Laramie City Council swore in three new members, Micah Richardson, Brandon Newman, and Joe Shumway, on Jan. 3, 2023. Erin O’Doherty was reelected for a second term.
The Branding Iron contacted each new council member in an attempt to provide students with an outlook of each individuals’ goals and ambitions. Shumway and Richardson responded.
While serving on the Laramie City Council, Shumway hopes to maintain essential services such as water, sewer, and road infrastructure, and has made it a high priority to ensure water rights to the Laramie River and Casper Aquifer.
“I want everyone in Laramie to enjoy the basic day to day services and needs that our city council, city administration and city staff can provide,” Shumway said.
Richardson also hopes to protect water rights, while focusing on building Laramie’s downtown community.
“[I hope] to improve and support those things we already love about our community,” Richardson said.
“This includes supporting activities, organizations and programming that lead to a thriving downtown, working closely with our county commissioners to be thoughtful in our growth and the protection of our aquifer, listening to constituents and working with other council members and city staff to address important and hard to fix issues.”
Working alongside the University of Wyoming’s expansion is a major problem facing the city of Laramie according to Shumway.
“We have a big challenge to provide services to the University of Wyoming as they grow,” Shumway said.
“The construction of new dorms, parking and campus expansion is a major challenge for all of us.”
Shumway went on to explain that part of the challenge is meeting the basic needs such as providing adequate sewer and road infrastructure, while simultaneously developing more unique aspects of Laramie.
“I believe that the character of Laramie – education, beautification, recreation and business elements can draw and keep residents, students and visitors here or plant a desire for them to return. We must become a destination as well as a memorable location for visiting.”
Richardson has set her sights on housing issues in Laramie, as she feels a lack of affordable housing is one of Laramie’s largest problems.
“We have a ‘missing middle’ when it comes to housing, which means we don’t have enough units available for those folks who may want a starter home, or for businesses who are looking to bring in a workforce,” Richardson said.
“We need to think about where it makes sense to build (avoiding the aquifer) so we can accommodate future growth. Additionally, it’s important that those folks who are renting are able to access a space that is safe.”
Both Shumway and Richardson stressed that students are a vital and much appreciated aspect of Laramie’s community.
“LCCC, UW, and Wyo Tech are important to our character, economy and growth. Laramie depends on the thousands of students that attend classes, fall in love with Laramie, and are hopefully drawn back with fondness and nostalgia of their time spent here,” Shumway said.
“My goal is for students, teachers, business and technology leaders, athletes and cowboys to build a love for ‘the Laramie community’ while here, and then export this ‘love’ all around the state, nation and world.”
Richardson expressed concern that students may not feel connected to Laramie, and encouraged students to reach out with ideas and potential solutions.
“I do worry that a large number of students don’t feel a strong connection to the community though, which means they aren’t voting in local elections or participating in non-university activities around town,” Richardson said.
“I’m not sure how to fix this, but I’d love to hear from students if they have ideas.”
To find contact information for members of the Laramie City Council, visit https://www.cityoflaramie.org/208/Members, or for more information about the Laramie City Council, visit https://www.cityoflaramie.org/68/City-Council.
