Cheyenne Mayoral Candidate Wants To Attract More Visitors

Cheyenne Mayoral candidate Rick Coppinger says he would like to see more people visit Cheyenne other than just during Cheyenne Frontier Days.

He says he sees Cheyenne as the''Crossroads of America" with interstates crossing the city both from east to west and north to south and connect the city with parts of the country on both coasts and border to border.

He says the railroads and the Cheyenne airport likewise link the city with the rest of the country. He says by bringing in entertainers and other attractions "we could fill up out hotels" and collect tax money from the visitors to make Cheyenne a better place to live.

Coppinger says of local residents ''we want more but we don't have more" going on to say "what can we do to get other people to pay for our toys?"

Coppinger, who served for in the U.S. Navy and has lived in Cheyenne for about 30 years, says he has the background ''as a leader and as a team member" to make his vision a reality.

He says the concept of working together as a team to improve the city is an important part of his vision for serving as mayor. He says he sees a lack of communication in the city right now that he would like to address with his teamwork concept.

On the issue of potholes on city streets Coppinger says the problem is that no one "has looked at the problem from bottom to top" and developed an effective way to fix the holes. He says ''there are some really good engineers out there" who might be able to solve the issue.

Coppinger says his background as a station manager with Great Lakes Airlines and running several businesses gives him insight into dealing with city budget issues.

Coppinger is one of eleven candidates running for mayor of the city, including city councilman Richard Johnson who is running a write-in campaign.