News
Judge Phillips Decides Commission Candidates, Date for Appointment
Published
1 year agoon
By
Aaron Palmer
Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Darci Phillips has handed down her decision on the candidates she will consider for appointment to the Sheridan County Commission and set the date for her final decision.
Phillips has decided that she will make an appointment from the three candidates, Michael Arzy, Bryan Helfrich, and Holly Jennings, that were forwarded to the county commission last month for consideration by the Sheridan County Republican Central Committee.
The commission, in a decision at a special meeting on August 29, opted not to choose any of the candidates to fill the seat vacated by Allen Thompson, who resigned earlier this summer.
The commission’s lack of a decision prompted Gail A. Symons, a Sheridan County Elector, to file a Petition with Clerk of District Court Rene Botten requesting that the court fill the vacancy.
According to the Court Order dated Friday, September 1, the court will interview the three candidates on Wednesday, September 13 at 9 a.m. with questioning happening in open court in the District Courtroom.
The court will issue a written decision on the selection of a new commissioner on or before Tuesday, September 19.
ray olson
September 1, 2023 at 2:52 pm
Dear Judge Phillips- please read the statute, you are not required to chose from the 3 stooges please look at the process used in Campbel County when they faced this situation.
Charles Cole
September 1, 2023 at 3:44 pm
A partial victory, to be sure. Now the requirements of the Wyoming law will be enforced, albeit by a court (whereas it should have been done by the commissioners). As I read this ruling, it seems clear that the judge is stepping in to do what the commissioners FAILED to do. As to the “precedent” from Campbell County, that only happened because the county Republican Party didn’t press the issue when they should have! IMHO, this ruling does NOT justify what the commissioners did (or, rather, refused to do). It was their sworn DUTY to select one of these three people and they refused, in blatant disregard for the law. I think consideration should be given to perhaps take action to hold these commissioners accountable for their clear refusal to do their duty!
Ray Olson
September 2, 2023 at 3:04 pm
No-exactly the same. The radical MAGA party in Campbell to nominate a panel of bomb throwers and the Judge, correctly, decided to not promote a slate of candidates who have proven they don’t work or play well with others. The commissioners are charged to provide good government, which includes not suffering fools. Also, running around with your hair on fire and threating people you don’t agree with is not only not good governance, it’s lousy strategy. The only difference is that the Campbell County judge had the acumen to realize that putting a bomb throwing culture warrior on a committee that is trying to govern is a really bad idea.
mark steingass
September 5, 2023 at 2:00 pm
The other side of the coin is that the commissioners are avoiding personal conflict of interest accusations from the public by having Judge Marci Phillips fill the vacancy
Mike Kuzara
September 2, 2023 at 8:25 am
An old joke in Sheridan County went like this: If you are a rancher at the end of a really bad county road, get elected Commissioner and it’ll get paved. It would be wise to be aware of applicants with a personal agenda and pick ones who rruly have the best interests of the public in mind. picking a layman bringing fresh perspective into the mix is oft times beneficial. The best engineers are usually those who have spent time on the construction crew.
Darren Rogers
September 2, 2023 at 9:45 am
Selecting a candidate from the list of unqualified candidates does not make them qualified. Unfortunate way to undercut the elected body of Sheridan County Commissioners.
Dennis Fox
September 5, 2023 at 1:08 pm
The qualifications for Commissioner are these: Adult, resident of the county. When Chairwoman Haswell refused to do her job and select one of the three people chosen by the Republican Party, she violated the law and the sacred public trust. The slap in the face was saying, in her opinion, they were not qualified. That was an insult to three highly-qualified people and was outside her purview. The law says nothing about her judging “qualifications.” She showed her true colors as a liberal elitist, who wanted to keep the established, good-old-boy club exclusive. The truth shall prevail.
Dennis Fox
September 2, 2023 at 10:30 am
Hopefully, the Judge will follow the law and do what the commissioners FAILED to do. By selecting one of the three highly-qualified candidates, to fill the vacancy, she will be honoring the will of the voters in the 2022 election AND the Republican Party Central Committee. In the meantime it is never too late for the commissioners to do the right thing, admit their mistake and choose from one of the three. That will defuse the situation and show the public they are honest public servants, following the law and the will of the voters. If the Board fails to correct their mistake, they risk being removed from office for gross dereliction of duty. And remember, three commissioner seats will be up next year!
mark steingass
September 5, 2023 at 8:48 am
Mr Fox Your August 23rd comment in the Sheridan media Article “Barrasso, Lummis blast BLM’s Rock Springs Draft Resource Management Plan: “blatant land grab” in which you stated US Supreme Court Judges being “lawyers in robes” illustrates your opinion regarding our US Supreme Court Judges…hopefully Sheridan County voters will take your other past statements into account when voting next year should you decide to run for county commissioner “again”…I wonder what 4th Judicial District Court Judge Darci Phillips would think of your Sheridan Media August 23rd comment about US Supreme Court Judges?
mark steingass
September 6, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Mr Fox the Sheridan County Commissioners did not “fail” to fill the vacancy…I believe what they did was fully pre-planned, intentional and logical The reason being because of people like YOU generally creating dissent and distrust of governmental authority especially in this instance for a position (Sheridan County Commissioner) you have coveted for years. The commissioners were wise in doing so. Your statement above referring to the “good-old-boy club” is a prime example of your “mode of operation” in creating dissent and anger toward the Sheridan County Commission…because as you have been a past and present candidate for this very position you are hoping for a vacancy to personally fill now and at some time in the future…but that stated back to the Sheridan County Commissioners motion (the second from the floor that was not acted upon) The commissioners I believe acted prudently and impartially by keeping an arms length away from this appointment and allowing Judge Phillips to fill the vacancy…according to your recent statement in the August 23rd Sheridan Media Forum that supreme court judges being “attorneys in robes” I believe Judge Darci Phillips has the expertise and ethics as did the Sheridan County Commissioners in allowing Judge Phillips to perform her duties in filling this commissioner vacancy.
Dennis Fox
September 6, 2023 at 11:10 pm
You finally got something right, sir. It was fully pre-planned and intentional law-breaking by the commissioners. It was, in fact, premeditated lawlessness. A planned collusion to refuse to do their job, deliberately violate the law, and throw it to a judge. The commissioners are guilty of violating the law, Roberts Rules, their oath of office and the sacred Public Trust. A spree of lawlessness! They also negated the will of the majority of voters in the ’22 election AND the Central committee majority vote! There’s good news though, they can still do the right thing, up until the 13th of Sep. And the commissioners created the dissent. They brought this on themselves.
mark steingass
September 7, 2023 at 8:31 am
Mr Fox there was no pre-planned intentional law breaking…what there was is the delegation of authority, impartiality and keeping an arms length away from the appearance of any conflict of interest…as you mention above “Roberts Rules” requires a “second” motion from the floor for any motion to proceed…”pre-meditated lawlessness”…?…far from the truth…The commissioners didn’t refuse to do anything they delegated the appointment to Judge Darci Phillips The vacancy will be filled on or before Tuesday, September 19.
mark steingass
September 7, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Wyo. Stat. § 18-3-524
Section 18-3-524 – Appointments to fill vacancies; term
(b) If the remaining members of the board of county commissioners fail to fill any vacancy in a board of county commissioners within the time specified in this section, any qualified elector of the county may file a petition with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the vacancy occurred requesting the judge of the district court to fill the vacancy:
barbara walter
September 5, 2023 at 7:28 am
How many years are remaining on Allan Thompson’s term for this court appointed candidate to fill?
David Fisher
September 5, 2023 at 11:32 am
It’s rather interesting that the good ‘ole boys/girls club or liberals can do what’s in their personal interest and that is called getting along or said to be in everyone’s best interest… but, when a conservative or an outsider gains power, the screaming and yelling starts, the name calling starts….
Dennis Fox
September 5, 2023 at 1:11 pm
This seat will come up in the 2024 Election. It will be a two-year term to fill out the vacancy created by Thompson’s departure to his “dream job.”
mark steingass
September 7, 2023 at 9:52 pm
Mr Fox this is the kind of “sarcasm” that plainly illustrates that you are not leadership material and also demonstrates a resentment of “authority”
Dennis Fox
September 8, 2023 at 2:45 pm
No sarcasm, sir, just the Truth. And the good People of Sheridan County see thru the commissioner charade. The People know they planned to fail and throw this to a single Judge. They see premeditated Lawlessness on the part of the commissioners…..and the People don’t like it one bit! And just for info. as a retired US Military Officer, I have the utmost respect for good, honest Gov’t.
Dennis Fox
September 7, 2023 at 5:13 pm
Wyo Law 18-3 states the commissioners “Shall” pick from one of the three people nominated by the Party. There was no motion, they had already been nominated by the Republican Party. All the commissioners had to do was follow Roberts Rules and vote to pick one out of three. Simple, basic stuff that most high school student body members know. They willfully used the wrong procedure in order to fail at their job! They failed to follow the Law. They failed to follow proper voting procedures. All four sitting commissioners violated both their oaths of office and the sacred Public Trust. They are guilty of Dereliction of Duty and are subject to removal from office. Those are the just the facts, sir.
mark steingass
September 8, 2023 at 4:45 pm
no true…according to Commission Chairwoman Christi Haswel in a recorded interview in the August 29th Sheridan Media article entitled “Sheridan Commission Opts to Not Fill Commission Seat”…she stated there “was a motion on each candidate but we failed to get a second the motion died” …so no candidates were selected this morning
Dennis Fox
September 8, 2023 at 6:05 pm
She was wrong. She used the wrong procedure under Roberts Rules. By Law, the Republican Party had already nominated the three qualified people. All the commissioners had to do was follow the Law and Roberts rules and VOTE for one of the three. There’s nothing in the law about her “judging qualifications”. She failed to follow the law. She used the wrong procedure. She is either ignorant of the law and proper procedure, or she willfully violated both, to intentionally send it to a judge.
In either case she Failed the people of Sheridan County. She broke the Law and will suffer the consequences.