CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Cheyenne City Council newcomer has ousted an incumbent who vied for reelection.
In this year’s general election, voters have chosen current Councilmember Michelle Aldrich as well as Mark Moody to serve a four-year term on the Cheyenne City Council for Ward III. Two seats were available during this election cycle.
Only three candidates ran in Ward III for the primary and general elections. The third runner was incumbent Richard Johnson, who has previously served on the council for two terms. Johnson also received the fewest votes in the August primary election.
The following is the final vote count for each candidate, per results from the Laramie County Clerk’s Office:
- Michelle Aldrich: 4,194
- Mark A. Moody: 4,124
- Richard Johnson: 3,359
- Write-In Totals: 157
- Total Votes Cast: 11,834
Aldrich’s and Moody’s goals
Aldrich was first elected to the city’s governing body in 2020. She is the current chair of the city’s Finance Committee and an employee with the Wyoming Department of Education. She describes herself as fiscally conservative and endeavors to ask difficult questions, according to a Q&A with Cap City News.
Aldrich believes the city has three top issues to address: water, public safety and infrastructure. She believes the city must expand its available water supply to meet residential and conservation needs. Staffing emergency responders and protecting residents, she said, is another responsibility the city must keep at the forefront. Finally, Aldrich said the city has to be diligent about maintaining roadways, sidewalks and curb and gutter.
Moody ran for City Council to bring a fresh perspective to city governance, he said in a Q&A. He believes the city should continue to analyze its UDC regulations to take away unnecessary hurdles for developers. He also believes the city needs to institute camping bans, particularly toward homeless encampments near Crow Creek, to better foster public safety and sanitation.
Moody believes addressing crime is one of the city’s top issues moving forward. He wants to propose solutions to help prevent Cheyenne from becoming a “sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.” Transparency and accountability is another important point Moody wants the city to address. He wants to give Ward III residents the ability to voice their concerns on large projects with city officials.
Both Aldrich and Moody discussed their thoughts on managing the city budget, affordable housing and environmental sustainability in Q&As with Cap City News. To view Aldrich’s answers, click here. To view Moody’s article, click here.
