Weekend Poll: Does A ”Good Old Boy” Network Really Run Wyoming?

It's a term you hear a lot in Wyoming. The ''Good Old Boy" network.

Politicians occasionally run against them, but never run as one of them. Have you ever heard a Wyoming political candidate say, "Vote for me! I'm a Good Old Boy, and we know what is best for Wyoming?"

Probably not.

But occasionally candidates will run to "shake up the good old boys in Cheyenne.'' Or on a local board such as a city council or county commission.

But they seem to have a lot of influence, or at least people think they do. For example, a few years ago, we ran a story about a proposal to increase fuel prices by 15 cents a gallon. The article drew several comments on social media implying that the proposal was backed by the ''good old boy'' network, or that the ''good old boys" would find a way to use the money raised by the tax for something besides highway and road maintenance.

So Who Are The ''Good Old Boys"

At various times in casual conversation or on social media, you will read or hear references to the "good old boys'' who are thought to wield undue influence behind the scenes. Exactly who the ''good old boys" are is seldom, if ever, explicitly spelled out. At various times, it's implied or openly stated that they run the Wyoming Legislature and various state bureaucracies, local governments, economic organizations such as Chambers of Commerce, and the Wyoming Business Council, among other groups.

Data centers? Some people think they will end up benefiting the ''Good Old Boys" one way or another, while average folks end up paying more for electricity and water.

But are they real? Or are they the product of conspiracy theorists and people who are envious of success?

You tell us. Is the Wyoming Good Old Boy network real? Or is it a Wyoming myth, like the jackalope?