Sen. Geis honored by Contractors Association

WORLAND - State Senator Gerald Geis (R-Worland) was honored by the Wyoming Contractors Association for his citizenry and volunteerism.

Geis was awarded the Charles M. Smith Civic Award, which is dedicated to the late Charles Smith of Thermopolis who was a charter member of the WCA and an outstanding citizen of his community and the state of Wyoming. The award, according to a WCA press release, recognizes individuals whose exceptional volunteer efforts and contributions of skill, talent and resources for the betterment of their fellow citizens resulted in extraordinary improvements in their community, county or state. Geis was unable to attend the WCA banquet Dec. 9 in Jackson. The WCA will present his award to him in February during the WCA Annual Legislative Appreciation Dinner in Cheyenne.

"It's a great honor," Geis said in an interview Monday, regarding the award. "It makes me feel like I'm doing my job, that I earned my pay."

He said contractors, the ag industry and natural resources industry are the backbone of Wyoming.

Specifically, with the contractors in Wyoming, he said, "They're a good bunch of people."

According to remarks prepared for the WCA banquet in Jackson Dec. 9, "Senator Geis has a long and distinguished career representing the Big Horn Basin in the Wyoming State Legislature. He was first elected from 1975 to 1986, eventually serving during that time as Senate Vice President, Majority Leader and President of the Senate."

After taking a break from public service and seeking election to the secretary of state's office (losing in the primary by 62 votes), he was elected again to the State Senate in 1993 and has served ever since.

The WCA, in its presentation, added "Over the years, Geis has been on a number of Senate committees making decisions and crafting legislation critical to Wyoming's economy and infrastructure, including Agriculture, Select Water and Transportation. He has long been a champion of transportation and highways, due to his experience in his family's trucking business. Having travelled nearly every road in the state over the years, he has a keen interest and understanding of the need for improving Wyoming's highways."

Geis said, "Wyoming has the best roads, and that's because we contract out 80 percent of our work to the private sector. The private sector can do the work better than government."

The WCA added, "He has also clearly demonstrated his belief legislators should be open and accessible to not only their own constituents, but all residents of Wyoming, as he has always promoted holding legislative committee meetings all over the state, providing the opportunity to anyone to attend."

Geis said, "I don't like to have meetings in Cheyenne or Casper. I like to have them in smaller communities and I like spreading it around," noting he has meetings for the Joint Ag Committee and the Wyoming Water Development Commission in various communities around the state, including Buffalo, Powell and Thermopolis.

Geis retiring at end of 2016

Sen. Gerald Geis (R-SD20, Worland) was recently honored by the Wyoming Contractors Association. He will receive his award in February during the 2016 Budget Session of the Wyoming Legislature. This session will be his final session as he will be hanging up his legislative hat at the end of this term that ends Dec. 31, 2016.

He said Monday, "I'm not running again. I've served eight years on the Worland City Council and 35 years in the Wyoming Senate. I'll be 83, it's time to step down and let some younger people come in with new ideas."

He said his successor could come from any of the five counties of which Senate District 20 encompasses - all of Washakie and Hot Springs counties, southern Big Horn County, a portion of Park County including Meeteetse and a portion of Fremont County including Shoshoni and Lysite.

He said he has heard of a few people interested in Washakie and Hot Springs County.