Roger Connett (Republican)

PO Box 926
Sundance, Wyoming 82729
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I graduated from high school in Riverton, Wyoming and attended Casper College. I began my mining career in the Gas Hills Uranium mines east of Riverton and was working in the planning department when I got an opportunity as the Maintenance Planning Supervisor in one of the Powder River Basin Coal mines. In 1979 we moved to Gillette where I continued my mining career. During my 40 plus years in mining, I managed various departments, which include Production Supervisor, Maintenance Manager, Safety Manager, Human Resources Manager and Mine Manager. My career path changed when I accepted a position for a Mining Equipment Company as their Western Regional Manager and after a short time I was promoted to the Customer Support Manager – USA and Mexico, started my own Consulting Company and worked for an Ag equipment dealer as an equipment salesman. I am married, we have 4 daughters and 9 grandchildren, we have lived in Sundance since 2007.

I have an extensive background in business management, budget development, budget management, operations and human resource management. My responsibilities included over sight of multiple facilities and projects, Contract Administration, P&L management, labor and equipment management. I provided strong, proficient leadership with creative strategic thinking, planning, defining visions and objectives and empowering people to meet established goals at both domestic and international levels.

Graduated from Riverton High School
Attended Casper College
Rapport Leadership Institute – Master Graduate
The Levinson Institute (Harvard) – Management and Leadership
Deming Quality and Competitiveness

I have always been active in my community, some of my activities and memberships both past and present are;
Wyoming State Unemployment Commission 7 years Chairman 2 years
Wyoming Mining Association – Director
Mining Associates of Wyoming – Past President, Director
Crook County Republican Party Chairman 6 1/2 yrs.
International Society of Mine Safety Professional
North East Wyoming Economic Development Coalition
Crook County Land Use Planning and Zoning Commission – Chairman 6 yrs

I am running for Senate District 1 because I believe my business management experience will be an asset in our legislature. Especially now at a time when going forward we are going to have less revenue from the coal, oil and gas industries coming into the state coffers.
For many years our legislators only had to think about spending money, not necessarily be fiscally responsible. We need individuals in our legislature that understand fiscal responsibility and who will be able to make tough, but rational decisions and set priorities as we navigate through the coming years. New taxes are not the answer to our problems, good fiscal management and listening to the priorities of the people are what is required to maintain our conservative values.

Property Taxes, School Choice and Funding and Voter Integrity.

We must change the model we use for assessing property taxes. Current assessments are based on fair market value, which is driven by unprecedented high prices. A more reasonable approach would be a model based on our acquisition cost (with reasonable escalators). We are currently being taxed on unrealized income and the only way to realize it, is to sell our homes. This affects all the citizens of Wyoming, time to fix the model.

We also need to address our school funding model, currently almost 70% of the taxes collected fund our schools. We spend over $18,000 per student, more than double what the states around us spend and our test scores are no better. Teacher and student spending is not the problem, we spend entirely too much on administrative costs. This can has been kicked down the road for far too long, we need to address this problem.
We need focus on parental rights and allow parents to choose public, private, charter or homeschooling for their children. This creates competition in education and I believe that will also improve the quality of education. I also believe in “backpack funding” which means the money follows the student.

It is time to change the rules regarding crossover voting which can result in electing individuals that are contrary to voters true preference. We need run off elections, candidates should get at least 50% +1 of the votes to be elected or the top 2 have a run off.