Former Mayor Mark Barron to run for Board of County Commissioners
(David J Swift)
JACKSON HOLE, WY – One of Jackson’s most well-known public figures is returning to the fray. Today former Jackson Mayor Mark Barron announced he will run for Teton County Commissioner.
The six-term mayor and business owner is the first Republican candidate to enter the race. He joins Democrats Luther Propst and Seadar Rose-Davis.
Barron’s campaign “will focus on private sector housing opportunities through appropriate zoning and parking regulations,” he said in a press release issued Tuesday.
Since Barron left office in 2014, he has indeed been active in the housing and development sphere, including with the advocacy group Jackson Hole Working, formerly Think About it Jackson Hole. As the town revamps its affordable housing regulations, Barron has been particularly vocal about greater parking restrictions for new housing developments.
Barron stressed the need for more public participation and government transparency. He also said he would support nonprofit human services, as the state tightens its belt. He called Jackson “a compassionate community,” that has “an obligation to step up.”
In 2006, Barron was the first mayor in Wyoming to join the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement. That helped set in motion some of the town’s landmark energy initiatives, like its use of solar power and 100 percent renewable energy in town buildings.
Three seats are up for election on the BCC: those of Commissioners Mark Newcomb-D, Smokey Rhea-D, and Paul Vogelheim-R.
Vogelheim announced on April 18 he will not seek re-election. Newcomb, meanwhile, has not officially announced his candidacy but told a crowd at the Teton County Democratic convention on April 21 that he plans to make that announcement soon. Rhea has not indicated whether she will run again.
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