Years ago I can remember the challenges of running a small town when I served as a member of the Afton Town Council.

That assignment, along with attending hundreds, if not a few thousand town council meetings over the decades for SVI, has helped me realize it’s one of the more challenging public positions because a mayor and council serve so close to the people.

I can recall sitting through long, late night meetings working through our decisions because we understood the direct impacts they had on a small town.

With that in mind I recently started visiting with Star Valley’s municipalities, and soon I’ll reach out to south Lincoln County for a visit on the municipal accomplishments of 2025.

Some accomplishments catch my attention more than others as I have joined the town meetings or reviewed our SVI reports, in addition to conducting radio interviews with the mayors.

With Alpine, I think it’s commendable the town is taking on a master plan in Lincoln County’s fastest growing community. This will be key to a successful future for a town with bright future.

For Afton, the infrastructure improvements are invaluable with their accomplishments that avoid problems with the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is a tough crowd to work with and continued maintenance will be crucial for such a valuable water source at the Intermittent Spring.

I have memories of a D.C. run on an EPA issue with Afton. One of the more interesting moments came when I pulled Brad Bunning, Sen. Barrasso’s, soon to be Chief of Staff, out of a dinner meeting and on to a city sidewalk in Washington D.C. where I called Afton Town Administrator Violet Sanderson at home and asked her to explain our water system challenges with that federal agency. Dinner was cold when we got back in, but it was worth it!

In Thayne, the town’s early work with a public meeting on a master plan and getting an early start on the National Semiquincentennial celebration by authorizing a massive mural at the Thayne Community Center, are just two noteworthy causes.

Most notable to me is the way Thayne  acknowledges the birth of the Savior at Christmas with the town’s evening nativity scene depicted in a hand crafted  light display along the community’s west side of main street. Simply beautiful, and it sets Thayne apart at Christmas!

I have yet to visit with the Ranch, but somewhere at the top of the list is Star Valley Ranch’s work on water lines and improved roads for a community that I have always introduced on the Senate floor in Cheyenne as the most scenic community in Wyoming!

I commend our municipalities for their achievements in 2025, some more noticeable than others, but all add to building great communities throughout  Lincoln County.

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