Posted: Sunday, August 17, 2008 12:00 am
Senate District 30
Representing most of Natrona County
Charles Scott
* Party: Republican
* Age: 63
* Home: Casper
* Occupation: Rancher
* Education: Master's of business administration from Harvard, bachelor's degree in government from Harvard
* Family: Married; 2 children, one deceased
* Political experience: Wyoming legislator since 1978
Health care and rising property taxes are two issues Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, said he's hearing about again and again from his constituents.
"A lot of people are developing a concern in the health care area," Scott said. "Particularly the younger folks, which was a surprise to me when I started to find it."
Scott, a 63-year-old rancher, is the longest serving Wyoming state senator and the incumbent candidate for District 30. Tom Walters, also a rancher and a Republican, is his only opponent. No Democrats filed for the seat.
The issue around health care is two-fold, Scott said. Wyoming has a shortage of physicians, so those young people are having a hard time finding doctors, he said. Second, employees are taking jobs without health insurance, and they can't afford to get insured on their own.
"We need to improve our recruiting efforts for physicians," Scott said. "The state has a physician recruitment program. I suspect it's just going to need to be bigger."
Scott plans to continue pushing to start a pilot program he developed to provide health insurance for Wyomingites. The bill passed in the Senate last session, but died in House committee.
Scott also plans to continue pushing to cut assessment rates on houses, which would help ease the rising property taxes Wyoming is experiencing.
He tried to pass Senate File 79 in the 2008 budget session. The bill would have cut assessment rates from 9.5 percent to 7.5 percent, a drop that Scott said would have amounted to a 21 percent tax cut.
Newcomers to Wyoming may not be hurting from the current taxes, but those nearing retirement are, Scott said.
Tom Walters
* Party: Republican
* Age: 32
* Home: Casper
* Occupation: Rancher
* Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming in animal science and agriculture business
* Family: Single
* Political experience: Chairman of the Natrona County Conservation District; ran against Scott in 2004
Tom Walters says he's ready to lend a fresh voice to Wyoming's government.
"It's for a new voice in government," Walters said.
He is trying for the second time to take the seat held by Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, Wyoming's longest running senator. In the 2004 primary, Walters lost to Scott by 534 votes.
Walters said he's concerned about land development in Natrona County, as well as how Natrona County taxpayers foot a large portion of emergency care bills.
Natrona County serves as the emergency care center for five or six counties, Walters said. What happens is that Natrona County taxpayers get stuck covering those bills, while everyone else doesn't.
"I think that the Legislature needs to make sure that becomes equitable," Walters said.
Parts of rural Natrona County are starting to have a lot of subdivision activity, something Walters sees as a potential issue for citizens who value open space.
A possible solution would be to require landowners who want to develop to pay bonds through the county in some way, Walters said. That way, the county doesn't get stuck with a bill to finish developments that aren't seen through.
Open space is a valuable commodity to Wyomingites, but Walters said he feels landowners should have the right to develop their property as they see fit.
"I don't want to limit or hinder anybody," he said.