Rick Coppinger Throws Hat In Ring For Mayor of Cheyenne

Rick Coppinger says he knows business and he knows what the people of Cheyenne want.

He says that combination makes him the ideal candidate to be elected mayor of the city in 2020.

Copinger made the announcement that he is running on the ''Weekend in Wyoming" program on KGAB, AM 650.

Coppinger, who also ran for mayor in 2016, said he has "spent 35 years listening to the people of Cheyenne," giving him a good idea of what local residents really want. He views the job of mayor of the city as being two-fold, including both a managerial role, similar to that of a manager in private business, as well as a mayoral role, which includes responsibilities that are specific to being the city's top elected official.

Coppinger said Saturday that his varied background during his time in the city, which includes jobs with various businesses as well as being an employee of an airline and time in the oil industry, gives him a perspective on the community that other candidates can't match. Coppinger also said he thinks cooperation and communication are keys to moving the city forward. In terms of obtaining outside funding for the city, Coppinger said he would not have accepted money from a group like the Bloomberg Foundation. In terms of who should pay for  the extra police presence at Frontier Park during Cheyenne Frontier Days,

Coppinger said that while he thinks CFD should pay that cost, he doesn't agree with the city using the malt liquor license for the event as a bargaining chip. On the city's seemingly never-ending battle with potholes on city streets, Coppinger thinks Cheyenne can do better.

''Somebody is not staying on top of this," he said of the pothole problem. He also suggested putting local college students to work fixing the holes, suggesting they could earn extra money while saving the city money at the same time.

Coppinger joins state employee James Johnson and businessman and former city councilman Patrick Collins as declared candidates for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Marian Orr has not yet said whether she will run for re-election.

You can hear the entire Coppinger interview on ''Weekend in Wyoming" above.