JACKSON, WY— In a time before Tinder, people used to meet their matches by circling around a room full of suitors and trying to learn as much about them as five minutes would allow.
It was called speed dating. May seem like a lost art, but it’s not dead yet.
The upstairs room at Hand Fire Pizza filled to the brim on October 3 with people eager to meet their matches. But they weren’t looking for love—they were looking for answers.
The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and Buckrail teamed up to host Candidate Speed Dating, a chance for political hopefuls to interact with their constituents in a whole new way. Each candidate had their own seat, and constituents had five minutes to sit and chat with each before moving on. Nineteen candidates participated from town council, county commission, state representative and sheriff’s races.
Candidates were busy wooing constituents, but Buckrail got the chance to do our own speed rounds with a few of them. We couldn’t talk to everyone, but you can see a full list of town and county candidates and their positions on our 2018 Local Election Info Sheet.
We gave candidates two minutes to answer up to three questions. State representative candidates reflected on Teton County’s relationship with the rest of Wyoming, and town and county candidates got to wonder how they’d spend $1 million extra dollars if they had them. Hear what each candidate had to say:
Kate Mead, Senate District 17
Andy Schwartz, House District 17
Mike Yin, House District 16
Andrew Byron, County Commission
Arne Jorgensen, Town Council
Matt Carr, Teton County Sheriff
Carr’s Republican opponent Michelle Weber offered her thoughts off-tape:
“As Sheriff I intend on streamlining the budget and make the Sheriff’s Office more responsive to victims’ concerns,” Weber said. “One of my priorities is to increase training and awareness on domestic violence and partnering with other law enforcement agencies to institute a zero tolerance policy. Thank you to Buckrail for hosting the Speed Dating event and allowing constituents to meet all the candidates running for office.”
Erin Weisman, running unopposed for Teton County and Prosecuting Attorney, shared some thoughts with Buckrail off tape.
“I understand the important role of the County and Prosecuting Attorney, serving not only as counsel to the County elected officials and departments, but also prosecuting misdemeanors and felonies in the County. My decisions will be based on Wyoming law and grounded in reasonableness and objectivity. I pledge to do my part to keep our community safe.”
Learn more about all town and county candidates, and how to vote, on our 2018 Local Election Info Sheet.
Think you’re ready to cast your vote? Tell Buckrail (anonymously) who you’re voting for in our Reader Poll.
