Rental regulations safe following city council elections
Rental regulations safe following city council elections
Most opponents of the City Rental Housing Code were defeated Tuesday. When it comes to support for establishing a civilian oversight board, council factions barely shifted.
For two years, the Laramie City Council has worked extensively on housing reform — from establishing rental regulations to legalizing denser multi-family housing.
Following the 2022 general election, it appears that work will continue.
Laramie voters reelected Councilor Erin O’Doherty in Ward 3, also electing Joe Shumway (Ward 3), Brandon Newman (Ward 2) and Micah Richardson (Ward 3) to join her on the city council. In Ward 2, voters rejected landlord Brett Glass — the candidate most vocal against the city’s rental regulations.
O’Doherty and Richardson are staunch defenders of the new tenant protections and both have placed an emphasis on tackling the housing shortage from a variety of directions.
“Housing is an area that’s going to continue to need attention and creative approaches to addressing the issue,” Richardson said in the wake of her Tuesday victory.
Newman is officially neutral on the issue of rental regulations, but housing also makes his list of top priorities.
“During my campaign we focused on four to five main topics,” he said after his win this week. “Those will be first to deal with: opening chambers to the public, housing, infrastructure improvements, jobs. My work has just begun.”
(Laramie City Councilors shot down an attempt last month to open chambers to the public during council meetings, but signaled they would be open to hosting in-person meetings once the new council is seated.)
Shumway said he wants to pass “business-friendly policies” for housing reform, but does not support the rental regulations passed this year.
So, on the topic of rental regulations:
O’Doherty, a supporter, kept her seat
Shumway, an opponent, replaced an outgoing opponent (Bryan Shuster)
Newman, who is neutral, replaced an outgoing supporter (Paul Weaver)
Richardson, a supporter, replaced an outgoing supporter (Fred Schmechel)
Given that the rental regulations passed on a 7-2 vote in January, those opposed to the city’s Rental Housing Code did not gain enough seats to reverse course. If the same issue came up again with the city council established Tuesday, it would likely be decided on another 7-2 vote, or maybe even 8-1.
The rental regulations faced a legal challenge in Albany County District Court, but the case was decided in the city’s favor and the new regulations are set to take effect Jan. 1, 2023. The regulations require landlords keep apartments free of pests and mold, outfit them with fire escape windows and smoke detectors, and hire professionals to complete major electrical, plumbing and heating work.
On the topic of establishing a civilian oversight board, not much has changed.
Councilors who supported the idea saw one of their own replaced by someone neutral on the issue. Councilors who opposed the oversight board saw one of their own replaced by a supporter.
The council was split 4-5 when they voted against civilian oversight this year. Now the divide looks more like 4-1-4 with Brandon Newman serving as the undecided middle vote.
Richardson said Wednesday she is also excited to move forward with the Casper Aquifer Protection Plan and the Laramie Area Growth Plan.
Below are the full unofficial results for Laramie’s three city council races. Winners are printed in bold.
Ward 1
Allison Cunningham: 1,115
Micah Richardson: 1,867
Write-in: 30
Ward 2
Brett Glass: 890
Brandon Newman: 1,021
Write-in: 64
Ward 3
Erin O’Doherty: 2,035
Joe Shumway: 1,706
Bern Haggerty: 1,115
Write-in: 54
Who is the owner of the property and how long before this thinking infects the entire State?
This post demonstrates that Mr. Victor is not at all a "reporter" but rather a highly biased blogger.
He falsely states that the lawsuit challenging the unlawful rental regulations was "decided in the city's favor" when in fact the regulations were ruled to violate the constitutional due process rights of BOTH tenants and landlords. They are null and void until and unless Council revises them... and then are still subject to additional challenges. Among other things, they impose an illegal tax upon rentals; conflict with state law; exempt cherry-picked organizations and thus violate the "equal protection" clauses of the Wyoming Constitution; do not cover rentals outside the city limits; do not cover UW-owned properties even if they're managed by private corporations; and have already stimulated increases in rents. If they go into effect, they will also create a shortage of rentals that will drive rents up yet further... all while bloating the city bureaucracy and creating NO additional protections for tenants that state law does not already provide. The wise Joe Shumway, who has been Mayor twice and understands the workings of the city government and the dangers of its bureaucracy, opposes them. Let's hope that they never actually go into effect.