ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING (June 19, 2020) — In today’s edition of 5 Questions With…, Wyo4News talks with Rose M. Mosbey and RJ Pieper, 2020 Primary Election Candidates for Rock Springs City Council, Ward IV. Brent Bettolo and Larry Elder will also be running for the same position, and their answers will be posted on Saturday, June 20.
The 2020 Primary Election is in August, and Wyo4News wants the public to have the opportunity to hear from the candidates in Sweetwater County they will be voting for, and then again in November for the 2020 General Election.
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Wyo4News 5 Questions
1. What is the single most important thing voters should know about you?
Mosbey: I do not have a personal or a business agenda. My goal is to work hard for the City of Rock Springs and its residents to maintain basic services and quality of life opportunities as the budget allows.
Pieper: I’m not in this race to boost an ego, advance myself, or advance the status quo. I’m in this race because the future of my hometown is at stake, and the only way we can weather this storm is by bringing new ideas and perspectives to the table. I’m not a long time elected official. I’m not an entrenched public servant. I am, however, a third-generation native. I’m a small business owner. I’m a believer in this community, and I’m willing to give everything I can to make sure this community is a great place to live.
2. How do you feel the City Council responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Pieper: I applaud the measures taken. They were by no means heavy-handed or out of line but they did set a good base to protect public health, and we avoided a large spike in cases which means the measures taken worked.
Mosbey: To my knowledge, the City Council complied with the directives from the Governor and Public Health. However, it was the EOC, Public Health, the citizens, and the businesses doing the really hard work to comply with the orders to keep our community safe.
3. What makes Sweetwater County a better place to live than anywhere else?
Mosbey: It is the people who live and do business in Sweetwater County, of course!
Pieper: Public lands, a unique history, and colorful people are just a few of the things that make Sweetwater County unique. I have yet to find any place like it, let alone any place I’d rather live.
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4. What will you do to make the City Council better if you are elected?
Pieper: Our City Council is generally doing a pretty good job, however, if I were a member of the City Council, I would make sure I ask questions and encourage more productive discussion. It seems like that doesn’t always happen, but those discussions are vital for the public to understand what happens in their government.
Mosbey: The current City Council is doing a good job. It will take a collaborative effort by the new City Council to work hard to maintain basic services because of decreases in funding ahead. No City Council member can accomplish anything alone.
5. Why should residents in Ward IV vote for you?
Mosbey: I am not afraid of hard work and bring forward five years of experience as a former Council member. I may not be the most vocal Council member, but I will always respond to citizen concerns as they are brought to me. My 35-year career in the oil and gas industry, with continued boom and bust cycles, taught me how to work through the good times and the not so good times related to decreases in revenues. I would appreciate your vote.
Pieper: Rock Springs is at a crossroads. We are about to see a major shift economically and socially as our key industries continue to leave and shutter their facilities. Voters must ask themselves, do we want to keep doing what we’ve been doing and hope things improve, or do we want to be bold and try something new? I want to be bold because what we’ve got isn’t going to work for much longer.
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