GILLETTE, Wyo. – There’s a new mayor in town, two new council members, and a vacant seat on the Gillette City Council following their first meeting of 2023.
On Jan. 3, Eric Hanson, formerly Mayor of Gillette, handed the reigns over to now-Mayor Shay Lundvall while newly-elected Councilmembers Heidi Gross and Jim West took their seats alongside sitting Councilmembers Billy Montgomery and Tim Carsrud with Councilmember Tricia Simonson absent.
During the meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes, Carsrud thanked Hanson for his service to the City of Gillette.
“It was an honor to serve with him and I know we did all that a couple of meetings ago. Just one more time I wanted to thank him and the outgoing councilmembers as well,” Carsrud said. “It was also an honor and a privilege to serve with them and I also look forward to serving with you guys.”
Former Councilmember Nathan McLeland didn’t run for his seat on the council, choosing instead to go head-to-head against Lundvall for mayor in the 2022 Election where he was defeated, as was former Councilmember Greg Schruers who lost his seat to West.
Gross won her Ward III seat by defeating candidate Ed Sisti during the same election.
But with Lundvall moving up to the mayor’s office, there is an open Ward III seat on the council, which announced Tuesday that an application period to fill the vacancy would open on Jan. 4.
According to a press release from the City of Gillette, the application period will close on January 12 and applications must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. that day.
Applicants must be registered voters, Gillette residents, and must live in Ward III with no felony convictions, per the city, which says applicants must not hold an office that doesn’t conflict or is incompatible with a position on the council.
Persons with felony convictions are eligible to apply only if they have had a complete and full restoration of rights, not just voting rights, the city release states.
The council plans to conduct applicant interviews during their meeting on Jan. 17. Following the interview process, the council will then appoint one of the applicants to fill the seat in accordance with state statutes, according to the City of Gillette.
