Kirby and East Thermopolis candidates

Candidates for East Thermopolis and Kirby council persons and mayor are included on the 2022 General Election ballot for those towns.

In East Thermopolis, Jack Kuiper and Jeremiah Ramsey are on the ballot as the candidates for Mayor. Kuiper has withdrawn from the race so any votes for him will not count toward the winner. For council person of the town of East Thermopolis, three names are on the ballot and voters can vote for two of them. Dolores Bush, Debra K. Lackey and Julie Dodds Music are seeking to fill the two available four year terms.

Questionnaires were sent to the town of East Thermopolis to be distributed to the candidates but none were returned.

Jessica Slagle is the single name on the ballot for the office of Mayor of Kirby. Kimberly Graham, Nathaniel Rodriguez and Barrie Lynn Bryant Jr are running for two 4 year positions on the Kirby Town Council.

Questionnaires were sent to the candidates and Bryant was the only one who returned his.

Bryant is running for Town Council in Kirby as a resident of Kirby for the past 28 years.

He has been a resident of Kirby for the past 28 years. He moved to Kirby with his late wife, artist Annabelle “A.B.” Word, in 1994 in search of solitude and invigorating space to work on their careers. Since then, he has exhibited art in 17 Wyoming cities and 40 US states. He won recognition in 75% of venues resulting in more than 200 awards. He has been awarded five development grants from Wyoming Arts Council, writes about art for magazines, and teaches locally and nationally. He is a US Marine veteran of Operation Desert Storm.

Bryant creates community among artists in Wyoming through education and outreach. He is currently finishing the Bighorn Basin Documentary Photography Project 2022 wherein he taught locals in four counties about discovering pressing needs in their communities.

Bryant responded to the three questions asked of the candidates.

1. What are two important issues facing the Town of Kirby and its residents that you would like to see improved?

I have lived in Kirby for 28 consecutive years, longer than most residents who live here now. I would like to improve the dialogue between the council and the residents. When I moved to Kirby in 1994, we used to meet for annual town functions. Now, nothing happens like that any more. We have the opportunity to host at least one annual event that could be a music festival in the spirit of what other small towns in Wyoming do. Shell is a perfect example to model after, because their population is under 100 and similar to that of the Kirby. We will improve our community this way. And I would like to see residents be more mindful of their profanity and remove it from flying it on their flags and bannering it across their homes. We should respect one another more carefully. Show love in the community instead.

2. Would you like to see development of businesses in Kirby?

I would like to see moderate development of business in Kirby. Moderate growth can be expected and will improve our community. I have been a self-employed business owner in Kirby for 28 years. I do not operate a storefront since I am a professional artist and frame maker with a studio. But my door is open by appointment, and I have entertained hundreds of guests in my studio. I invite you to come see me. I look forward to it.

3. What is your vision for the future of Kirby?

My vision for the future of Kirby is to improve our community by hearing the needs that have been addressed at the council and looking at the positive ways that these needs have been satisfied in the past or how they might be satisfied in the future. During this summer, I have taught four documentary photography courses, one in each of the four Bighorn Basin counties, and my participants have done exactly what I am talking about for my vision of Kirby. Each participant has selected a community (people with like interests and who live in close proximity to one another), documented their most pressing needs, and how those communities are satisfying those needs. I researched this topic by reading the Community Needs Assessment Handbook written by Dr. Rodney A. Wambeam of Laramie. I am all about bringing people together and connecting one another in a positive way.