Governor Mead talks platform, Valley

As he wrapped up his speech and finished shaking hands with county commissioners at their Spring Meeting Thursday, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) took time to sit down with the Saratoga Sun to answer questions about Saratoga, the upcoming election and controversial issues in the Platte Valley.

Re-election

Gov. Mead, who will be up for re-election in November, said though he has a tough battle ahead of him, his record speaks for itself.

"When I first came to office, unemployment was at about 6.4 percent, now it's at 4 percent," Mead said. He added that Wyoming was recognized as the state with some of the lowest taxes in the nation and Wyoming's economy always ranks in the top-five.

"We were just ranked, in a Gallup Poll in all states, as the state with the second most trust in state government - we were one point behind North Dakota," Mead said. "We were ranked, for the third year in a row, by Wall Street 24/7 as the best-run state in the county. Our 'rainy-day savings' have gone up, we have addressed infrastructure in local government, we are diversifying our economy. So I will say that I will run on my record of what I have accomplished, I will run on the good things that I have done, and I will run on the mistakes that I have made."

Mead's largest opponent for the governorship this year is Wyoming State Superintendent of Schools Cindy Hill. Hill, who was temporarily removed from her position because of Senate File 104 (SF 104), has recently been reinstated in her position and looks towards the governor's seat in 2014.

When asked what he has to offer as governor over Cindy Hill, Mead said "for the superintendent [Hill], the question you want to ask her is do you want her to bring to the entire state, what she brought to the Department of Education."

Mead, said one of his greatest achievements in his first term was pushing a budget increase for local governments. The 175 million dollar budget was approved in March, and would be given to local municipalities and counties.

"When you first get into office, you right away get into what is the appropriate budget for local government and which municipalities and counties," Mead said. "What I found was ... at times, the counties and the municipalities would be at odds with each other."

Mead said that early in his governorship, he worked with counties and municipalities and told them "we have to get on the same page with this -towns, governor's office, let's see if we can come to consensus on this and find out what the appropriate amount of funding on this is."

Providing to local governments has always been a "high priority" the governor said, stating that the 2012 budget session, he pushed a 135 million dollar budget for local governments.

"At that time, with revenue, was a lot of money. And then we got 20 million more in supplemental," Mead said. "And that process worked."

Endangered Species Act

Often known as an outspoken critic of the federal government, Mead said that he will continue his fight against federal regulations in the Environment. Gov. Mead said he sees some "major problems" with the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

"The management of federal lands that are going on in the county's backyard, that is an issue that is front and center in every county," Mead said. "The discussion on the Endangered Species Act was that I reached, with the legislature, an agreement on wolves. The message was, 'Hey the state of Wyoming can do a better job, has a greater vested interest in managing wildlife, and it is our wildlife.'"

Though the State of Wyoming got a deal with wolves, Mead said, federal regulations on grizzly bears and sage-grouse have been imposed in Wyoming. Mead said he believes the federal government is over-stepping its (rule).

"The federal government can't do it nearly as well as the state, and they shouldn't because it is our wildlife," Mead said.

Mead said that his administration is "working hard" on ensuring the sage-grouse is not listed under the ESA.

"The state has done a better job [protecting wildlife] than our federal government could ever do," he said.

Logging

Governor Mead said he remembers the re-opening of the Saratoga Forest Management Sawmill as "the only ribbon cutting ceremony I have ever been to in my life where I got to use a chain-saw," and would like to keep pushing initiatives in order to see that mills throughout the state stay open.

"I have pushed the Federal Government, and state agencies ... as recognizing that we have beetle-kill in the state of Wyoming that continue to get worse," Mead said. "There is not a solution that I think is acceptable that says 'we are going to keep going down this path, and we are going to have a catastrophic fire, say in the Medicine Bow [National Forest], that not only wastes a natural resource but kills off wildlife and loses livestock,' but is a fire of a magnitude that causes pollution in our streams that sterilizes the soil. Who benefits from that?"

He says that the timber and logging industry must continue in order to prevent wildfire disasters but helps promotes jobs and tourism.

"It not only serves the logging industry, but it serves (agriculture), it serves tourism, it serves our wildlife," Mead said. "That is my message to the federal government is that you go into the Medicine Bow and look where wildlife is, you look where the livestock are, you look where the best trees are, it's places where they have logged."

Tourism

Mead said that he has been promoting tourism at the state level as well. Saying that the Platte Valley's and Wyoming's tourism "doesn't happen by accident," Mead said he continues to ask for "big dollars" to promote one of Saratoga's, and Wyoming's, largest industries.

"If you look at tourism, I think it's for every dollar you put in, you get $8 in return. Now that is a good investment. I wish I had a private investment like that," Mead said jokingly. "And in addition to that, it's not just tourism, it's money that I have asked for, for everything from airports, to projects like funding the [University of Wyoming] Rodeo Team."

Mead said any events which draw people into the state are always beneficial to the economy.

"I have been a big proponent for tourism, and I have asked continually for more money for that," Mead said. "It seems like a great investment, not only in terms of tourism. But when you see what tourism does, it's not just the dollars, it brings people into Wyoming. And how many people you have met have said 'you know, I came here on my honeymoon or we used to vacation here with Mom and Dad, or I came hunting and fishing here, and this is where I want to be, so I opened up my small business here ...' and that is a wonderful story."

Flooding

While Mead was in the U.S. attorney's office, he said he learned an important piece of advise: "You can't prepare after the disaster." That is why Mead said it is important to prepare before the disaster - especially with the North Platte River.

"When the floods hit, I said that we are going to have a command center. And we are to make sure that we are putting sandbags out as much as we can before the water hits rather than after the water hits," Mead said. "We are going to, as vigorously as we can, be extremely aggressive and make sure the resources are there for the locals. We are going to make sure that when we show up at the door of the county emergency management folks, that is not the first time they have met us."

Mead said that with the unpredictable water flows, preparing for floods is a year-round process.

"Our homeland security, our [National] Guard, are just 'hey, now we have to react. It is a total time throughout the calendar year of how we prepare."

Gov. Mead will be in the Statewide Primary Elections, which will be held Aug. 25.