Joe Shumway was elected by the Laramie City Council on Wednesday as the city's mayor for the next two years, while Pat Gabriel has been appointed vice mayor.

Mayoral nominees included Shumway, Gabriel, and now former vice mayor Jayne Pearce.

"First of all, it was unexpected," said Shumway. "I'm looking forward to the next two years and hopefully we can accomplish what we need to for the city - to take care of the needs that we have - with the limited budget we have to work with."

The initial voting resulted in a tie with four votes for Shumway, four votes for Pearce, and one vote for Gabriel. Since a majority of five votes was not received, the top two nominees moved on to a runoff vote, which Shumway won with six votes to three votes for Pearce.

Shumway's tenure begins immediately. This is his second time serving as Mayor of Laramie.

"First [goal] is do everything we can to get the Public Works building complex up and going," Shumway said when asked about his immediate priorities as Mayor.

He spoke of improving the roads in West Laramie, solidifying the city's relationship with the University of Wyoming, and focusing on protecting the Casper Aquifer.

Voting for vice mayor also saw a runoff, with Pat Gabriel being elected.

Nominations for vice mayor were Pearce, Gabriel, Paul Weaver, and Bryan Shuster. Weaver declined the nomination.

In the first round of voting, Schuster received four votes, while Gabriel received three, and Pearce received two. The runoff vote resulted in Gabriel winning on seven votes to two.

 

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