Wyoming misunderstands Gillette.
That was apparently clear when the task force in charge of picking a site for a state shooting complex opted against the more site-ready, cost-effective plan in Campbell County for what amounts to the predictable, and in the eyes of the ones in power, more quintessentially Wyoming location of Cody.
Gillette has a site picked out, with ample space, local buy-in and available infrastructure to support it. Cody has natural beauty, and a lot of question marks.
More importantly, Park County has task force members with questionable conflicts of interest aligning with their support of Cody.
Rep. Larry Hicks, who represents Baggs but hails from Park County, was in the bag for Park County from the beginning of this process, and was less than subtle as he tried poking holes in Gillette’s case throughout.
Then there’s Aaron Davidson, CEO of a gun manufacturer in — you guessed it — Cody, who had a vote in the matter despite that obvious conflict. As if there was any question how a Cody gun manufacturer would vote, this one said that he has “real concerns” that Gillette will look “like Greybull 15 years from now.”
That makes you wonder how familiar he is with Wyoming, let alone Greybull or Gillette. More than anything, it tells you just how uninformed and biased this task force is.
Gillette and Campbell County each saw population growth since 2010, despite the downturn in coal production in that time. Gillette’s population is more than triple Cody’s, and Campbell County’s population is more than twice Park County’s.
It’s one thing to not be bullish on Gillette’s future. But you have to be acting in bad faith or, frankly, not very bright to think this community will resemble a town of fewer than 2,000 people by 2040.
If Gillette becomes Greybull, Wyoming becomes Venezuela.
For some of the task force members, choosing Park County came down to — you’ll never believe it — mountains.
Cade Maestas, a task force member with a sporting company on the western part of the state, called Gillette the “easy answer” when he picked Park County. His reasoning? Gillette has everything, Cody’ has “wow factor.”
Mountains and “wow factor”? Really?
This is what we’re basing statewide decisions of economic development on? These are the people we’re letting make these decisions?
If this is the kind of masterminding at work, maybe the state’s not as ready for this endeavor as previously thought.
None of these bad points made by the task force are surprising given how Gillette appears in the eyes of the rest of the state.
Gillette’s blue collar, and at times rough around the edges. This is the corner of the state that boomed. There are a lot of ways to frame it, and a variety of reasons, but the simple truth is that people from the rest of the state don’t like Campbell County.
Gillette’s statewide perception makes it an easy target for a group of gun guys from the other side of the state.
The “easy” pick is the one the group made. They put Gillette through the ringer without really giving it a chance, then dismissed it for being too “easy.” The minority of task force members who voted for Campbell County gave clear reasons for support that included articulation beyond vapid talk of “mountains” and “wow factor” spoken by the nays.
If this is the kind of logic we’re working with, then what could Gillette — or any other community — have done to beat Park County?
You get the sense that some task force members would rather not have a shooting complex at all than have one in Gillette. Choosing Gillette was not the “easy” choice. Campbell County clearly had an uphill fight to beat out nearly 10 communities in the state, which is why the community rallied so strongly behind this effort.
Look at the plain facts — who’s on the task force, where they’re from and what kind of work they’re in — and the motivations of at least a few task force members come into question, the majority of whom reside on the western part of the state, near their beloved mountains.
People from Gillette are well aware of what people from the rest of the state think of them.
There’s often a grain of truth behind tropes like these. If so, these are grains of truth that only lead to greater misunderstanding.
The state depends on Campbell County, but it doesn’t understand it, or its potential. Some in the state root against it, without spending the effort to know it.
The state passed on the better option because people outside of Gillette misunderstand the place.
For the sake of Wyoming, we hope the endeavor works well in Park County. For the sake of future endeavors, we hope Wyoming keeps a more open mind toward Gillette and Campbell County.
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