Julie McCallister, Rock River’s perennial candidate, seeks nomination once again
In her sixth election as a primary candidate, and her first running for Albany County Commission, McCallister faces three other Republicans in the race for the county’s highest office.
Julie McCallister is no stranger to politics.
The Rock River resident has run for office in each of the last five elections, but this year she’s trying something new: putting her name in the hat for the Republican nomination in the race for an open Albany County Commission seat.
“This is an extremely good fit for me,” McCallister told the Progressive Voter Alliance during a candidate forum last month. “I understand why being a good county commissioner is important. I understand why diversity of opinions is important. I understand that what Wyoming needs and what Laramie needs, what Rock River needs, what Centennial needs, are completely different things. They’re going to be diverse.”
In every election from 2014-2022, McCallister has run for a State House seat, losing each time in the primary. But she counts those experiences as wins because of the conversations they generated. This election, with its crowded Republican primary, is no exception.
“We’re gonna get a ton of really good questions,” McCallister said. “And from those good questions come good answers and come solutions. So I’m genuinely excited for that.”
With a single open Albany County Commission seat on the ballot this year, McCallister is one of four Republicans competing for their party’s nomination. Alongside McCallister, Thad Hoff, Chris Cleven and Troy Heien are all hoping for a chance to square off against the presumptive Democratic nominee — Brian Harrington — who is running in his party’s primary unopposed.
If elected, McCallister said roads will be a major focus of her tenure as county commissioner; that includes sorting out a dispute surrounding the ownership of Boswell Road.
“We need to try to find a good solution to that moving forward, and the best way to do that is to have communication and conversation,” McCallister said. “Second priority for me is getting better and more community involvement.”
The candidate has also stressed fiscal responsibility, financial independence and careful long-term budgeting during both the PVA forum and a later League of Women Voters forum. At the LWV forum, McCallister praised her opponent, Chris Cleven, for selling raw milk, which McCallister said was an example of the economic diversity the county should pursue.
“Something I agree with … is having a look at relaxing certain regulations, allowing diversity, allowing the variety, allowing the independence to thrive in the county,” she said. “That’s going to make good long-term economic opportunities that will bring with it sustainable housing, sustainable income. But we need to be receptive of the public, we need to ask, we need to listen and solve problems. That’s how we’re always going to get the best decisions.”
Throughout all her public statements, in fact, McCallister has hit on the importance of communication.
“Albany County has a wealth of people, businesses, and interests,” she writes in response to a question on Vote411.org. “The County needs to ensure that when zoning and planning decisions are made in the County that as much public input as possible is taken, vetting questions are asked and followed up on, and the County Commission makes the most balanced decisions possible.”
Politics, passion and stubbornness
For the perennial candidate, politics is not a dirty word. In fact, McCallister said embracing politics and political conversation are often key to solving community problems.
“Every single time there’s a problem … if you trace it back to its origin, it’s in politics,” McCallister told the Laramie Reporter. “Every single time, you can find an origin somewhere in politics. And I’m tired of solving problems after they shouldn’t be a problem.”
This love affair with politics stretches back to McCallister’s college days. She graduated from UW with a bachelor’s in political science and later a master’s in public administration. McCallister worked with the Western Research Institute for six years, but her life took a turn in November 2012 when her husband broke his neck at work and suddenly needed full-time care.
“They told us that he would be wheelchair-bound for three years and dead in 10,” McCallister told the PVA forum. “That was 12 years ago. He can still transfer. He can still stand. With the help of a walker, he can still walk. So we’re both a little stubborn.”
McCallister is now her husband’s full-time caretaker.
“I was determined that he would not get anything less than the best of care,” she told the Reporter. “So I went back, got my CNA certification, and I work professionally as a CNA now.”
On top of this work, McCallister files to run every two years, staying close to and taking part in the politics she is “obsessed with.”
“It’s become a passion, a daily passion,” McCallister said. “It’s not so much something I’m interested in doing or adding to my plate as a calling … My main love has always been in politics and policy.”
From 2014-2020, McCallister ran for the House District 47 seat and lost to Jerry Paxton — who went on, each time, to win the general election and represent the district. During the redistricting process that followed the 2020 U.S. Census, the town of Rock River, McCallister’s home, was brought into House District 14. McCallister ran against and lost to Bryan Shuster in the Republican primary. Shuster went on to lose the General Election to the incumbent Democrat, Rep. Trey Sherwood.
This election season, early voting for the primary begins July 23 for most voters. Primary Election Day itself is August 20.
Where McCallister stands on the issues facing the county
McCallister has shared her political stances across a number of platforms, including in an interview with the Reporter, in response to the Reporter’s candidate questionnaire, through her campaign website, during the League of Women Voters forum on June 20 and in response to questions published by the League of Women Voters to Vote411.org.
Property tax
Recent action by the legislature provided property tax relief for some Wyoming homeowners. Champions of this relief argued it would help those struggling to pay rising taxes; others worry it will hurt the counties and schools that rely on that tax base.
“I was pleased with what property tax relief was passed, although I do feel it was lacking and had hoped for more relief to be passed,” McCallister writes in response to the candidate questionnaire. “For the budget reduction, I would identify any areas of excessive spending and eliminate them.”
This needs to be done thoughtfully, she added.
“All future budget increases need to be carefully scrutinized to ensure that the budget is sustainable while giving the needed tax relief to constituents,” McCallister writes. “Budget reduction can be accomplished by going over the budget [by] line item, and reducing wherever possible.”
A proposed ballot initiative that could appear on General Election ballots this year would further reduce residential property taxes for owner-occupied property. The same dilemma faces Wyoming voters: Property tax relief benefits those receiving the relief, but also decreases government coffers. During the LWV forum, McCallister was asked if she would support that initiative.
“In all honesty, I’d sure like to, but I don’t see how that’s possible, feasibly, at this point in time,” she said.
The ballot initiative would cut property taxes in half for eligible taxpayers. But if property tax reductions are not done “incrementally,” McCallister said, they won’t be sustainable.
“Next cycle is going to come around, there’s not going to be enough funding, and those programs are going to be eliminated,” she said. “If it’s legislation, the legislation is going to be reversed. So supporting something that is not sustainable — out at least 30 years — it makes absolutely no sense.”
Aquifer protection
The Casper Aquifer is Laramie’s main source of drinking water. New regulations — pushed and passed by aquifer protection advocates both on and outside the commission — limit what can be built on the land above the aquifer.
McCallister said the current protections are adequate.
“But this is an area where input and monitoring of the situation are critical to maintaining this level of effective protection,” she writes. “It is also important to remember that the water in the Casper Aquifer belongs to the State of Wyoming, not the County or City.”
But McCallister adds the community, and by extension the commission, needs to regularly reconsider the issue.
“The [Aquifer] will need to be monitored for quality, usage and appropriate regulations over time as future needs develop,” she writes. “As it sits I think the protections are adequate. But this in no way means that keeping this issue on the radar is any less essential. Needs and proposals are going to change over time, presenting a constant need to review and update if needed.”
County emissions and energy efficiency
Both the city and the county have made efforts to bring down carbon emissions while making government facilities more energy efficient. Like many climate solutions, the green option tends to be more cost effective in the long-run, if not also in the short-run.
Like her fellow Republican candidates, McCallister said she’s not opposed to improving government buildings as long as investments are made with a mind to fiscal responsibility.
“If there are opportunities in which the County is able to take advantage of a zero emission or solar renewable energy for its own buildings, this should be considered,” McCallister writes. “I do not feel that the county is in a current position to be considering any capital or major construction projects at this time.”
Government transparency
Commission meetings are open to the public, advertised ahead of time, streamed live, and available after their conclusion on YouTube — but they are not well attended. Candidates have been asked by both the Reporter and the LWV how they would ensure transparency.
“In order for the county commission to be able to perform at the highest level possible the maximization of public involvement needs to be a priority,” McCallister writes in response to the Reporter’s questionnaire. “Albany County is diverse, in economy, needs, and people.”
During the LWV forum, McCallister put forward a new proposal: monthly meetings outside the regular commission meetings convened for the sole purpose of hearing from residents.
“One thing I’d do … is a once a month roundtable somewhere that everyone can come,” she said. “Advertise it, of my own time, my own volition, invite all the other commissioners and city council members so folks can come and ask questions.”
McCallister said elected officials could spend these roundtables clarifying the workings of government and other topics for which public understanding is lacking.
McCallister did not detail how these roundtables would handle rules about quorum. Such rules dictate that any time a majority of some government body has intentionally gathered, that gathering qualifies as a public meeting — a public meeting that is required by law to have been advertised ahead of time. So, for example, if five of the nine city councilors were to meet, even for a social gathering, they could be in violation of these rules.
Quorum rules are a particular challenge for the Albany County Commission, which is a three-member body. That means wherever two or more are gathered, a quorum is there among them.
News habits
Candidates were asked, during the LWV forum, where they got their news.
Across the U.S., many communities are becoming news deserts, where citizens are unable to access information about their local government and unable to meaningfully take part in community conversations. Research shows that news deserts drive citizens to social media and divert attention away from the local onto the national. This enables local corruption, breeds polarization and decreases civic participation.
Candidate news habits varied. McCallister said she starts with traditional print and online publications.
“I do read the Boomerang, I read Casper Star-Tribune. I also read Cowboy State Daily, listen to the radio and talk to people, look online [and] check outside sources,” McCallister told the LWV forum. “You need to check sources on any published site. Period. I don’t care who they’re from.”
The candidate added that this often involves talking to people in the community.
“Especially if they’re local, it’s fairly easy to get people’s phone numbers,” she said. “More than once, I’ve called on a local story, actually called the person [to ask if the story is accurate], and they’re like, ‘No, not exactly.’ And I’m like, ‘Really? Cool. Would you mind telling me?’ And you get a different story than what’s published. So you’re going to have to finish looking into it to be accurate, but all those things take a little bit of effort.”
Still trying to get more information on the candidates positions. I like her round table idea, but county issues/ideas need more substance.