CHEYENNE, Wyo. — In this edition of “Meet the Candidates,” Rick Coppinger shares with Cap City News how he envisions leading Cheyenne if elected mayor. Coppinger was one of six people running for mayor in the primary election and received enough votes to progress to the general election. He will be going up against incumbent Patrick Collins on November’s ballot.
The following are responses that Coppinger shared with Cap City News. To view Q&As of other candidates in the general election, click here.
What are your plans for promoting economic growth and attracting new businesses to Cheyenne?
Cheyenne is already an amazing town with all the necessary tools for any company. My plan to encourage and promote new business to Cheyenne is to exploit those tools. Cheyenne is the home of a community college that has the ability to teach or train students to fit any industry. I would like to go shopping for Doctors or independent medical offices using Cheyenne radiology as a calling card. We will also entice with these companies with Wyoming’s lack of income tax and possibly provide them a way to keep more of their hard-earned money with tax incentives. I would like to offer this to companies that would offer in-house daycare to provide them with the best of employees.
How do you plan to address public safety concerns and ensure the well-being of Cheyenne residents?
Public safety is one of my most important platforms. I will work with the Police Department and the Fire Department to ensure they have the necessary tools. For the police department I would like to put more officers on the streets, which will provide them proper time off to reset. We want to ensure they have the tools needed to accomplish the job. This will include the most up-to-date training and equipment for community protection. We will make sure they understand that the administration has their back. For the Fire department we will have fair negotiations making sure the men and women in the department have the proper insurance to cover them, now and tomorrow.
What are your plans for improving Cheyenne’s infrastructure, including roads, public transportation, and utilities?
Infrastructure is paramount to attracting new business. The water, sewer, gas, electricity, we will work with the professionals to formulate a plan for immediate inspection of underground and above-ground system. Roads we will begin an immediate repair program using a previously created app for citizens, Police and Fire department and Sanitation. When notification comes in, they will be acknowledge and pothole will be set on priority by age and size. We will continue to rebuild roads as we go. Public transportation will be evaluated and a possible private-public collaboration designed. One infrastructure that no one talks about is cable/fiber, I believe the competition will breed great business and better internet and communication. If we want to bring in those people that would like the Cheyenne comfortable lifestyle we will need to work with these companies and hold them to task.
How do you plan to involve the community in decision-making processes and ensure transparency in your administration?
I would like to have coffee with the Mayor monthly to provide access to me. That will give people to ask questions and communicate concerns and ideas. I am also going to be out in the public often talking to everyone from all walks of life and all sections of Cheyenne, meet the people where they are. All calls, emails, and face-to-face conversations will be handled quickly, even if an answer is not immediate, we will also ask if they have an idea for a solution.
What initiatives will you implement to promote environmental sustainability and address climate change at the local level?
We will look at energy audits to find where we can make changes that make sense both economically and realistically. We will work with professionals to find ways to reduce electricity and natural gas. This will help with both budget and ecology. I will continually look for sensible ways to make change.
Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about you?
I am a Dad of 5 children and nine grandchildren so Cheyenne’s future is very important to me. My Leadership training from the Military, the airline industry Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cheyenne program and other training has made me the best choice for you to pick as your Mayor. I am a blue-collar worker that does not believe in tax and spend. I do not believe there is ever any reason under the sun that an NDA should be signed. I like as many single line item ballots as possible so that you the voter can convey your opinion. If the majority votes for something we will find a way to make it happen, if you vote no we will prevent it from happening. I am an above-board person and will tell you like it is always, maybe with kid gloves but it will be the verifiable truth. I am a conservative I believe in the U.S. Constitution and the Wyoming Constitutions as written. Cheyenne will always protect your rights.
