CHEYENNE - It's rerun time for two Republicans competing in House District 10.

Rodney "Pete" Anderson and Donn Edmonds ran for the Republican nomination for their eastern Laramie County district two years ago.

Anderson, a Pine Bluffs farmer and rancher and veteran legislator, won the primary and the general election.

He is chairman of the Legislature's Joint Interim Revenue Committee.

To provide relief from rapidly rising property values and taxes, he said one step would be to increase participation in needs-based relief programs and also find a way to use the old homestead exemption act.

Edmonds, who runs a security business in Cheyenne, supports good property tax breaks for homeowners who install wind generation panels and also financial assistance for the retired and elderly who may be facing higher property values and taxes.

"We need to become like California and have citizens share in the bounty. We can do that through property taxes," Edmonds said.

The winner of Tuesday's Republican primary will face a Democrat in the November general election.

Both GOP candidates favor more stringent laws to discourage people from driving under the influence.

Edmonds said anyone convicted of driving drunk should be required to install a Breathalyzer in his or her car and blow a zero alcohol test before the car will start.

Anderson supports a statewide ban on smoking in places frequented by the public, including bars and restaurants.

Edmonds, however, believes bars need to be allowed the choice of going smoke-free.

The ban in Cheyenne is unequal, he said, because one bar just outside the city limits allows smoking while all the bars inside the city limits are non-smoking and do less business.

As for an increase in fuel taxes, Anderson believes that move might be "premature." He said he will support allocating more money for highways. A toll for big trucks on Interstate 80 also might work under the right circumstances, he said.

Edmonds opposes an increase in the fuel tax but supports a toll for trucks.

Given that the state is expected to have another big surplus next year, Anderson said his spending priorities would be highways, water and savings.

Edmonds would like to spend some of the revenue surplus on schools and roads. But he also supports investing enough money in the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund to allow the state to operate on the interest alone someday.

The two candidates differ on whether the Legislature should do anything to provide further regulation of land development in the state.

Anderson said the Legislature should stay out of it, because it is a local issue.

Edmonds, however, said land development needs a close look to determine whether developments have an adequate water supply. He said eight of his neighbors have wells that went dry.

Regarding health care, Edmonds suggests that small businesses band together in a pool to get a better deal from insurance companies.

Anderson said the state already is doing some things, but he'd like to see a constitutional amendment to allow tort reform - limits on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.

"In my opinion we need to do some tort reform to make insurance more affordable," Anderson said.

Contact Joan Barron at {M7joan.barron@trib.com or by phone at 307-632-1244.