A group that says it lobbies for personal freedom has come out against a proposal to have an appointed city administrator take over most of the duties currently handled by the elected mayor in Cheyenne.

Boyd Wiggam of the Wyoming Liberty Group says the organization is concerned Cheyenne residents will lose input on city decisions if the person charged with implementing city policy answers only to the city council and not the voters.

Wiggam says one problem with the city administrator idea is that it destroys the traditional American democratic ideal of a division of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches by allowing the city council to essentially take over city government.

Wiggam also points out that the city administrator would be in charge of appointing city department heads, such as the police chief, fire chief and others who would run city departments, but the administrator wouldn't answer to the voters, only the city council.

Wiggam also says it's likely that most candidates for the position of city administrator would have a "big government mindset" and would be likely to want to expand city government in Cheyenne rather than make it smaller and more efficient, as some supporters of the change have proposed.

Wiggam does say, however, that he agrees with many of the complaints supporters of a city administrator have with the current city government, such as over-regulation of businesses, are valid, but he adds putting an appointed bureaucrat  in charge of city operations won't fix those problems.

The Cheyenne City Council is scheduled to hold a third and final vote in August on whether to put a city administrator proposal before the voters in a November special election.

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dale Steenbergen says a city administrator would improve the efficiency of city government and ease over-regulation of businesses in the community.

The chamber has been the driving force behind the proposal.

 

More From KGAB