Wes Gardner gathers signatures for his 2018 County Commissioner campaign. Running as an independent requires that Wes gather 250 signatures. The legwork allows him a chance to listen to a lot of Jacksonites and better understand community needs. Photo: Nagy Szabolcs

A message from county commissioner candidate Wes Gardner:

JACKSON, Wyo. — Many choose not to get involved in politics because they feel their voice is never heard. That politicians politely nod and then do what they want to anyway. But a vote for Wes Gardner means a vote for someone who will listen.

Gardner started his business, Teton Toys, with the idea of carrying only the kinds of toys he liked: Puzzles and games. While the model worked well enough to scrape by in the early years, it left many visitors unfulfilled.

When first going into business, Gardner manned his own shop all day, every day.

“I had to work hard or fail,” Gardner said. He worked 363 days a year doing 14 hours a day.

That was a powerful time for his career development, he said.

“Working long hours allowed me to engage with customers all the time, learn to listen, and learn the inventory,” Gardner said.

The longer he worked, the more he got a sense of what people wanted to find in his store. Every time someone mentioned a specific toy they’d like to see in the store, Gardner called it a “ping on his radar.” As the pings piled up, it became apparent that he would be leaving money on the table to not carry a specific toy.

Now that he’s not always on the floor of the toy store, he said he also makes it a habit to listen to his employees, who are developing their own radar.

“If I’d been stuck in my ideology, I’d still only carry puzzles and games,” Gardner said.

Instead, he now has a $1 million inventory of a wide variety of toys that have made his toy store a regional destination. And both his Jackson location and a second location in Utah have become an absolute success.

“You gotta carry what they want,” Gardner said. “Every government representative needs to have a ping on the radar experience or they just won’t listen.”

Gardner himself has been frustrated by town and county representatives who don’t seem to listen when he gets involved. People who shrug and say “we just have to get this done” when public comment goes against what they feel needs to be done.

“I feel it’s important for me to participate and for me to be a ping on their radar,” Gardner said, indicating he’s been highly involved in the political process for the past five to six years in Jackson.

But the frustrating experience of being steamrolled by the people who are supposed to represent him, the town and the county motivated Gardner to run for Teton County Commissioner himself. With a listening ear, of course.

“I hear when conservationists call,” Gardner said. “When the Conservation Alliance posts and says we need to rally the troops.”

As a START board member, Gardner said he’s spent a great deal of time listening to riders and business owners. What he found is that many riders who would like to use START bus to commute can’t or won’t because of scheduling.

“What you hear time and again is ‘Why aren’t there later shuttles?,” Gardner said. “Not everybody in Jackson works 9 to 5 — especially commuters.”

Armed with that knowledge gleaned by listening to the commuter community, along with other common complaints, Gardner put dozens of hours (even pulling all-nighters sometimes) into developing plans to work up more efficient schedules as well as extending more commuter runs beyond 9 to 5 hours. Especially in key areas like Teton Village where few employees get off until 10:30 p.m. after the apres-ski scene winds down.

Gardner makes it a habit to listen, read survey results, and actually respond to valid community concerns.

“That’s where my motivation flows from,” he said. “Listening to the community to make their lives better.”

If having a Teton County Commissioner who cares enough to listen and react to the pulse of the community is important to you, please vote for Wes Gardner for Teton County Commissioner on or before November 3.

Not ready to vote yet? Read more on Wes Gardner’s platform: