SWEETWATER COUNTY– The Sweetwater County Republican Central Committee chose three candidates to fill the vacancy in the Sweetwater County Board of Commissioner today.

The vacancy was left by the passing of Commissioner Don Van Matre.

Of 16 candidates, Island Richards (North Rock Springs), John Kolb (Rock Springs), and Lauren Schoenfeld (Rock Springs) will be presented to the Commissioners. Richards received 27 votes, Kolb received 18, and both Schoenfeld and Mary Thoman received 11 votes, resulting in a tie for the third selection.

The committee voted in two tie breaker, in which Schoenfeld and Thoman both received 14 votes both times, resulting in two more ties.

To settle the tie, Schoenfeld and Thoman’s names were placed into a hat and were drawn. Schoenfeld’s name was drawn, making her the third selection.

The Meeting Process

The 16 candidates made presentations to the central committee and were questioned on their voting records. Listed below are the 16 candidates, where they reside, and their respective number of votes:

• Sherry Bushman, Green River- 9
• Bill Taliaferro, Rock Springs- 9
• Island Richards, North Rock Springs- 29
• John Henning, Rock Springs- 6
• Lester Mauch, Rock Springs- 4
• Ted Barney, Green River- 3
• Mary Thoman, Green River- 11
• Ralph Obray, Green River- 8
• Tim Savage, Rock Springs- 2
• Gary Killpack, Green River- 2
• Terrance Andrews, Green River- 13
• Allan Jarnagin, Jamestown- 9
• John Kolb, Rock Springs- 16
• Luz Rossy, Rock Springs- 0
• Lauren Schoenfeld, Rock Springs- 10
• R. Cody Bramwell, Green River- 19

Those sixteen candidates were then narrowed down to six finalists in a primary vote. The six finalists (with their respective number of votes) included:

• Island Richards- 27
• John Kolb- 18
• Mary Thoman- 11
• Lauren Schoenfeld- 11
• Terrance Andrews- 6
• Cody Bramwell- 6

Up Next

The Commissioners will have 20 days to review the candidates, host a public meeting, and select who will fill the vacancy. If the Commissioners fail to agree on a candidate, the decision will go to a district court judge.