Community members running for precinct committee positions

Voters residing in the various precincts in Hot Springs County will have a chance to vote for their committeemen and committeewomen.

We attempted to reached out to those running by email or phone to request information from candidates listed on the official ballots. The responses we received are printed here.

Republican

For Precinct Committeeman 1-1, a two year term, voters are requested to vote for not more than two. Ralph Jager, Russell H. Lewis and Jerry D Williams appear on the primary ballot.

Jager responded with the following: Citizens of Hot Springs County, my name is Ralph Jager aud I am running for the HSC Committeeman for precinct 1-1. My platform is transparency and integrity and I think we need more of this in our city and county. We should be allowed to have a voice at city and county meetings to express our concerns without needing to be on an agenda. We are the taxpayers; they work to represent us. People for Thermopolis we need to take back our town and not be afraid to speak up. I would like to be your voice. The Constitution was written to protect the people of the United States from inept government by voting people in and out of office.

For Precinct Committeewoman 1-1, a two year term, voters are requested to vote for not more than two. Stephanie Conrad, Meri Ann Dorman and Mary Ann Jager appear on the primary ballot.

Dorman responded with the following: I am running for Committeewoman for Precinct 1:1. I was born and raised in Thermopolis, and feel fortunate that my husband, John Dorman, Jr, and I can raise our 8-year-old grandson in Thermopolis. I am currently the Chief Executive Office for the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and serve on a number of boards. I have been involved with the HSC Central Committee for the past 5 years and have served as Secretary and Treasurer, in the past. I am running because I am concerned about some of the decisions that the local central committee and Wyoming Republican Party are making and if I want to see change, I need to be willing to get involved. We need to be willing to listen to the voters. I feel that as a society we have lost respect for others. I do not want everyone to agree with each other, but I want everyone to have the respect to listen to other points of view.

For Precinct Committeeman 1-2, a two year term, voters are requested to vote for not more than one.

Matt Ivie is the single candidate on the Republican ballot. His response is: Hello, my name is Matt Ivie and I am running for precinct 1-2 in Hot Springs County. I was born in Thermopolis in 1977 and attended grade school in the community until I graduated in 1996. I then attended the University of Wyoming and obtained degrees in Psychology and Secondary Education. I was fortunate to be hired at the NW BOCES after graduating. For 17 years, I worked with youth with emotional needs and their families from all over Wyoming. I have been happily married for 14 years to my wife, Miyuki, and we have a wonderful 12-year-old daughter. This will be my first year running for precinct committee. I am excited about the opportunity to serve the community that I have known my entire life.

No Republican candidates filed for Precinct Committeewoman 1-2, Precinct Committeeman 2-1 or Committeewoman 2-1.

For Precinct Committeeman 3-1, the single Republican candidate is Jason Bowman. No Committeewomen filed.

Republicans filing for Precinct Committeeman 4-1 include Bob Aguiar, Chip Axtell, Ted Brown, Bradyn Harvey, Phillip Scheel, Clay VanAntwerp and JW.

Responses received are as follows:

Bob Aguiar: I have been a resident of Hot Springs County for the past 11 years.  Currently he is the Republican Party State Committeeman, a member of Hot Springs County Predator Management Board and a 4-H Shooting Sports Leader for many years. He graduated college at Regis University in Denver and has spent more than 35 years in Management positions both in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming retiring as Human Resource Manager for Crown Manufacturing in Worland.  

Chip Axtell: Hello Hot Springs County voters. I am a 4th generation rancher in the county and have lived here my entire life. I operate a family cattle ranching business and have done so for 25 years. My wife and I have raised four children in this community, a fifth generation, two of them are done with school and moved back to the area, the other two are still in high school. We have no plans to leave Hot Springs County. I believe in taking part and being involved in the community and am currently sitting on a couple additional boards in the county. I have always been a conservative and a republican but have never been involved in the republican party.  My reason for running for a committeeman position is to be a part of the local group that promotes the republican party, and to become more informed about the process at the county level for the party. The national political scene is very contentious, but I think the values of the republican party are worth promoting. I will do my best to add a positive presence to the committee.

Ted Brown: I am running for reelection as a Republican committeeman in Precinct 4-1. I moved to Thermopolis from Casper eight years ago and have been a Wyoming resident for 55 years. I’ve been involved with the Republican Party in Hot Springs County for the past two years. I want to listen to the needs and issues of the community and then help inform the party to make proper decision-making. He wants to be cautious about changes and influences from other states and has helped research issues such as property taxes. 

Bradyn Harvey: I’ve been involved in the committee for four years and have served this last term as Vice Chairman of the committee. I believe the Republican party needs to be on the offense on political issues rather than being complacent and letting politics happen around us. I’m aggressive in my fight for individual liberties, fiscal responsibility and holding elected officials responsible. The central committee is the foundation for politics up to the federal level. We not only fund raiser for candidates but we keep local pressure on local officials where we can actually make a difference. I’m tired of reacting to the leftist agenda as it bangs on our front door. We need to be actively rooting it out before it gets a hand hold. I’m 32 years old, born and raised in Hot Springs County, and I’ve chosen to raise my family here. Not only am I involved in politics for the current generation but for future generations. I’m invested in the future of our kids and the future of our county. I believe individual liberty is the most important thing to consider when debating a political topic. Individual liberty is followed by fiscal responsibility in my priorities. Elected officials must be effective and efficient with the resources they take from us.

Phillip Scheel: I am the co-owner and CEO of Tumbleweed Propane, in addition to serving as a County Commissioner. I am from Pine Bluffs and went to college at LCCC, where I served as the Student Senate President. I have served at the state and local level of many boards and nonprofits. I was the Thermopolis Citizen of the Year in 2015. I was in the Leadership Wyoming Class of 2019 and was in the inaugural Leadership Academy class of 2024. I served on the Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce board for 11 years and is a Past President. I am a member of the Thermopolis Rotary Club, and is a Past President. I am a longtime member of the Rocky Mountain Propane Association and a Past Chairman and Treasurer. I now represent Wyoming on the National Propane Gas Association Board of Directors. In my spare time, I coach the Ag Mechanics Team for Thermopolis FFA, work in my shop, and enjoy watching my kids play sports and do other activities. I have been an active participant in HSC Republican functions and an appointed delegate to both the Hot Spring County and state Republican Party Conventions. I want to ensure civility and transparency in the party governance and want to ensure that those elected to serve on the HSC central committee represent the values and integrity of the Hot Springs County voters.

JW: I am a “political refugee” from the Land of the Lemmings to our south. There, I was a fair board member and photography and art superintendent.  I was able to successfully help a long time friend become sheriff and elect President Trump. Upon moving to Thermopolis, Josh Brown encouraged me into becoming active in HSCRP. Soon I began attending meetings and becoming vocal. I was quite pleased and proud to be elected as a Committee- man for our rural district. I have lived in seven of our Western states over the years; in communities of various sizes and configurations.  Experiences have shown me that there is more than one path to a goal. I hope to continue bringing straight forward conversation, actions, and common sense to the table.  My perspective or vision, at times, is  broader than our valley.  I am trying to involve more youth in HSCRP events. There are definitely problems in the county and community, as there are in other places.  But I am damn weary of local “leaders” - elected, appointed, or hired- that only offer excuses  instead of solutions.

Republicans filing for Precinct Committeewoman 4-1 include Cheryl L. Aguiar, Leyann Gomez and Shurie Scheel.

Responses received are as follows:

Leyann Gomez: I love the USA. I don’t like seeing it become a socialist country or what appears to be heading in that direction. I never really got into politics before retiring and moving here. I was always to busy with family and career. Then I started realizing the country was going downhill and saw changes in schools, voting, freedom of speech and just plain one sided news. I had to get involved. I have four grown children, and several grand and great grand kids. I want a better world for them and all kids. I started going to the local Hot Springs County Republican Party monthly meetings. I was selected as a delegate for the WY GOP Convention in 2022 and 2024. I was elected as a District Committeewoman last election and then became a State Committeewoman.

Shurie Scheel: I grew up in Thermopolis, graduating in 2003, and went to the University of Wyoming. I returned in 2009 with myhusband, Phillip, to purchase my parent’s small business, which we have run since then with myself serving as the Chief Financial Officer. I have served on various boards and committees since that time, and is currently serving on several. I am proud to have been chosen as the Hot Springs County Citizen of the Year in 2012, and Volunteer of the Year in 2018. I have always avoided getting involved in politics, with the exception of being the President of the PAC that helped get the Hospital District passed in 2016 in order to preserve local control of our hospital. I have recently begun getting more involved in the county and state level Republican Party events and meetings because I feel that there isn’t enough diversity in opinion represented at those meetings, and I want to ensure that the full spectrum of Republicanism is represented so that the best ideas can surface through civil debate on the issues. I hold tight to Reagan-era Republican values, and encourage limiting taxes and regulations, controlling government spending, and limiting the size of government while encouraging capitalism and business growth. I see the positive changes that have happened in Hot Springs County and am excited to help the Republican Party to be at the front, helping to usher in positive growth in our County.

Cheryl Aguiar: For the past two years, I have served as the Chair of the HSC Republican Party, and two years before that I served as the State Committeewoman. I serve as the alternate for Region 5 in the statewide Wyoming Republican Party and meet by teleconference monthly with the state committee. In addition, I travel quarterly to the statewide meetings. I believe the relationships I have made statewide are important to continue to better serve our County. In my tenure as Chair, we hosted several speakers in our popular Speaker Series. I am very involved and active in political issues statewide. I have served as one of the three Committee of Applicants on two statewide initiatives. One was to restrict political party changes before the primary election. I organized a statewide team who collected over 10,000 signatures. In 2023 a law finally passed to restrict switching parties (cross-over voting). The next initiative I served as one of the organizers on was the People’s Initiative to Reduce Residential Property Tax by 50%. This Initiative collected over 40,000 signatures and we expect to reach the qualifying number of signatures within the next couple of months. I am dedicated to the conservative values of the Wyoming Republican party platform.

Democrat

Howie Samelson is the only Democrat who appears on the Primary Ballot for Precinct Committeeman 4-1.

The Primary Election Ballot includes a write-in spot for all precincts.