Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2004 12:00 am
CHEYENNE (AP) - Three people have been chosen as candidates to succeed Sen. Rich Cathcart, who resigned to oversee state construction projects.
Democratic precinct leaders in Senate District 6 forwarded the names of their nominees, Tim Fields, Jana Ginter and Sharon Wisroth, to the Laramie County Commission.
The commission has until Wednesday - two days before the end of the filing period - to choose Cathcart's successor. That person would serve the remainder of the Carpenter Democrat's term, which expires at the end of the year.
Fields, a teacher who lives east of Cheyenne, said he is willing to fill the spot during the interim but intends to file for election to House District 10, a seat held by Rep. Rodney "Pete" Anderson, R-Pine Bluffs.
Filling Cathcart's shoes "would give me a leg up and give me a chance to get involved in committee work," Fields said.
The state's education standards are geared to college-bound students but don't always treat students who plan other career paths fairly, he said, adding that the Legislature can strongly influence those policies.
Ginter, who lives in Carpenter, has a background in minerals and water issues and has worked as a legislative lobbyist. She said she intends to file for the Senate seat.
"I want to make sure our state is not stripped of its natural resources without adequate tax compensation," she said. Other issues of significance to her include education, keeping young people in Wyoming and working on social issues.
Wisroth, who lives east of Cheyenne, is concerned about "people-related" issues. "I think the only thing I would bring would be heart," she said. "I think that's missing up there."
Wisroth said she has done research for Rep. Lorna Johnson, D-Laramie, and while observing the House, she has seen valid legislation not passed because the sponsor was considered too young or too new.
"I've heard about power plays in the Legislature," she added. "I'll hear people say they'll work for constituents. But I don't always see that."
On Monday, Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed Cathcart, who served nearly 12 years in the Senate, to head the new state Construction Management Division.