CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Cheyenne city councilmembers, new and now former, met for their first meeting of the year Monday morning for the governing body’s sine die meeting.
Outgoing councilmembers Bryan Cook and Richard Johnson gave final remarks reflecting on their time on the council. New members Kathy Emmons and Mark Moody were later sworn into office, cementing their positions on the governing body.
Sine die meeting
The Cheyenne City Council passed two ceremonial resolutions commemorating the work of Cook and Johnson. Following these resolutions, Mayor Patrick Collins presented plaques to the two men to commemorate their dedication to serving Wyoming’s capital city.
Bryan Cook, whom Collins described as a “gentle giant,” did not seek reelection to Ward II, ending his 12-year tenure on the city’s governing body. The departing councilmember held back tears and thanked his colleagues for their support through his years of service.
“I’ve enjoyed this,” Cook said. “I appreciate the support by the people who have supported me and voted for me for the past 12 years. I’ve really tried to do well by you. I hope I have, but history will be the judge of that.”
Johnson ran in Wyoming’s November election to hold onto his Ward III seat on the council, but voters chose to reelect Michelle Aldrich and appoint newcomer Moody to his seat. He served his first term from 2015 to 2019 and was then reelected to the council a few years later.
Mayor Collins lauded Johnson as “brilliant, hardworking, scruffy, relentless, a great fundraiser and councilman moonbeam.” Johnson took his final moments during Monday’s meeting to address his status in the community and his relationships with fellow councilmembers. He described his experience working on the council as “jaded” in his final years.
As far as his constituents go, Johnson said his supporters have either “passed away or moved out of the city.” He stated that the community has become less interested in arts and humanities over the past four years, which are the areas he has worked to uplift during his time on the council.
“They were either sick of it so much that they died or they moved out of town,” Johnson said.
The councilmember touched upon his experience interacting with residents who have disagreed with his priorities and actions. In 2015, he helped secure a contract for bike lines within the city that “did not make people happy,” he said.
“It was actually my first fire-and-brimstone-and-pitchfork moment,” Johnson said, “and it felt amazing that I was told to go away.”
Constituents, Johnson said, have shown him a lack of respect and dignity, which contributed to his decreasing desire to serve on the city’s governing body. He said after a human rights ordinance passed, “for 185 days straight, I was told I was Hitler” by residents, he said.
“That’s another reason I’m really happy I’m leaving, is hearing ‘the last bastion of freedom’ and ‘as your boss’ in my emails. Thank God I never have to hear that again,” Johnson said. “And I really just see in the next four years, there’s not going to be a lot of changes that are going on in Cheyenne. The voters have spoken, and they really would like Cheyenne to go back to a nice, quieter, 1950s motif, and I’m not about that.”
Furthermore, he said he has tried to make city affairs more transparent to members of the public via social media but gave up in early council years as “I realized the community and the voters really didn’t know how to read a city agenda, and so I quit doing it.”
Despite his grievances, Johnson commended his fellow councilmembers, saying, “This is one of the most proactive councils I’ve ever served on.”
After Johnson finished speaking, Mayor Collins also congratulated member Ken Esquibel for serving as council president through 2024.
Cheyenne’s new city councilmembers
Mayor Collins called to order the first proper City Council meeting of 2025 to welcome in new members Mark Moody and Kathy Emmons, as well as to congratulate Pete Laybourn, Michelle Aldrich, Jeff White and Tom Segrave for their successful reelections.
Wyoming Supreme Court Justice Kate Fox swore in the new councilmembers and Collins, who also garnered the support from voters in November for a second term as mayor.
Collins stated the city’s main priorities for the next four years will be to secure alternative water sources and foster affordable housing for residents. He has stated previously that Cheyenne’s main water supply comes from the Colorado River, which continues to dry up year over year. The mayor added in his speech that the city will intend to host a year-long celebration in 2026 to observe the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“I love Cheyenne, and I’m so proud to be its mayor,” Collins said. “I know some of our residents don’t feel the love, and I hope this governing body will work to make sure all our diverse residents feel welcomed in our community. … I know Cheyenne’s people to be welcoming, and I would encourage continued conversations to make sure everyone is heard.”
Aside from the Cheyenne City Council, the city’s department heads also took their oaths of office. The following people are heading Cheyenne’s various departments:
- Charles Bloom: Director of the Planning & Development Department
- Bradley Bowen: Assistant City Treasurer for the Board of Public Utilities
- John Brodie: City Attorney
- Thomas Cobb: City Engineer
- Mark Francisco: Chief of the Cheyenne Police Department
- Ronnald Jeffrey: Juvenile Court Judge
- John Kopper: Chief of Cheyenne Fire Rescue
- Robin Lockman: City Treasurer
- Vicki Nemecek: Director of the Public Works Department
- Jason Sanchez: Director of the Community Recreation & Events Department
- David Singleton: Senior Municipal Court Judge
- Kylie Soden: City Clerk and Assistant City Treasurer
Stefanie Boster has stepped down as city attorney and City Clerk Kris Jones has retired, according to Collins. Deputy Clerk Kylie Soden and Deputy City Attorney John Brodie are now the head figures of their respective departments.
City councilmembers also elected Mark Rinne to serve as council president for 2025. Rinne served as vice president in 2024. Scott Roybal is now serving as vice president.
A livestream of the Monday morning meeting can be viewed below.
