Freel and Johnson Not Running for Re-Election to Casper Council

The city of Casper announced on May 27 who has filed for reelection to the Casper city council, and while Mayor Ray Pacheco and councilmember Jai-Ayla Sutherland have filed, Vice Mayor Steve Freel and councilmember Shawn Johnson have not.

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The remaining council members aren't running for reelection this year because their terms don't expire until 2025.

Besides Pacheco and Sutherland, there are 12 other candidates that are vying for the four open council seats in all three wards.

For Ward 1, where there is one open seat, Dennis Rollins, Travis Van Hecke, John Minchow, and Gena Jensen, are running in the open seat.

For Ward 2, where is one open seat, Nikki Green, Dan Elston, Eric Paulson, and Michael Bond, are running in the primary.

And for Ward 3, where are two open seats, Woody Warren, Ryan Amadio, Brandy Haskins, and Trevor Mahlum, are running in the primary.

Both Freel and Johnson have said that they are choosing not to run for reelection on the city council because they have decided to run for county commissioner.

Freel is running as a Republican in the August primary for the seat currently held by Peter Nicolaysen, who replaced Brook Kaufman after she resigned earlier this year, which would last until 2024.

While Johnson said that he is running to replace one of the three commissioners whose terms are ending this year, he didn't file for the primary because he plans to run as a libertarian in the general election, and so won't have to file until August.

Johnson, who has been on the city council for eight years, said the reason he is running for county commissioner instead is that he wants to bring his platform to a higher level.

"I think I've served my purpose on council and I kind of want to take my fight for fiscal responsibility and government accountability up to a higher level," Johnson said.