JOAN BARRON

CHEYENNE - Those who should know say that being county commissioner is probably the best elected job in the state.

Although commissioners have headaches, the job entails considerable power. That is why there usually are a number of people running for slots on their county board of county commissioners.

At one time, Joe Evans, the executive director of the Wyoming County Commissioner Association reminded me, a total of 23 - that's right, 23 - people ran for county commissioner in Fremont County.

This year the count is considerably less - seven Republicans and three Democrats for two Fremont County commission spots.

One of the three Democratic candidates is Dale Groutage of Lander. Groutage, you may recall, was a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, but lost the general election to the late Republican U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas.

The other Democratic candidates are Daniel Cardenas of St. Stephens and Ernie Over of Pavilion. Over is a former newspaper editor and broadcaster.

The seven Republicans include incumbent Commissioner Douglas Thompson, who is seeking re-election.

Evans believes the diversity of Fremont County, with its small and larger towns and Indian reservation, is why so many people run for the commission's job.

Also popular is the county commissioner's job in Campbell County. One Democrat and nine Republicans are competing for two seats. Natrona County is not far behind with two Democrats and seven Republicans running for two seats.

These counties have five-member commissions, which is one reason for the wealth of candidates.

The other counties with five commissioners are Park, Weston and Teton. Two other counties, Converse and Sheridan, are heading in that direction.

Oddly, two of the other large counties in the state, Laramie and Sweetwater, still have three-member commissions.

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lathrop said there has been no movement toward a five-member commission in her county in the last 15 years.

Commissioners in Teton County are paid the most - $34,000 per year.

Candidates should be aware that while this ostensibly is a part-time job, it can consume lots of time. Evans said commissioners are expected to attend various meetings, not just of the commission, but the library board, for example.

Land use decisions, in particular, can get people upset, which isn't pleasant for county commissioners.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale in interest is Niobrara County. Wyoming's smallest and poorest county has nobody running for one of the three seats, the one now held by Ron Pfister, who is retiring.

Commissioner Arlene Zerbst Rapp said it is unusual not to have anyone file for a vacancy. Rapp said she isn't aware of a write-in campaign for anyone.

"We have talked to numerous citizens but we have not found anyone willing to take on the job," she said. The post in Niobrara County pays about $1,000 per month.

"We have had several people tell us that they would take it on but not right now," Rapp said. "We don't know for sure what's going to happen here."

Rapp said, no, that during her two years on the job, there haven't been any hot issues or controversies that would discourage potential candidates.

Pfister and the other two commissioners are all Republicans.

If no write-in candidate surfaces who can collect enough votes and agrees to run in the general election, the remaining two county commissioners in Niobrara County will contact the Republican county committee to nominate three candidates. They then get to pick their new colleague.

Maybe it won't come to that.

"Maybe somebody will step up to the plate," Rapp said.

Contact Joan Barron at joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.