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.