Mead to reporters: Your job is ‘critically important’

Sheila McGuire, Herald Reporter
Posted 1/31/18

Gov. Matt Mead addresses journalists at Casper convention

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Mead to reporters: Your job is ‘critically important’

Posted

CASPER — Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead addressed the Wyoming Press Association during a luncheon on Friday, Jan. 19, in Casper. Mead touched on the budget, economic diversity, the 2018 race for governor and the “harsh” national political climate during his speech and the following question and answer period. 

In discussing Wyoming’s budgetary situation and the pending legislative budget session, Mead said he was hopeful the legislature would not continue to focus solely on spending cuts and said cutting spending just for the sake of being able to say the state is cutting is not helpful. “By any account, the state has been fiscally conservative,” said Mead. “We are more than accountants,” he continued, “and we have services we need to provide.” 

Specifically, Mead said he had asked the legislature to return funding to the Department of Health, believing that the cuts in that area have been too deep. 

Mead stressed the need to diversify Wyoming’s economy. “It’s not our first time to have this problem,” he said, “but perhaps it’s the first time we’ve had the opportunity to do something about it and avoid this in the future.” Mead said the lack of diversification not only makes it difficult to plan for the future, but it also impacts the ability of young people — who he said are Wyoming’s most important resource — to pursue careers without leaving the state. 

“We can no longer just wait for things to get better,” said Mead. “If any state is able to steer its own course, it should be Wyoming.”

In terms of new revenues, Mead said he anticipates little in the way of new taxation, other than possibly in the form of a lodging tax and an additional tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Mead was asked about the 2018 gubernatorial race and his thoughts on challengers. He said the focus on resisting federal overreach expressed by some Republican candidates wasn’t the right direction for candidates to take. 

“If your goal is fighting the feds, run for Congress,” said Mead. “The vision has to be beyond that in terms of taking care of the state. It’s odd thinking that Wyoming is going to fight the feds during the Trump administration.” Ultimately, he said, “you have to have more of a platform than ‘No.’” 

Continuing to focus on politics, Mead said he would like to see more young people getting involved and for those young people to have support when they do get involved in politics. Mead told the assembled members of the press their work is “critically important” for the nation, especially in the adversarial national atmosphere at the present time. 

As for what Mead plans to do when his time as governor has come to an end, he said he plans to emulate George Washington and exit the political realm. “This has been the greatest privilege ever, but I’m done,” he said. “I’ve never believed in a long-time career in politics, and my boss — my wife — believes in term limits.”