Bruce Knell Elected as New Mayor of Casper

It was a changing of the guard at the January 3 Casper City Council meeting.

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Three city councilors left and three new city councilors took their seats, but that's not all.  Bruce Knell was also elected to be the new Mayor of the City of Casper, accepting the role from former Mayor Ray Pacheco.

Knell was elected in an 8-1 vote, with just Councilor Lisa Engebretsen voting 'nay.'

After relinquishing his title of Mayor, Ray Pacheco accepted his role as the new Vice Mayor for Casper.

"It's been an honor to serve as your mayor this last year," Pacheco stated. "Being the mayor is not quite as shiny as everybody makes it up to be. We're one of nine and we're kind of glorified meeting wranglers, if you will. Beyond that, the opportunity to be mayor is humbling. My continuing as city council member and vice mayor, to continue to support our new mayor, will be something that I will not take lightly. I will continue to be a leader for our community, to be a leader of this council."

Mayor Knell also offered his thanks to the council, as well as his wife.

"I want to thank my fellow councilors," Knell said. "I do appreciate this opportunity and I will certainly dispatch it with fidelity. It's an honor for me. Very much. And I want to thank you for that; all of you. I'd also like to introduce my wife, Stacy. She always supports everything I do, so thank you, honey, for that."

Mayor Knell's wife looked on in pride as her husband took the oath of office, standing alongside Vice Mayor Ray Pacheco. Both men looked calm, poised, and ready to lead the council, and the City of Casper as a whole, through 2023.