Cheyenne voters elect new city council and county leaders

Cheyenne Voters Reshape City Council and County Leadership in General Election

“I’m feeling great. I’m really excited. It was a good run, and I’m glad to be representing Cheyenne,” Maren Kallas told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after securing the Ward 1 seat on the Cheyenne City Council during Tuesday’s general election.

With nearly every seat up for grabs across the municipality, Tuesday’s ballot brought significant potential for turnover as voters selected representatives for all three city wards alongside contested races for the Laramie County Board of County Commissioners, Laramie County sheriff, and Pine Bluffs mayor, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported. Kallas led Ward 1 with 2,623 votes, outpacing Rhianna Brand, who finished with 1,932 votes. The seat was previously held by Larry Wolfe, who stepped in following the death of Scott Roybal but did not seek election.

Cheyenne voters elect new city council and county leaders — Photo: wyomingnews.com

Ward Shifts and New Faces on the Council

Voters in Ward 2 opted for healthcare professional, small business owner, and former downtown developer Janelle Rose, who captured 4,466 votes to lead Lynn Storey-Huylar’s 2,875 votes. Rose joins the council after serving on the Downtown Development Authority Board and the Friends of the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens board, filling a vacancy left as incumbent Mark Rinne pursued a successful run for the state Senate District 7 seat.

Meanwhile, Ward 3 delivered the evening’s only contested race featuring an incumbent. Councilman Ken Esquibel, who has served since 2018, farded off a challenge from Bill Bryant in a tight contest, taking 2,698 votes to Bryant’s 2,369. Following his victory, Esquibel dedicated the win to his late colleague and friend, Scott Roybal.

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“This one’s for Scott,” Esquibel said, as reported by the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “Him and I had talked probably three days before his death. We were talking about whether or not we were going to run for reelection. I think he really gave me some incentive to really work hard and move forward with a lot of his visions that he had during his time on the council, so I’m going to carry that forward.”

Laramie County Commission Results

Following an August 18 primary that narrowed a field of 12 candidates down to three Republicans and three Democrats for the Laramie County Board of County Commissioners, the general election settled the three open seats.

Democratic challengers Lynne K. Davis and Barbara Cabot finished at the bottom of the ballot with 10,955 and 10,100 votes, respectively. Incumbent commissioners Troy Thompson and Gunnar Malm retained their standing alongside newcomer Jess E. Ketcham, who topped the county commissioner race by drawing 19,475 votes.