It can be traced back to the proposed Solar Farm out toward Big Horn. Possibly even to the Falcon Car manufacturing lease at the Airport. For the solar farm, the Frivolous Four struck a deal with a developer and landowner to dedicate 180 odd acres to a field of solar panels. Then they carefully began planting stories with nearby landowners about how the County Road that bisected the field was "rife with partying teenagers and other hooligans" and should be vacated.
While Sheridan has grown, it is still a small town, and word got out that the reason the Frivolous Four wanted a county road vacated was because it was in the way of "progress." Progress, in this case, was a Solar Farm built with federal-funding by a developer and landowner. The neighbors were not amused. Who really wants to live next door to 180 acres of Communist Chinese solar panels? And why put them on productive agricultural land at the base of the Bighorns when they could easily dump them in some scrub land east of town?
A warning letter from an attorney that the Commissioners were breaking the law by agreeing to a deal before getting public input and vacating the road, which would subject them to a huge lawsuit if they proceeded, plus extreme public outcry, caused them to back down.
Yet they weren't finished.
When Renee Obermuller announced her retirement, County Clerk Eda Schunk Thompson thought it would be a good time to transition all of the Statutory Duties that the County Commissioners had stripped from her back to her office. Yes, the duties of the County Clerk are specifically delineated in Wyoming State Statute but had been gradually stripped away from the Clerk's Office by the County Commissioners. It makes complete sense that with a change in personnel the Statutory Duties could be fixed. Eda Thompson was polite and respectful in choosing a time to make this change. The Frivolous Four refused and were not nice about it.
Why would the County Commissioners refuse to return duties, outlined in State Statute, to the County Clerk? They are, after all, breaking the law by keeping those duties. Perhaps they are hiding something? Are they drunk on power? Or are they just drunk while operating a motor vehicle?
County Clerk Thompson was forced to sue the Board of County Commissioners. The Frivolous Four stonewalled her and her attorney. More strongly worded legal letters followed. The Frivolous Four hired an outside attorney to represent them. Lawyers bill by the hour and time marched on. Eventually, the Frivolous Four and Clerk Thompson agreed to mediation. Another attorney was hired for that process. The result was a Memorandum of Understanding between the Clerk and the Commissioners granting Clerk Thompson control over some, not all, of her statutorily defined duties. Interestingly, the MOU only applies while Eda Thompson is the County Clerk and the Frivolous Four have made no effort to provide resources to the Clerk's office, keeping all of those folks working for them.
What you should be concerned about is the flagrant waste of your money by the County Commissioners.* There is a reason for the nickname Frivolous Four. In the County Clerk situation, the Frivolous Four happily paid the legal fees for three attorneys: 1) their attorney, 2) the County Clerk's attorney, and 3) the mediation attorney. All to the tune of over $80,000 of your money, just so they could break the law.
But wait, there's more!
The Sheridan Board of County Commissioners is a member of a "non-profit" lobbying group called the Wyoming County Commissioners Association. Legally, they can belong to such a group and have the dues paid by tax-payer money. Not content with a rented office in Cheyenne, the WCCA decided they needed a building of their very own. How do you think the building occupied by this independent, non-government, lobbying group is funded? Right, with your tax-payer money. Contrary to Wyoming State Statute which allows only a membership fee, the WCCA had a one-time assessment to the tune of over $40,000 of Sheridan County's tax-payer money in 2023, to pay for the purchase of their office building! The Frivolous Four willingly spent your money, contrary to state statue, to pay for an office building for a non-governmental entity that lobbies on their behalf.
It gets worse.
When Commissioner Allen Thompson announced his resignation from office a mere seven months into his four-year term, Wyoming State Statute defined the process for replacing him. Thompson's political party, the Republican Party, was required to pick three candidates to replace him within 10 days of his resignation. The Sheridan County Republican Party, to great expense, had to rent a space to meet, pay for ads in the newspaper, and gather the 104 representatives of the voters together for several hours, in the summer when people are on vacation, busy doing things, and harvesting hay, to pick three people out of a slate of applicants. The Republican Party complied and sent three candidates to the County Commissioners so that they then could comply with their portion of the statute.
By now, the Frivolous Four have an established pattern of breaking the law, so what ensued was no surprise. Just like they never intended to return the statutory duties to the County Clerk, they never intended to choose any candidate picked by "their" Republican Party. Allowing the clock to conveniently run down, the Frivolous Four declared, one day before the end of their 20-day period, that the three candidates were not qualified, and had been rejected by the voters. The only qualifications for the job are that the person is a registered Republican in Sheridan County and over 18-years of age. Amusingly, at least one of the three candidates who had run for the County Commission in the previous primary, received more votes than one of the sitting Commissioners who declared her "rejected by the voters."
In case you think the Frivolous Four are not malevolent and merely ignorant, they were directed by both the Sheridan County Attorney and the Wyoming Secretary of State, that they must pick one of the three candidates submitted by the Party. On the other hand, their buddies at the WCCA told them it was perfectly acceptable to break the law and reject all the candidates.
The Republican Party has always been the party of Law and Order. We strive for honesty, integrity, and personal responsibility. Sadly, the barrier to be a "republican" is non-existent. Just like it is currently popular for men to pretend they're women, it is even more popular for Democrats to pretend they are Republicans in Sheridan County. Therefore, the Sheridan County Republican Party voted twice, at two separate Central Committee meetings, to take legal action against the Frivolous Four for doing what they do best: breaking the law.
Just to be clear, the Party Central Committee of 104 elected representatives voted twice. Overwhelmingly so. As in over 90% in favor of taking legal action against the Frivolous Four.
Commissioner Nick Siddle is on record saying he doesn't know why the Party sued the County Commissioners. He said he thinks "it is because the Party didn't get its way." When you are a habitual law-breaker, it never is your fault. So, Nick, to correct the record, the Party sued because you failed to comply with state statute.
They, the Commissioners and the local people who profit from their actions, will make the case that the Sheridan County Republican Party wasted tax-payer money with a lawsuit. Let's break that down. First of all, the Republican Party had to pay for an attorney to file suit because the Commissioners chose to break the law. Their choice. The Party's suit was funded by donations. Donations from your neighbors and perhaps you too. The Commissioners didn't pay a penny, but you did. Not content with just one attorney, the Commissioners employed two law firms to represent them. When it's tax-payer money, you can be frivolous. Your money.
So, to recap, the Frivolous Four spent over $80,000 (that number again) of your money because they broke the law. It was their choice. We, the Republican Party, did not pick this battle, but we did feel compelled to speak up and take action when your elected representatives, who claim to be "Republicans," broke the law.
If you like the County Party standing up for what is right and lawful, we suggest you look at the blog post entitled "Responsibility - Your Precinct Representatives in Action" before you vote in the 2024 Primary. You may also want to look at the blog post "The Nuance of Nepotism" before voting for County Commissioner. After all, it's your money at risk.
*And we won't even begin to talk about the $3 million budget deficit that is equal to the cost of the large flowerpot the Frivolous Four are constructing on Brooks Street hill; the flowerpot that will then cost $250,000 annually to maintain.
If our government decides not to be bound by their legal strictures, it is the right of the people to seek redress of grievance. The decisions taken above incurred the conditions by which the county found itself on the defense, anyway. Had the right thing been done according to the law, there would have been no suits.
SO ANGRY ... this is despicable. Plus the County Clerk needs the statutory duties of that office restored right now.