After conferring with the Carbon County Clerk - Elections, the Secretary of State’s local election officer, the City will move forward in accordance with W.S. 15-1-107(c) to fill the vacant seat on the City of Rawlins City Council. The city is also adding a feedback poll to allow for formalized input from residents of Ward 2 (map link), which the State Statute does not require. The following process will begin immediately.
Nominations will be accepted by City Clerk Lynn Shearer from Ward 2 residents from January 6th through 20th via in-person visits to City Hall, call to 307-328-4500 ext. 1001, or email to lshearer@rawlinswy.gov. Nominators should include their name, address, and contact information, as well as the name of their nominee. Nominator’s names will not be released. All nominees must meet all eligibility requirements of an election, including at least one year of Ward 2 residency.
All nominees who accept the nomination or nominate themselves shall file an application with City Clerk Lynn Shearer. When the nomination period closes, and eligibility is determined, all qualified candidates’ applications will be forwarded to the seated council.
The general process will proceed as follows: Qualified candidates will appear before the City Council in an open and recorded session to interview for the vacancy. If more than three qualified candidates are nominated, after the interview session, a poll will be open to the residents of Ward 2 to solicit feedback on their top three candidates.
City Council feedback, in conjunction with city staff and the poll of Ward 2 residents, will be compiled to narrow the selection to the final three candidates. City Council will enter Executive Session to deliberate on these three final candidates. Upon exiting the Executive Session, nomination and voting will be held to determine who shall be seated and sworn in immediately. Specific details regarding each stage will be released throughout the process.
This information is shared in the following ways: 1) posted on our website, including direct notification to subscribers via text or email; 2) posted in City Facilities; 3) postcard to the list of registered voters of Ward 2; 4) email release sent directly to eight county and state media agencies; and 5) posted to city’s Facebook page.
The selected councilperson shall serve for a 2-year term (2/2023 – 1/2025). During the next Rawlins Council election scheduled for November 2024, this seat will be added to the ballot for a 2-year term from 1/2025-1/2027. Thereafter, the seat will resume the regular four-year rotation.
Interested in receiving news from the City? Sign up for news via email or text at www.rawlinswy.gov/notifyme under “City of Rawlins News.” For more information, please contact Mira Miller, City of Rawlins Community Relations/PIO, at 307-328-4500 ext. 1022.
