Cheyenne Mayor: City Council Doesn’t Understand City Government

Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr, in a memo to city council members, says the council doesn't seem to understand how the city's government is supposed to operate.

The mayor was responding to Council President Rocky Case's comments to kgab.com on Friday in which he questioned the mayor's decision to appropriate $250,000 to fix potholes in the city.

Case questioned whether the potholes constitute a real emergency that justified bypassing the city council in the emergency procurement. The situation led the mayor to issue the following memo:

Councilmen

This morning’s public call-out on KGAB by President Case regarding the street work I have authorized within my scope as mayor is now yet another example of what appears to be a lack of understanding of the form of government our city operates. If council wants to change that form of government to administrator/manager - I would support your efforts to place it on the ballot once again for the voters to decide. I act within state statute and city code. If there are those who don’t like it, change it, but attack the system we operate under, not the elected official carrying out the duties elected by the city to perform.

I informed council of my decision to authorize the request by both public works and engineering during the now bi-monthly meeting with council and staff, and reported on by Jennifer to the entirety of council.

Respectfully,

Marian Orr, Mayor

City of Cheyenne

2101 O’Neil Ave Rm 310

Cheyenne, WY 82001

O: 307.637.6300

M:307.630.4091

Townsquare Media of Cheyenne contacted Mayor Orr via email Monday morning telling her of the plans to publish the memo and asking if she had any further comment. The mayor did not immediately repond to that email.