Three council seats up for grabs in Manderson

Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Manderson Town Council in Tuesday’s general election.

Judy Bury, Thea Saunders, Sharon Sanford and Howard Applegarth are seeking two four-year terms and Christopher Saunders or Tim Patrick are vying for a two-year term.

The newspaper sent Q&As to all six candidates. Thea Saunders, Tim Patrick and Sharon Sanford responded. Judy Bury, Christopher Saunders and Howard Applegarth did not. To assist voters, we are reprinting the information that Bury and Saunders provided before the primary about their background and reasons for seeking office. No information was received from Howard Applegarth.

 Why are you running for town council? If you’re an incumbent, why are you seeking another term? If you’re a newcomer, what prompted you to enter the race?

Judy Bury: I am running because I care about the town and where we are going in the future. I have learned a lot of how a town is run by being on the council. So many things are in the background and people don’t understand this. 

Tim Patrick: I will keep this short as many of you that have lived here already know me. I have lived here the majority of my life and have served in the capacity of mayor or councilman for many years. And as you know, I have always been up front, transparent and honest and willing to lend a helping hand to those who need it (except about five or six and their out-of-town friends that scream there is no transparency and they feel they can’t talk to this seated council because they feel there will be repercussions). Not a fact as many of you have known me for many years.

Sharon Sanford: I am running for town council after attending the meetings for a year and learning of Manderson happenings. Would like to see changes.

Christopher Saunders: The reason I’m running for office is to bring a fresh perspective from those that have grown complacent in the comfort of that stagnation. When I was younger, I had thought I might run for mayor, but was told not to, that I was too young. Now that I am older and more experienced, I feel passionate about running and making a change that will build this town up. 

Thea Saunders: I’m running because this town needs some fresh views. During the primaries, I was working for the post office and I had no intention to run, though a few folks had asked me to. Due to personal reasons, I stepped away from the post office and when the nomination for council came in, I decided to accept because I feel very strongly that Manderson could really use some transparency and honesty, something I believe a lot of Manderson residents feel is lacking.

 Please tell us about your background. How would your personal and work experiences make you an asset to the town and its residents?

Judy Bury: I have lived in Manderson for 28 years and the Big Horn Basin for over 50 years. I have worked in the grocery business and farming community for most of my life and now I am retired. 

Tim Patrick: I have owned three successful businesses in my lifetime which brings much experience (finances, budget, payroll, hiring and firing, projections and the ability to deal with all kinds of people) to the table. I have also served as a board member of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities which advocates for cities and small towns to bring or kill bills to Congress that will affect us or benefit us. Through this association I have come to know many mayors and state officials and have lobbied many bills with them to help our little town to stay incorporated.

Sharon Sanford: Was a nurse for 20 years and have lived in several places while my husband was in the army. I feel I have a lot to offer the town and its residents

Cristopher Saunders: I grew up in Manderson, when in high school I worked every summer for the town with the former maintenance man, Kenneth Hall, who was a great mentor. After I graduated, I got married and we decided to move and experience life across the country. After 14 years, my family and I felt it was time to move back, the small-town life was what we wanted for our children, and we’ve been here for just over a year. My wife and I even started a small lawn care business that services the Big Horn Basin. I noticed when I came back that the town had become stagnant. 

Thea Saunders: I was raised in North Carolina, moved around the US due to my dad’s job in construction and first moved to Manderson the summer before my Jr year of High school in 2008. My grandparents, Anna and Kenny Hall live here, and I moved in with them for the last two years of school, graduating from Riverside High School in 2009 and two months later, married my high school sweetheart, Chris. We’ve moved around the country, spending a good portion of the last 15 years on the east coast with my family but last year we decided we really missed Wyoming, and this is where we wanted to raise our 4 children, so we moved back. I have an associate’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire and am working on a BA in Business finance from Capella University. Chris and I started a business at the start of this year that has done well for its first year and I couldn’t be more excited about our future here. Having traveled around my entire life, I feel I have a unique perspective and ability to see how things are done in other places and how they could be used to some variation to improve other places. Manderson could really use a fresh perspective after decades of the same people in and out of office.

 If elected, what would be your top priorities / goals for the town for the next two to four years, depending upon length of term you are seeking)? 

Tim Patrick: My top priority is to continue lobbying for our town, remain transparent, be honest with the people and continue working on our failing infrastructure. With my experience and the work that we continue to do, I feel we can accomplish what we have started.

Sharon Sanford: My top priorities is for the residents to know where the money goes and goals for the community to work together to improve the town.

Thea Saunders: My top priorities would be finding out what exactly is happening with the town of Manderson. There are so many rumors, uncertainty and runaround answers that I think anything less than trying to shed some light on Manderson would be a disservice. The community here has little to no trust in those that are sitting at that table and that’s a shame considering most have been on council in some compacity for decades. With that kind of history, trust should be unshakeable,
not this ghost of a concept that currently shrouds this town. Another priority will be bringing Manderson into the 21st century. I have already been trying to do that by posting as many meetings as I can attend to YouTube, despite the objections of some who would rather Manderson stay in the dark. I’ve also attempted to put the ordinances online as well, though all this should be done by the town itself and I feel that it would be an easy, simple step that could be taken to further my first priority of bringing more transparency to the town. And as a final example of my goals, I would seek to untangle some of the mess Manderson has found itself in, in regard to finances. There is this oppressive cloud that hangs over this town, it has for a long time. Money disappears, or people are accused of stealing, of pushing businesses of friends and family to milk money from the town. When the budget was discussed, there was so many blanks, no real discussion and as of the time of answering this, our budget hasn’t even been posted. There are rules and laws that we don’t seem to be following and I would like to know why and then I’d like to change that. More time is spent arguing with citizens for asking questions, than is spent actually fixing the problems we face.

In what areas could the town improve the way it does business and serves its residents?

Sharon Saunders: The town has lots of areas that need improvement. The weeds and the overall look of the town could improve how it looks and we could be there for all the residents. After all that is what makes up Manderson. Its residents.

Thea Saunders: Simply put, by being honest with people. Being willing to do the hard thing, even if it means upsetting “friends”. Trying to make everyone happy just isn’t going to work, that was a reason given for why ordinances weren’t being enforced when I asked at a meeting this year. “It would make some people mad”. The council needs to look at the community as a whole, not individuals. The community matters, their needs matter. And what the community needs are strong leaders willing to do what needs to be done, put in the hard work, (without expecting pay), to fix the problems that are so often blamed on “the last administration”. 

 Do you have any closing thoughts you’d like to share with our readers?

Tim Patrick: In closing it comes down to these choices: experience in uncertain times and stability. I love our little town and will continue to serve you as I have always done, with integrity, honesty, transparency and the ability to listen. I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 5. Let’s finish what we started. 

Sharon Sanford: Closing thoughts are to see ALL the residents be there for each other and the whole community to be proud of town of Manderson. I would love to see honesty be what Manderson is known for.

Thea Saunders: I’ve made a bit of a name for myself here, good or bad. In an attempt to silence me, when I questioned why council wasn’t enforcing the rules they kept harassing specific citizens about and not others, I was told “I’d like to see you do this job”. So, here I am, ready and willing to do just that. I’m passionate about boosting Manderson up, to shake the reputation of being a joke to the surrounding areas. To help this community earn a little respect for the historic town it is. If anyone wants to see what I’ve been working on already, you can find the meeting videos through the ‘Manderson Wyoming Meetings’ Facebook page that has a link to the YouTube channel. Your support is more than appreciated, no matter which way you vote.

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