Do men care about the role of males on the Cheyenne City Council? Facebook followers seem to say "no"

Editor’s note: This is the second of two columns exploring residents’ perceptions of Cheyenne’s leaders. Today, men have their say on the City Council.. On Thursday, we heard from the women about Mayor Marian Orr (https://cutt.ly/pendCDr). Readers should beware that some of these comments contain offensive language. And some have been shortened and edited. You can find the unedited comments at Truth to Power's Facebook page https://cutt.ly/aenfd4j.

By RICHARD JOHNSON

I posed on question to as many men as I could.

As a man, how do you feel the City Council represents men in strong roles?

Here were the replies: 

You mean old guys with cowboy hats and boots?

I feel that when a person gets elected, they are representative of the anonymity of the people they represent.

Cheyenne's all-male City Council.

The man vs woman debate isn't one you want to get into, Rich. I'd let this one go. I feel that if a woman has a problem with a lack of representation, they're problem isn't with council; it's a lack of understanding on what public office is for.

Sorry, Rich, but f--- our city, f--- the City Council and f--- the mayor. This is a circus, and we are all the audience. We are all in a no win/no win situation.

Men/women, who cares? It’s like Trump: Their way or no way.

I believe that they don't represent men at all. I say the focus is more on women and children. “Men, fend for yourself” is the attitude that is presented.

Always overlooked.

There are a few decent representatives on council, but I don’t feel like council represents themselves, as a whole, strongly at all.

I don't think I've seen it. At least not as a separate issue.

I feel that there are some council reps who represent the good old boys, not the average Joe.

I feel it doesn’t. I feel that Cheyenne being the capital of the Equality State gives women the higher advantage toward the man, which makes our City Council, judicial system and many other thing less equal and possibly more feminine. I am not a gender racist, but I was raised on strong, older morals. The City Council does not meet my moral man-like wants and needs.

That doesn't enter into my political thinking.

I believe some are doing an amazing job and representing their constituents quite well; others are more talk than action

I don’t think they do. There is no clear representation of anyone or any ward. The City Council is basically nonexistent because there no clear leader or someone to ruffle the good old boys like you did. I don’t think anyone is directly challenging the mayor.

I feel represented pretty well.

I don’t pay a ton of attention to the council unless it is a topic that affects me. I am very curious about how the council is going to handle the issues regarding the mass spending by our mayor when we are up against serious budget concerns.

I actually feel pretty good about it.

I don't really pay attention to the City Council, man. The law system here is BS when it comes to kids and their dads fighting to see them, and it's been messed up for a long time. They take it out of context when they say it's a woman's state.

Not enough transparency.

There's not one member of the City Council who represents me, sir. I'm on the fringes, a throwback from a different time in the evolution of humanity all rolled up in one amazing, divine being, trapped in the limited body of a crap-smearing primate.

Isn’t your council mostly men? Soft men. Except for Jeff (White), he’s pretty fit. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about the gender of a council member or its relationship to my identity. Though as a white man I don’t have to think about representation since it’s almost always white dudes in the roles. Mostly council members are non-threatening, pan-sexual, spokespeople.

What difference does it make? A council should be representing all men, women and the kids.

They represent men just fine.  Different backgrounds, strength of character, etc.  No women representation, though. I would like to see that. The mayor doesn't count.

Whether someone is a strong male or a feminine male shouldn't make any difference. Does the council present strong women differently?

The council is in constant battle with Mayor Orr. Orr is in constant battle with council. I don’t think anyone is rep’ing Cheyenne in general right now except for the commissioners, and that’s the county. I stick to building a business that can support youth in Cheyenne primarily. If we don’t support them over the course of time in our community they will leave for better jobs, better spouses, better opportunity. We gotta focus on the future of this great city. It starts with our youth and that needs to be the primary focus. 

As bad as it is to say, I don’t pay that much attention anymore. I’ve kind of given up.  I live in the county but work in the city. So if I agree or disagree it doesn't matter. I’m not sure if we have strong men on the council. Personal agendas and the mayor doing whatever she wants to overshadow the truth

My honest opinion of City Council is that it is made up of predominantly men who are clout chasing. Current Republican politics means doing nothing but saying a lot. I'm a little more progressive, so I'd prefer to see shit getting done. Instead, what I see from the council is a bunch of dudes who are very happy to be there and be heard. Results aren't high on the list of things to do. That being said, I don't look at the men as being strong and therefore don't view the role as strong either. Look at what the mayor gets away with. No one will stand up to her.

Honestly since there aren’t any council women currently, I think men are overrepresented. Historically governmental leadership roles have been one of masculinity, although locally there have previously been some great female representation on the City Council and even currently on the County Commission. Unfortunately, through the actions of the current mayor, there is not much positive behavior to model or to encourage future female representation on council outside of what not to do. Also, due to the mayor’s actions it could be construed as the all-male council ganging up on the female mayor, although that isn’t the case at all. I don’t feel that there are any standout leaders on council currently. I know that Councilman Case is the president, but I feel that is more symbolic than representative of his actions (outside of recently matters regarding Mayor Orr).

I have always felt that City Council as a whole represents the interests of and protects “The Old Guard” and other friendly special interests rather than representing the best interests of the community. On a separate note, I felt like an expendable warm body when I worked for the city. I don’t expect much, but I do expect to be given reasonable respect by my employer, and that was not extended by council members at the time and certainly was not by then-Mayor Kaysen and his hoodlums.

They have their moments.

I don't pay attention to the City Council.

A City Council is a group of duly elected officials who serve as the legislative body of a city. They are tasked with representing the interests of their constituents. I think societies let all men down. The minority demoralizes masculinity. Being strong makes people feel unequal. Society telling me that my son can't be strong and it sucks to be a male or even worse a white male. Our society's plague of political correctness and social justice, to make everybody the same, hurts our society as well as our city. Males fall because we have no one strong enough to stand up for the morality of life. 

I honestly have never thought of the City Council in a gendered, or role-model capacity for gender. Perhaps that is my male privilege. I also think the City Council is more of an "idea" or construct when viewed as a role model. Not many people view it as a collection of individuals, so much as a collective. In that sense, it can be positive for men and women in the most generic sense alike. But kids aren't walking away with action figures of council member Mark Rinne. Not sure if that answers your questions

I really don't see much from the City Council seat that represents the Ward I live in, so it's easy to not pay attention much to the City Council in its entirety.

I dunno that they represent strong roles.

I don't count on the City Council to represent men in strong roles. I count on myself and my colleagues/friends to do that for ourselves.

As a man, I've never been represented by the City Council. And my experience as a man in this city has likely been drastically different than yours. I do not think I would have the opportunity to carry a strong role in this community.

I’ve liked many past and current council persons, but I wouldn’t want to suit up and go into a fire with any of them. The perception that they reflect men or their ward isn’t really their job. The council and other elected people are put there to speak and vote the will of those who elect them, not display a persona one way or another. 

It’s a dangerous and divisive game to compare the terms reflect and represent.

Let’s just say, a city manager form of government would be a positive improvement.                            Rich, your role on City Council gave me ambition. It showed me a rose can grow from concrete.

Richard Johnson is a former City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side.

These women think Cheyenne's mayor, Marian Orr, is falling far short as a role model for their gender

Editor’s note: This is the first of two columns exploring residents’ perceptions of Cheyenne Marian Orr as a leader. Today, women have their say. On Friday, we will hear from the men. Readers should beware that some of these comments may contain offensive language. Also please note some of these comments have been shortened and edited.



BY RICHARD JOHNSON

I posed one question to as many women as I could:

As a women, how do you feel Mayor Orr represents women in strong roles?

Their responses:

Ohhhh wow. I never thought of it. I honestly ignore her. I liked her at the beginning, but what she is doing I feel makes women look like idiots in that role.

How not  to act.

She’s a strong drinker.

She is a POS and makes me sad that she has a vagina and isn't just another white Republican male doing dumb shit. She does not represent strong female leadership in any sense.

Seriously, as a woman who feels like she’s pretty strong, she irritates the piss out of me and makes the rest of us look bad.

By misusing funds, making light of mistakes and issues, apparently doing whatever she feels like or wants without

Is Cheyenne's mayor a role model for her gender?

 consideration of their complexity or importance, I have to say she is not walking in territory in which men – some of whom are considered strong leaders – have not already blazed trails.  This is unfortunate for both males and females. But, when all is said and done, it is more unfortunate when women apparently can't rise above the mediocre, the business as usual, the good old boy roads and lead with integrity and at least an attempt to thoroughly consider issues and how constituents are impacted by the decisions of elected officials. Women who are mediocre or poor leaders are easily made into examples of why they should not be in leadership positions. 

She doesn't.  She is an embarrassment. Her leadership skills are very lacking, and she is very childish. I may not be a political figure, but I am a woman in the construction business, iron work, and I feel I represent strong women roles way better than she. No way would I say she makes me proud of having a woman mayor. It's like everyone voted her in because they were so excited about having a woman in the position they didn't give two shits about qualifications.

 She’s not strong or a role model. She’s attacked parts of Cheyenne that help people in need, and it makes her look horrible as a woman. She doesn’t care about the people; she cares about how she looks.

She's kinda angry.

A strong woman means collaboration, understanding (not agreement), constant visibility or communication and the ability to say "I apologize. I made a mistake.” Regardless of gender, these are traits that are indicative of a strong leader. Mayor Orr is setting a precedent in the state and the city that electing a female was a bad decision. Although gender isn't the issue, poor behavior is. To claim that she is representing women in strong roles shows she has no interest in equality but rather superiority

She’s a woman?  That just insulting.

Women deserve examples of transparency and accountability, not blame shifting.

I don’t identify with her at all, unfortunately.  I don’t see her as strong either.  She’s supposed to be a civil servant, but that’s not how politicians see themselves.  She’s not supposed to be a leader.

Whenever I have seen her at speaking engagements I think she handles herself very well. Well-groomed and professional. I'm still watching all the stuff concerning her. It is all very sad and it would be nice if she can redeem herself someday

I think she's doing a piss poor job of it, acting snotty and misappropriating funds.

She’s a poor representation of any woman. She is a train wreck. She isn’t a strong woman, even if she has a role that should make her one. She’s the drunk, sloppy gal friend that all women are embarrassed by on “Girls Night Out.”

I feel she makes female leaders look like petty high schoolers. The "I do what I want because I can" attitude is an embarrassment

She is a horrible representation of women in strong roles. I couldn't stand her before she became mayor, and I am disgusted by her now. I have strong feelings about her in general as I used to be friends with her husband. But a woman in power should be able to affectively outshine men in positions of power, not be an example of everything one should not do.

The mayor’s job is not an easy one. I wish I was in a better position to adequately answer your question.

I've always thought she was an idiot. I'm embarrassed to have her be a representative of women in any role.

Her agenda does not seem to represent women.

She literally told my seven-year-old son when he asked her what she actually did: "I'm the city’s biggest cheerleader!" There's much more to the job and life than that, Mrs. Orr.

She is the epitome of scandalous, I literally want to vomit when I think back to people getting kicked out of their trailers with nowhere to go, and she did not bat an eye. Then after volunteers took their time and efforts to plant flowers downtown, here comes “mayor of the year” and spends thousands of dollars to plant flowers that will die. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the federal grant “misplaced” money that she played dumb about, but then she tries to blast the governor about his tantrum, saying that she was intimidated. I don’t think she is a woman at all. She is a manipulative and disgusting politician, female Trumpanzee.

I feel Mayor Orr as a woman is strong with lots of ideas, good and bad, who is able to stand up with a voice and compete on the same level as her male opponents.

At first I thought well she was a fighter and didn’t take shit, but as time passed and I started paying closer attention she’s kind of a bitch and backstabbing. I don’t trust her and question the representation and the legacy she is leaving.

She makes us look incapable and incompetent. I didn’t vote for her, but I was happy because she’s the first woman mayor. Now I’m just disappointed!

I have not been impressed. She is not truthful and manipulative. It doesn’t matter that she is female.

There is an obvious air that she is in this for herself, her perk-using ways make it clear she is the swamp. She has had the opportunity to raise women’s voices in our society and all we are hearing is hers. Not impressed.

I don't feel she represents women in a positive light because she is shady about everything she does. Even the grant she returned. Getting in as mayor was just her way of bettering herself and not Cheyenne. She proved her position is about power and not responsibility. I didn't vote for her because I knew she was a phony.

She is an embarrassment! Terrible representation in everything she does! I really hope she does not run again!!

She makes us look like a crazy joke! I had spoken to the mayor on several occasions before she was elected and I can say, “Man, is she good.” Good at getting you to see what you want to see, not what’s really there. Just like every other politician, she says what you want to hear to get elected then only looks out for herself. Then to call people names like a child when they catch you doing the wrong things for our city just makes it worse.  

I feel like she misrepresents women in strong roles. She hasn’t admitted to fault in anything she has done incorrectly. Instead, she has found scapegoats. She also acts like a victim when things become heated. I feel like she is a poor representation of what a strong female leader should be, and I also feel like she is going to hinder the election of another female in the future.   

LOL! Poorly.

Not well. She makes our gender look stupid.

She’s a joke and an embarrassment to all women and this city. She may be the mayor of Cheyenne, but she forgot her role and that’s to take care of the city. What Mayor Orr needs to do is fix this mess she put the city in and how she’s going to repay the money that she used that’s supposed to be for the city.

She makes women look bad! Many men in strong roles do not want women in the same roles because of how she’s acting right now. The way she’s going about it is all wrong. She doesn’t represent strong women in large roles. She’s representing herself.

She is not authentic and does not represent the people of Cheyenne. It is so important that women in positions of leadership can demonstrate these qualities.

I'm usually a positive person, but I don't have nice things to say about her.

I don’t think she is a good representative of a woman in a strong role. I prefer Cindy Lummis as a strong female role model.

A strong woman is one who listens and acts with compassion.  Orr dismisses her constituents on a daily basis, ignoring their views, telling them to kick rocks and calling them haters. She is not a strong role model to me.

I don't think she was prepared or knowledgeable with the duties of the job.  I think she may be strong in many areas, but as mayor she thought she was a Trump!

Very poorly. I feel that just like every other mayor she has used and abused her power. As a woman she is up against different odds here in Wyoming with all the good ole boy mentalities, but I really think she could have gone about things in a completely different way.

I’m sad to see how she is representing women.

I don’t feel like Mayor Orr represents us at all. I think she is a disgrace to Wyoming. It's downright embarrassing seeing Cheyenne in the Washington Post for something so disgraceful she did. I don’t feel like she represents strong women, Cheyenne, or anyone for that matter other than herself! 

I do feel Orr is corrupt and pathetic, and she should step down.

I do not believe she is representing women very well at all. Most woman find solutions for issues, not create more. Very disappointed with her.

Two-faced. I don't respect her at all.

I feel that she represents why people don’t trust women's judgment.

She’s a disgrace to this community.  It’s embarrassing to have a female leader in office that continuously carries on like a child. There are young women watching what she “represents,” seeing only corruption, lies and arrogance.

She is a poor representation. She takes no accountability for what she says or does. I have children and the most important thing I can teach them is being accountable for their actions, both good and bad. If you misspeak or mess up, own it, learn from it and do better the next time. Instead, she acts entitled, doesn’t take the issues of our city seriously and it’s frustrating. She had such a golden opportunity to really bring our community together and make it better. Instead she has drawn a line in the sand and is mocking people that don’t agree with her.

She has demonstrated that power mongering, corruption, arrogance, bullying and ineptitude aren't just for the boys. She's a self-aggrandizing narcissist who only cares about herself.  She doesn't give an ass about Cheyenne or its people.

She’s a bratty woman who throws a fit when opposed/something goes wrong/people don’t kiss her ass/she gets caught doing shady things and then tells those voters that voice their opinions to “kick rocks.” She’s not a mayor. She’s a system-sucking, self-entitled twit. 

She doesn’t. She’s an ethically challenged embarrassment who uses adolescent terms like “kick rocks” and “haters” to justify her self-serving behavior.

She has, at times, let her emotions get ahead of her. Women are often seen as unstable due to heightened emotions that don’t appear controlled. 

No, she has surrounded herself with yes people and mostly men. Any woman with an opinion was fired or resigned.

I can think of precious little she has done to make power and decision-making more open to the women of this city. She’s not aces in my book.

She is doing a huge disservice to the rest of us.

Kind of hard for her to do so when she can’t even be respectable in her own role.

She represents woman negatively. She is a very big disappointment and an embarrassment, making poor decisions and taking no accountability for her actions.

Hand No. 1: She’s a female mayor, proof it can be done. Hand No. 2: She’s a freaking idiot who most people despise and think she can't do her job. So.... mixed?

I don't feel she represents strength because she complains often, throws fits and tries to make other elected officials look bad.

I don’t think she understands herself, the role she represents. This woman is just playing the game. She plays the really dumb blond bullshit (with the gentlemen) and the Oh really bullshit (like a child), and the I can fix these potholes, but she has an idea how to do that. This woman has no clue how to represent anyone, let alone women. I am ashamed for her!

Mayor Orr is strong with lots of ideas, good and bad, who is able to stand up with a voice and compete on the same level as her male opponents.

I think she’s slim shady.

She isn’t strong; she is very weak. Only the weak fight dirty, squirm out of situations and wreak havoc. She does not represent a woman well in being in a strong role.

Because women haven’t been in positions of power for all that long, the ones who are now in those positions should know that what they do and how they conduct themselves reflects on future women in powerful positions. Orr makes me cringe. She has behaved in an unprofessional and petty manner has given plenty of ammo to those that believe women shouldn’t be in those positions. I would like to have seen a woman who is honest with a true desire to help the citizens of Cheyenne become the first female mayor.  I’d love to see her step down as mayor. She doesn’t deserve that position.

She’s giving women a bad name. The old stereotypes of lying to get what she wants, to justify her actions. She’s manipulative.

Richard Johnson is a former City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side.

Updated: Don't let the mayor's "shiny object" distract you. She is playing fast and loose with city funds

            Editor’s note: This blog item has been updated from one posted earlier today in order to reflect changes in documentation provided by Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr. The earlier post doubted the mayor’s assertion that an accounting log was proof that she had paid for a limousine ride, not a massage, as indicated by City Council President Rocky Case. She has since provided a digital receipt. But that does not change the theme of this post: that Orr is trying to distract residents from her misuse of city funds.

BY D. REED ECKHARDT

If Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr thinks her latest foray into political theater will have any impact on her critics, she had better think again. 

And again.

            Because last week’s press conference where she tried to discredit Council President Rocky Case was pure bull manure. It was designed to do just one thing: toss a “shiny object” into the air with hopes that residents will focus on that rather than on her mishandling of public funds. (You can view the mayor’s press conference at https://cutt.ly/vexlq4b)

Does Cheyenne’s

Mayor Orr speaks to the press last week.

mayor really think the people of this city are stupid? That they can be distracted from her own ethical failings by some ginned up tale of a personal vendetta? Apparently so. And this is a reminder – again – of the arrogance that continues to plague her administration.

            For those who missed the mayor’s most recent bit of drama, last Friday Orr tried to first assert that Case – and a local radio station – were dead wrong when they implied a receipt proved she had abused the public trust by using tax dollars to get a massage at the airport in Detroit, Mich. She now has been proven right about that. She now has produced a $64 digital receipt from a limousine company that she said she used, though her initial documentation – an accounting log – was weak at best. 

            But Orr then went on to paint Case as a “momma’s boy,” someone who is out to “get her.” But not because she has been abusing city funds – which she clearly has been doing, at least when it comes to her misuse of the $100,000 Bloomberg grant. Rather, she asserted Case bears a grudge for her getting his mother, former City Council member Judy Case, fired from her position as a staff member at the Legislature.

            Really? 

            This is the strategy employed all too often now by politicians at the national level. Rather than deal with the matter at hand, they throw up some kind of distraction. In that way, the voters’ eyes are turned from the politician’s ethical misdealings and toward something fresh and exciting. The hope is that the ethical matters will quickly fade into the background.

            For Orr, the “shiny object” is her phony story of Rocky Case’s vendetta against her. Her assertion is that the council president is not motivated by a desire to uncover corruption in the mayor’s office but rather by payback for the way his mother has been treated. It is designed to minimize the mayor’s own misbehavior. 

For the record, Orr’s story is filled with errors. Judy Case, the council president’s mother, was not let go at the Legislature “20 years ago” as the mayor claimed at her press conference. Judy Case served on the City Council until 2010, and was still, if memory serves me, working at the Legislature well after that. She also never was censured by the City Council as Orr said, though Judy Case was reprimanded for her behavior at a committee meeting. (Sitting council member Pete Laybourn was officially censured by the council around the same time).

True, Judy Case was let go at the Legislature, and Orr reportedly had a role in that. But the mayor’s story is full of holes. She needs to do her homework before trying to distract the people of this city.

But assume for a moment that this is a personal vendetta by Rocky Case (an assumption not accepted here, by the way). What does it matter what the president’s motivation is? How does that nullify the fact that Orr misspent grants funds (she still has not apologized for that nor for the stain that has left on the city’s reputation)? It doesn’t. 

Orr has “proven” nothing, and that has not undermined Case’s argument that she is misusing city funds for her own personal ends. Indeed, his catching her arms deep in the Bloomberg cookie jar (remember, the city is being required to repay $56,571, at least partly because of Orr’s use of it for such things as airline tickets and bar tabs) tends to support Case, and not Orr, in this dispute. (Check out a post on this concern at https://cutt.ly/iexliXQ)

And if the mayor were to use taxpayer funds to get her nails done or get a massage in Detroit, it wouldn’t surprise anyone. Orr’s ethical failings, such as accepting a gift from a potential city supplier, are a matter of public record that can’t be disappeared by this new “shiny object.” 

Orr is simply hoping the people of Cheyenne will take their eyes off the facts and focus on the process, implying that if the process of revealing the facts is flawed, the facts have to be flawed as well.

But nothing could be further from the truth. The facts continue to mount that Orr is playing fast and loose with city funds. Rocky Case says there is more to come – he has binders of receipts on his council desk that he is going through – which certainly is why the mayor is using the shiny object of Judy Case to distract the voters and taxpayers from whatever might be coming next.

As a piece of theatrical politics, Orr’s press conference was a flop. Rather than diverting attention from her unethical behavior, it has drawn the focus to her ever tighter. Now she knows the people of Cheyenne are watching, which is bound to put a crimp in her lifestyle. Poor baby. She may have to use her own $95,000 salary rather than other taxpayer dollars to pay her bar tabs.

D. Reed Eckhardt is the former executive editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

DDA's Vicki Duggar is just the latest victim of Cheyenne's continuing war against "outsiders"

BY RICHARD JOHNSON

Vicki Duggar has announced she that she is leaving the Downtown Development Authority. Her story, along with countless others, shows how much Cheyenne hates transplants. 

Duggar came to Cheyenne with a smile on her face, an unbelievable amount of energy and a style all her own. When I read her credentials of success in driving other locales in positive directions, I only

A smiling Vicki Duggar at DDA prior to her public pummeling.

needed to see the states or Oregon and New Mexico on the list to know her tenure here would be short. 

This city’s hierarchy, both public and private, wouldn’t take progressive thinking, especially from a woman. 

Anyone running the DDA is already facing an uphill battle. The agency is scorned from the City Council dais as well as by downtown property owners. With one arm tied behind your back, you are asked to stick your head into the lion’s mouth day after day, week after week. 

It’s not a job that is coveted, and it takes a strong person to lead the charge into the pits of Cheyenne’s downtown hell. 

Do you think the powers-that-be would treat the Chamber of Commerce or LEADS this way? Hell no. Those agencies have members in office or family members in office. The DDA is the middle child that both parents ignore. 

Just look at the last year. 

Duggar had been in Cheyenne about a year when her funding from the city was dropped to pennies by the mayor. Everyone in the city knows the mayor holds a grudge, and her mayoral opponent in 2016 was then the executive director of the DDA. 

No matter who is in charge, the mayor will do all she can to wipe anything Amy Surdam out of the public’s mind. So even though Duggar wasn’t here in 2016, she has to be punished and tortured about something she had nothing to do with. 

Then she was under attack by “the true downtown hero," a certain Ward 1 City Council member, over public records, only to have the same individual start a mock DDA then put in an application to the mayor’s office to fill a vacancy on the DDA board. Even though another City Council person is already a voting member. 

No, you can’t make this stuff up. This is real life in the ongoing political drama between the city and the DDA.

With her budget cut, Duggar asked for volunteers to help plant flowers downtown. We answered the call and filled about 40 flowerpots with floral arrangements designed by the Laramie County Master Gardeners. One month later the flowers had filled them, and they looked beautiful. 

Well, we all saw the cronyism over the summer when the flowers were torn out and replaced by the mayor. Flower-gate 2019 will long be forgotten as one more time the mayor crapped on volunteers amidst the ongoing feud with an agency she hates. 

Never mind the fact the volunteers got letters from the mayor that she was making up the DDA's inefficiency when she was the one who cut their budget. 

Then we have those pesky downtown property owners who let their buildings rot while they collect rent. More than 40 years of neglect and they expect their buildings to make code for new businesses to move in. 

These do-nothing dolts would rather squander space and raise rents to outrageous amounts than to fix the problem. Or they’d rather pursue government cheese than have much skin in the game. 

Good thing it’s Halloween because there are plenty of skeletal structures and ghost signs of a once-thriving downtown. 

So you can see, this is a never-ending battle of egos and money. 

We have lost another good person. 

Think about this if you will: Duggar moved here and took a job no one wanted at an agency everyone hated. She did her best with the minimal resources she had, and the city crapped on her. 

Why would anyone want to stay under that hostile work environment? It’s like playing Russian roulette with rounds in all the chambers. You just don’t know which personal attack bullet will kill you that day. I’m sure on several occasions I was that bullet that made her want to leave. I’m not an innocent party here. 

Congratulations to city leadership on its excellent marketing ability to vilify and create the appearance that the DDA is a taxpayer leach. 

If you armchair quarterbacks are so damn smart, why haven’t you done anything? The only blight I see is Cheyenne’s do-nothing attitude. 

Would it be possible to challenge people to get in touch with their better natures by not  normalizing bullying? To me, that is the biggest issue. This horrible behavior has been going on for so long in this town that it is now considered normal. 

I would also add that most people who've spent much time as adults in other places understand the toxic environment that has been allowed to take root in Cheyenne. They know this is not normal or typical or conducive to a healthy community dynamic.

To Vicki Duggar and all those other transplants who tried to make a positive impact while you were here, thank you. Cheyenne will never be ready for you. It will always be like the old retired couple who sits in their recliner and watches “Price Is Right” reruns.

Richard Johnson is a former City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side. 

Yes, Madam Mayor, haters gotta hate. But then, you give them plenty of good reasons to do so

Editor’s note: On Wednesday, Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr told a local radio station that she intends to just ignore the “haters” and keep working for the good of the Capital City. This comes in the wake of mounting criticism that she misused thousands of dollars – some for apparent personal reasons – from a $100,000 grant given to the city to help improve downtown. (You can read about that recent grant revelation at https://cutt.ly/4ekkaW1). 

BY RICHARD JOHNSON

Well you hate me, and I hate you

You never understand the things I say or do – So what's new?

You never liked me, so I say f--- you

You know, you know that you don't like me, and I don't like you

-- GG Allin

After the mayor called her constituents “haters,” I didn’t disagree. I am a hater. 

Here is a list of things I hate:

I hate city of Cheyenne employee turnover.

I hate hard-working city employees being threatened to hide stuff they think is wrong and then getting thrown under the bus. 

I hate seeing friends I met who work for the city walk around defeated.

I hate my taxpayer dollars being used for bar tabs.

I hate that a trip to Cabo can’t be justified. 

I hate that my volunteer hours planting flowers were crapped on.

I hate the fact that residents have to throw rallies to recall a public official.

I hate that Kicking Rocks shirts had to be made. 

I hate that only one council member is speaking out.

I hate voter apathy, but I understand that candidates suck.

I hate click bait candidates. 

I hate that delicious waffles were an innocent victim. 

I hate politicians at my door with fake smiles and empty promises.

I hate that the streets are still bad. 

I hate that good people are publicly shamed. 

I hate hearing about liquor licenses being used as blackmail.

I hate hearing about groping a Thunderbird pilot.     

I hate WARM (Wyoming Area Risk Management).

I hate new positions with large salaries. 

I hate hearing about blight. 

I hate alcohol-fueled Twitter posts.                

I hate people who are tardy. 

I hate the smell of orange juice and vodka. 

I hate pandering. 

I hate backpedaling. 

I hate retractions. 

I hate civics. 

I hate that I hate when I could write something positive. 

I hate that no discretionary funds were used to write this piece. 

 Richard Johnson is a former Cheyenne City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side.

If you want to speak to the City Council, here are some helpful hints on how best to make that happen

BY RICHARD JOHNSON

Several of you have written me lately to ask how to actively engage City Council at its meetings. I know they are scary suits looking down on you from their intimidating dais, and most times it seems there is no order with the mayor in charge. But there is a method to the madness. 

Rule 1: Show up on time

I know the city website is complete junk on finding the council schedule. But here’s how to find out when

The Cheyenne City Council at work.

a meeting is: Click Local Government. Click City Council Videos. Click Agenda.

Here are a few rules you need to know.

If you have questions or concerns about an annexation or a zoning change, the process is as follows: Often there is a public hearing in which an item can be addressed. After that, it is referred to the Public Service Committee, back to council for a second reading, back to committee for more discussion and finally to council for the third and final reading. 

It is best if you present your questions or arguments early in the process. That gives council members some time to do their research on the questions you may have raised. It is rare that a last-minute objection gets much traction. 

In addition, most of the work and discussion is done at committee. It is best if you can be present for the committee meeting.  

Finally, keep in mind that if an annexation or zoning change meets the conditions or requirements of state statute or city ordinance, there is no legal reason for the Governing Body to vote against it. If the proposal does meet requirements, the probability of it being approved is high.

When at the meeting, listen to the clerk and mayor carefully when they announce agenda items. You don’t get to discuss items that aren’t on topic. When the mayor says public comment on that agenda item, that is your turn to speak. Remember: only that topic.

To save time, there is what’s called the consent agenda. This is where agenda items that are assumed to generate little or no discussion are lumped together and passed on one vote. If the item you want to discuss is on the consent agenda, contact a city council member before the meeting and asked for it to be pulled.

Remember, the item you request to be pulled is placed in its regular order, so make sure you can stay until your item is read to speak. City Council is receptive to pulling items off the consent agenda on behalf of the community. Don’t be afraid to ask. It doesn’t have to be in person; an e-mail or phone call will do. 

Once again, make sure you are present to discuss your topic. Meetings can and do get drawn out on topics you may not find interesting.

At the end of the meeting is a section called “Other Business.” This is where you can voice your concern about the community. 

Remember, concise arguments are appreciated. If you have a handout, make sure you bring at least 15 copies: one for each council member, one for the mayor, one for the city clerk and additional copies for any media that may be present. 

It is best to hand the copies to the city clerk to be handed out to those on the dais. Be prepared to answer any questions and make yourself available to answer any questions at the end of your speech.

As dumb as it sounds, dress to impress. 

Don’t be accusatory or use foul language when addressing the governing body. 

Do not expect an immediate response as most likely the governing body is not familiar with your issue.

Be polite and address the representatives by their title, even if you are on a first-name basis with some of them. 

Remember, your City Council does want to hear from you. Following the proper processes will best allow that to happen.

            Richard Johnson is a former City Council member from Ward 3 on Cheyenne’s east side. You can reach him at richardjohnson82001@gmail.com.

This was no accounting error. Either Orr misused Bloomberg funds or she failed to do her job properly.

BY D. REED ECKHARDT

            Mayor Marian Orr has some explaining to do.

            Yes, she has admitted that some $56,571 in funds given to the city by Bloomberg Philanthropies for Orr’s Fight the Blight campaign were either misused or not used and will be returned – some

The $100,000 grant from Bloomberg was announced in February.

of it from the mayor’s own discretionary funds. That is necessary because Orr either purposely misused the money or was so ignorant about how grants funds worked that she thought they could be used for anything rather than for the purpose for which they were intended.

Unfortunately, rather than simply admitting that she made an error, promising to do better in the future and making the funds whole, she has chosen to blame the whole affair “an accounting error.” And she is tossing City Treasurer Robin Lockman under the bus, letting Lockman take the blame for a “coding error” that led to this unfortunate mess.

So it is with the arrogance that continues to mark the Orr administration. Whether it is violating city purchasing rules by accepting a gift from a potential city supplier, telling unhappy residents to “go kick rocks” or ginning up a phony “emergency” over potholes, Orr simply goes her own way and to hell with everyone else. 

A real leader doesn’t make others take the fall for her. Rather, she steps up and acknowledges that the buck stops at her desk and takes personal responsibility to make things right. That is not Marian Orr.

Consider where City Hall would be today if City Council President Rocky Case had not stepped to question why these funds had been used to pay for bar tabs, top-flight hotel rooms, plane tickets to Hawaii, a pricey book on public dysfunction (the irony there is obvious) and office furniture, among other things. Would Orr ever have admitted her fault in this matter? Would the public ever have known that its mayor had misused funds, either our of ignorance or from personal corruption? Would Cheyenne ever have been approved again for grants funding from nonprofits once this “mis-coded” accounting error been reported to Bloomberg?

Orr is complaining that Case should have approached her about this abuse of funds first. Why? Her previous arrogance toward the City Council – and toward the general public – gave no indication that she would have welcomed Case’s concerns much less have been responsive to them. And would she then have tried to hide her missteps after she found out her actions had been revealed? It’s doubtful Case would have accepted that approach, but it is equally doubtful that the arrogant Orr would not have at least proposed it.

The mayor certainly is hoping that this revelation of a “coding error” will somehow let this story to die a quiet death. But that is not where this all should end.

At a minimum, Orr owes public apologies both to the people of Cheyenne and to Bloomberg for this affair. 

The reason for the apology to Bloomberg is obvious. She admits that she knew from Day One that the $100,000 grant would not be enough money for her to execute her plans of setting up a website designed to help promote downtown development. Instead, she finagled a couple of events then let the rest of the money fall into misuse. Better that she simply had returned the check with a hearty thank you. Instead, the funding was abused, and that deserves a mea culpa to the foundation from the mayor.

But she also owes the people of Cheyenne an apology since it is their city that now has garnered negative national attention for this escapade. Orr can apologize to the people for purposely using the funds for her own ends. Or she can apologize for failing to do her job, to not learn how grants work and then make certain these funds were used in that manner. Either way, this is her mess and her mess alone; it has nothing to do with the City Treasurer’s Office.

It is our understanding that a protest is being planned for next weekend to speak out against Orr and her civic arrogance. Unfortunately, it is being set up by a group from the far right, politically, and the turnout will be minimal since no one really wants to be identified with the local lunatic fringe. 

And Ms. Orr will, no doubt, dismiss this group with the same attitude that she displayed to the hundreds who spoke out against her efforts to terminate the city’s beloved Superday. She may not say it aloud this time, but she no doubt will be thinking that they can go “kick rocks” as well.

In recent weeks, the City Council has taken steps toward reining in mayoral arrogance. It refusal to go along with the pothole “emergency” was a major step forward. Now this effort by its president to monitor how grants funds are used is another message that Orr’s performance is being properly monitored. Good for the council; someone has to do it.

It would be nice to think that this incident will cause Orr to moderate her “do as I say” approach to city government. But please, don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

D. Reed Eckhardt is the former executive editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.