.
- How will you effectively manage taxpayer dollars? Do you plan to promote any changes to existing taxes? If so, why?
Like the previous question, it’s hard to say what needs done until I can get there and see the problems first hand. My guess is that there’s a smorgasbord of things that need addressed. I wish it could be so simple that one new law could fix everything. But that’s unlikely. I would like to see an audit of our budget and let the people look at it and give me feedback. I think that would be a great start.
- Is there anything else voters should know about you as they determine whom to vote for?
I’m very frustrated with our current direction for this country and our state. And if I get elected I will do everything in my power to put Wyoming first and get rid of as many regulations as I can, lower taxes and give the people the choice as to what they want to spend their income on. I would appreciate your vote.
