Three running for Thermopolis Town Council

Three candidates will face off in the 2022 General Election in the Thermopolis Town Council race, including incumbents John Dorman Sr. and Tony Larson and challenger Rachel Hughes. Bradyn Harvey’s name appears on the ballot but he has officially withdrawn from the race. Votes for him will not be considered in who wins.

The three candidates provided bios and answers to five questions submitted by readers and asked by the IR staff.

John Dorman Sr.

I enjoy working for the town and trying to keep things on an even keel, doing the max that we can do with the minimum amount of funds that we have to accomplish those things.

Tony Larson

My name is Tony Larson; I graduated from Hot Springs County High and also attended Chadron State College. I have a full time job and own a small business for twenty-nine years in the Town of Thermopolis. I’m also a member of the town council. I’m not going to bore you with a lot of words these answers are going to be straight and to the point, if you want to talk on any of these please contact me.

Rachel Hughes

No bio was provided.

The three candidates provided answers to five questions submitted by readers and asked by the IR staff. Answers were held to a maximum of 150 words, and in the case of two part questions, 200 words. Those questions and the candidates responses are as follows:

1. What would you do to encourage more small businesses to open up here?

Dorman: The Town of Thermopolis certainly works very hard to support new businesses, by providing the best we can in utility, zoning and service. I think the biggest help would be for building owners to be willing to work with potential new businesses.

Larson: I would like to do more for the downtown area now.  Put in charging station on light poles for electric vehicles if possible and around the park downtown.  The idea of a splash pad for the kids would be agreat addition to spruce up the downtown and make it more attractive to draw more businesses to move in and keep people here longer.

Hughes: Broaden  home occupancy business permits. This allows small businesses to build a client base and capital to later expand with less out of pocket expense. Encourage established home based businesses to apply for permits. Work with these businesses to encourage possible move to a downtown storefront which would encourage additional growth. Establish a series of educational events featuring current community leaders including realtors, bankers, and other business owners to help community members who may have ideas for a business but lack the knowledge of how to get started.

2. What would you do to address the lack of affordable housing in our town?

Dorman: Affordable housing is something that has to be a community effort, including lending companies, developers, neighborhoods and local government.

Larson: This one is difficult because we need more affordable housing but I don’t believe that the town should become landlords.  I believe that we can support grants for developers and help locating grants if there are any out there.  We could also be supportive by putting water and sewer lines in and that could provide the avenue for more housing but who would say it that these places are going to be affordable.  We cannot put stipulation on developers on what they want to charge.

Hughes: A public discussion on the need for affordable housing and what types of housing are in demand and wanted in Thermopolis would be a starting point. (Apartments, condos and/or single family homes) Talk with  developers that specialize in affordable housing for smaller communities. We’ve seen communities like Cody, Sheridan and Evanston start this process with success. Landlords of multiple rentals should have a waiting period of 90 days to be eligible to put bids on available properties, unless it will be their primary residence.

3. Plans are in the works to close the current town dump and move to using a transfer station and hauling our local waste elsewhere. Do you support the current plan? If not, what is your alternate idea?

Dorman: I do support the transfer station. We are controlled by other government agencies such as DEQ and EPA that say something we have to do, their way. If we could do it a different way, we would. I am pretty sure everyone has researched everything possible.

Larson: This is NOT something we want to do but being made to do by the DEQ and EPA.  We have a permit for the current landfill until sometime in 2023.  A transfer station is needed for the Entire Community (Town, County, Kirby & East Thermopolis) the only things is we would need public input on how to collect the trash in town, (via individual rollouts, locking dumpsters) or keep gather the same way we are?

Hughes: I do not support using a transfer station. As a community we need to be addressing ways of reducing our refuse at home. Recycling is a popular topic though it hasn’t been addressed much locally.  A simple way to start recycling would be simply composting at home, which would reduce the surplus of cardboard, yard waste and table scraps. How can we begin to talk about transporting our garbage somewhere else when we haven’t addressed lowering the quantity that would be loaded onto those trucks? Landfills are more cost effective. And a smarter solution for the time being. While that may change in the future, I feel the current council is making a hasty decision when considering the transfer station.

4. Do you want to put a limit on the number of short term rentals in the town limits to encourage long term rental or ownership?

Dorman: I do think we need to have better control and I understand it is a supplement income for the property owner, but it also take’s away rentals for new business employees in the workforce.

Larson: This is something that we need discussion on with these short term rentals owners. There has to be some type of compromise that both parties can and should agree on.

Hughes: I wouldn’t seek to limit the number of short term rentals, but I would consider putting limitations on them in low density and medium  density residential areas.

5. What are the top three things you would like to see funded or defunded in the Town of Thermopolis?

Dorman: I do not see how we can defund anything but could use more revenue to fund our budget. I think infrastructure, streets and maintaining a balanced budget is important funding.

Larson: Sorry I can’t pick the top 3 but I’m going to give you a list of things I would like to see done.

This is not a priority list just what I would like to do. Streets, Infrastructure, Charging stations downtown, A Raw water system for the entire town (just like East Thermopolis) because I would not like to see a well field south of town that could affect the HOT SPRINGS, some new playground equipment for the parks and a splash pad.  I know this is a large list and funding will be difficult but I would like this town to THRIVE.

Hughes: Water quality and roads, in my opinion, could never have too much funding.  I’d like to see those items have more funding. But, if those 2 were taken care of and there is money to get other things done, my top 3 would be: Revitalizing downtown to make it attractive to new business. Updating and replanning town parks. Providing a series of educational events to help community members. These events could highlight topics such as:  path to first time home ownership, starting a business, financial planning, encouraging participation in community groups, composting/recycling, etc. There isn’t anything I would want to defund.