Freudenthal kicks off re-election campaign
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Apr 3, 2006 Posted by Bill Luckett
Just as he did four years ago, Gov. Dave Freudenthal held press conferences Monday in his hometown of Thermopolis, Casper and Cheyenne to formally announce his intention to seek another four years in office. I attended the Casper announcement at the Parkway Plaza Hotel, and there were more than 100 people there to show their support for "four more years," as some of them periodically chanted.
The governor began his remarks by noting how many people in the audience have "picked up the oar and helped move Wyoming forward," stressing that he couldn't have accomplished very much without the active involvement of so many other people.
He recalled several of the issues he focused on in his first campaign for governor four years ago. Among those were open government, water storage, a wildlife trust fund, a Business Ready Communities program, increased tourism, economic diversification, strengthening environmental protection agencies, and increased commitments to education and to seniors. "Together, we have made progress in each of these areas," Freudenthal said.
The governor also stressed the importance of people working together, across party lines, to get things done for the benefit of Wyoming's people. He said the spirit of bipartisanship in Wyoming is a pleasant relief from the highly partisan atmosphere of the national political scene, a remark that drew applause and cheers from the crowd. "The last four years are an example of how much we can accomplish if we don't worry about who gets the credit at the end of the day," he said. He added that problems and opportunities don't arrive in his office labeled "Libertarian," "Democratic," "Republican" or "independent," and the challenges we face in Wyoming are too important to get lost in unproductive partisan rhetoric.
Gov. Freudenthal's wife Nancy and his daughters Hillary and Katie joined him for his Casper event, and he said they will be working with him on his campaign. But for now and throughout the summer, he said he plans to continue focusing on doing the job he was elected to do: governing the state. As campaign season kicks into high gear this fall, that's when he may change his focus a little bit.
The governor said he makes no claims that his administration has been perfect, because perfection is a goal at which people strive but never achieve. However, he said, "We have worked hard to make a real fundamental effort in this state to build a society that is healthy for us and healthy for future generations."