A Ward I member of the Casper City Council is asking for the resignation of Casper city manager John Patterson.

Councilman Keith Goodenough called the city manager a “wheeler and dealer,” and said Patterson is too focused on major capital projects and not focused enough on the actual management of the city. He also said the city deserves a more business-minded manager that can unite the divided council.

“We do not have a content, happy, functional city council any longer, and a big part of that is our city manager and his interaction with the council leadership and the community,” Goodenough said. “I believe he’s a divisive force.”

In a recorded phone conversation with Casper police chief Jim Wetzel, Patterson allegedly called Goodenough “strange” and “an anomaly in Wyoming politics” – citing Goodenough’s stance on marijuana, gay marriage and death with dignity laws. The call was made during council’s investigation of Ward II councilman Craig Hedquist.

Goodenough was one of two council members to vote against a resolution last month asking for Hedquist’s resignation. During a Casper City Council work session on Tuesday, Casper mayor Paul Meyer said the majority of council still supports Patterson.

Goodenough is currently running for Natrona County Commission as an independent. He’s in the last year of his second city council term.

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