GILLETTE, Wyo. — Campbell County’s newly elected Wyoming House and Senate lawmakers took their oaths of office as the 67th Wyoming Legislature convened today in Cheyenne.
Some lawmakers who are representing Campbell County in Cheyenne were the incumbent candidates in the 2022 elections, but there are also a handful of newcomers.
House District 3 Rep. Abby Angelos
Wyoming District 3 State Rep. Abby Angelos, who has worked in ministry at Family Life Church for many years, beat former Campbell County Commissioner Rusty Bell in the November 2022 election. She said her great-grandparents were homesteaders in Campbell County in the 1930s.
She said in her County 17 questionnaire that she’s against an income tax and would support basing property taxes based on what you purchased your home for.
“I am a Conservative Republican and stand for traditional family values, the sanctity of life, protecting our 2nd Amendment, fiscal responsibility, health and medical freedom, and supporting our jobs in the ranching and energy industries,” she said. “I do not believe that government drives meaningful economic development. True economic growth comes from removing government from the markets, deregulation, and fiscal responsibility. Unlike my opponent, I believe that when we accept federal handouts we are devaluing our money and worse we are selling our freedoms at some point down the road.”
House District 52 Rep. Reuben Tarver
Reuben Tarver (R), who beat Ronda Boller in the primary, is the representative for State House District 52. He’s a Campbell County High School graduate who was born in Casper and raised on a ranch north of Gillette, he said in his July 2022 County 17 questionnaire.
He said in that questionnaire that he would like Wyoming to work toward becoming financially independent from the federal government to reduce federal oversight.
“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,” he said.
House District 32 Rep. Ken Clouston
Rep. Ken Clouston has been sworn in after he beat former representative Dr. Tim Hallinan for the House District 32 seat.
Clouston is the CEO of Gillette Physical Therapy, P.C. and received his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of North Dakota in 2005. He just completed a term on the Campbell County School District board, on which Hallinan is now serving.
Clouston said in his County 17 questionnaire that Wyoming needs to continue supporting coal, oil, agriculture and educational institutions but also increase economic development and invest in small businesses.
He said that when it comes to taxpayer dollars, he’s always asking “How will we pay for this? What will we cut to implement this new expense? Why are we spending money on this item? What other options do we have?”
Returning legislators
District 53 Rep. Christopher Knapp and District 1 Sen. Ogden Driskill retained their seats. Former House District 52 Rep. Eric Barlow has returned to Cheyenne as the State Senator for District 23 after beating Patricia Junek twice in the race for the seat. District 1 Rep. John Bear ran unopposed in the 2022 elections.
