The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Sept. 29

Published on September 29, 2023

CHEYENNE - One of the perks of being the mayor is an ex-officio role on the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce board of directors. It has been frustrating for me that their meetings and our city Finance Committee meetings conflict. Every once in a while, the Chamber meeting happens on a day I can make, and I love it. It gives me a chance to share what is happening in the city, answer questions important to the business community, and listen to the reports from other community groups - LCCC, CRMC, FE Warren, National Guard, County Commissioners, LCSD1, LCSD2, and eastern Laramie County to name a few. I always leave being impressed with the quality of our community partners. No one works harder to support the business community than our Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce.

I have been friends with Jim Weaver for a number of years. We served on the WTE Editorial Board and share an interest in local government. Jim was a city manager in a past life and I really appreciate his sharing observations on the comings and goings of the capital city. Our city council set a goal to annex all the county pockets and Jim’s property is in the next group of proposed annexations. I wanted to learn how we did leading up to the start of the process. Folks in Cheyenne are so gracious with their time and advice. This mayor is so appreciative.

I have developed a good relationship with the leaders of our local school district. With the change of leadership, I asked for a quick meeting to restart the relationship and bring Superintendent Dr. Steve Newton up to speed regarding what we have accomplished in the past two plus years. One key to me was our agreement to share taxpayer funded facilities for the benefit of the taxpayers. We also talked about the city’s Youth Alternatives and the programs we provide to support the students in the district. I was asked about Safe Routes to School and the crosswalk at McCormick Jr. High School. We have a new hawk system crossing coming next year. I learned our superintendent is a very organized guy and I got a couple of hints on ways I can be more efficient, and a book to read to enforce the lesson. Much appreciated as the days are sometimes crazy and I don’t want things slipping through the cracks of my system or lack thereof.

Accidents happen and that’s what we have insurance for. I have become increasingly concerned about repeat accidents that have impacted our insurance rates. I met with Stefanie and John from our attorney’s office, and Eric and Marilyn from Risk Management to talk about how we can work together to change the trajectory of our accident history. I do believe in a city our size that we will have some unfortunate incidents, but I struggle when it happens time and time again. I love our employees and am encouraged by the conversation and commitment to find solutions.

We are blessed with some amazing young people here in Cheyenne. Some of the best are on the Mayor’s Youth Council. I got my first chance to meet with this year’s council on Tuesday. Students are from East, Central, and South as well as two that are home schooled. It is our goal to teach them the importance of local government and how to navigate it. I see many of them being the future leaders that will bring our communities to the next level. I really enjoy their insights on what happens during our city council meetings.

Two summers ago, we held a ceremony at the city building as part of the proclamation declaring Cheyenne a POW/MIA city. In discussing the ceremony with my staff, I learned that two of them had great uncles that are still MIA from the Korean War. Corporal Carl George Snider Jr. was Michael Skinner’s great uncle and was lost while serving with the 2nd Infantry Division. Corporal Elias Eli Torres was Holly Martinez’s great uncle and was lost while serving with the 1st Cavalry Division. Miss Sallee and Alf from the Veterans Remembrance Memorial brought MIA/POW bracelets for Michael and Holly with their great uncle’s names and the date they went missing to help keep their memories alive. It was an emotional moment and I love Miss Sallee and Alf for all they do for veterans in our community.

Our community bronze project is still growing and we had the unveiling of a new bronze called “Swat Team.” Our art scene was just written up in Forbes Magazine and they raved about our bronzes, murals, and boots. Swat Team was sponsored by Linda and Vic Adoue. They live here part time with their main house in Texas. They love the vision and want to be part of bringing art to our beautiful city. I am so humbled by all the donors and the volunteers who have made this project happen. I was talking with several of the artists who have sculpted many of our bronzes and they shared folks in the art world are talking about Cheyenne and what is happening here. Makes me proud.

With all the discussion about neighborhood safety and the concern with speeding, I met with our city engineer. The time was dominated by discussions on how we can slow down traffic without the unintended consequences of causing more accidents. I am happy to report we do have a few options and we will be making a presentation to the city council in the next month on our plan to support the neighborhoods and slow down speeding cars. I also learned we will be doing some major road construction this fall along Yellowstone Road. Some of this section of road is just worn out and we need to rebuild it. It will result in some delays, but the end product will make the delays worth it.

Each fall after Frontier Days we get all the agencies that have a part of supporting the rodeo together to discuss things that we need to improve for the next show. I took seven pages of notes. It was a great show with amazing crowds, many coming to Cheyenne for the first time. A few of the things we will be talking about this winter include traffic flows, improving communication, medical response, handicap carts, access to 15th Street, timing of traffic signals, Wi-Fi in the park, and how to handle non-conforming short term uses. We have a lot to do this winter and a lot to be thankful for. CFD is an amazing asset and our volunteers rock!

I meet annually with the Police Protective Association. It is the group of police officers elected to meet with the mayor to discuss working conditions and pay. I enjoyed the visit and we now plan to do it quarterly. We are blessed with a great police department and that is due to the quality of the men and women who work for the citizens of our city. Thank you, team!

I want to end this week by saying goodbye to Bob Carter. Bob and I worked together for 20 years at the bike shop. Judy and I attended his funeral on Thursday. He was 89 years old and left his wife, Dorothy; 3 kids; 11 grandkids; and 14 great grandkids. Bob always said, “to error is human, to really screw up takes a computer.” Bob was a great human and will be missed.