Apr. 18—CHEYENNE — New to Cheyenne, but not to the Wyoming Legislature, 31-year-old Seth Ulvestad is running for the House District 11 seat, saying he aligns his views with the Wyoming Caucus.
After the formation of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus started gaining members in the state’s House of Representatives, Republican lawmakers whose views didn’t line up with the ultraconservative group formed their own Republican group, the Wyoming Caucus.
Out of the two, Ulvestad said his own political views aligned with the latter, but added that he’s open and eager to work with the body as a whole.
“I’ve always been someone in government that thinks compromise is not a bad word,” Ulvestad told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “I’m willing to talk through any type of issue with anybody. If you come in with that mindset that you might disagree, but you’re willing to talk through some stuff … those are some important things to bring to the Legislature.”
A window of opportunity
Rep. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, currently holds this seat, but recently announced his campaign for Senate District 8 after Republican Cheyenne Sen. Affie Ellis announced her upcoming retirement from the Legislature last month.
Ulvestad is one of the youngest candidates this year to run for a seat in the House, but age demographics haven’t deterred him. He recruited Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, to act as treasurer for his campaign, who was only 23 years old when he first ran for a seat in the House. With a nearly 20-year career as a state legislator, Zwonitzer said he’s helped Ulvestad find funding sources for his campaign and given tips on how to run it successfully.
The Cheyenne representative first met Ulvestad years ago when he worked as a high school intern for the Legislature. Zwonitzer said Ulvestad was an “outstanding high school intern” and could tell he was excited about state politics.
He encouraged Ulvestad to get involved in former Gov. Matthew Mead’s campaign, and the two often ran into each other at conventions. Ever since, they’ve always managed to keep in touch, Zwonitzer said.
Once Olsen officially announced his run for Ellis’s seat in the Senate, Ulvestad said Zwonitzer encouraged him “to throw my hat in the ring.”
“It’s encouraging — Rep. Zwonitzer has a great deal of experience in the Legislature,” Ulvestad said, noting that Zwonitzer is one of the longest-running elected lawmakers. “If someone like that encourages you to run, it makes it feel like it’s a real possibility.”
Ulvestad is no stranger to the Capitol, where he is often found sitting in on legislative meetings and speaking with lawmakers. As a policy and planning analyst in the communications and government affairs department for Enterprise Technology Services, which provides IT support for all state agencies in the executive branch, part of the job description includes presenting materials before the Legislature.
Zwonitzer said it’s critical to have solid connections with legislators in order to have an effective first term as a freshman lawmaker.
“Having that strong working relationship where a lot of legislators know you and trust you is paramount to being effective when you walk in the door,” Zwonitzer said.
He noted that Ulvestad has successfully secured this connection with several lawmakers through his role in the executive branch. His background with ETS, Zwonitzer added, puts him far ahead of most other freshman lawmakers, if he were to be elected.
“We normally say it takes four to six years to really understand the entire process,” Zwonitzer said. “With Seth’s background, he’ll pick it up and hit the ground running much more effectively than almost any other first-time candidate.”
Campaign focuses
Ulvestad said one of the three priorities for his campaign is to provide adequate funding to the state’s K-12 public education system, including its school facilities.
“Facilities have been a pretty major issue for our local school district,” Ulvestad said, adding that some of Cheyenne’s elementary schools “are a little run down and need some love.”
Students from Arp Elementary School, located in the South triad, have spent a year in a swing space at Eastridge Elementary, waiting for construction of a new school. Both district and state officials are in discussions about identifying school facility projects in Laramie County District 1 with funding secured from the state.
Ulvestad also said it is important for public education teachers to be paid well and school boards are supported to make their own decisions at the local level.
“They know their district the best, they know their students,” Ulvestad said.
Another campaign priority, he said, is to diversify the economy and provide state support for local businesses, especially since downtown Cheyenne is within House District 11. His third priority (although these are not in a particular order of importance) is to continue studying the best way to tackle rising property taxes without cutting revenue to local counties.
Nearly two dozen bills were introduced during the 2024 budget session that addressed property taxes — some sponsored by a committee and others brought on by individual lawmakers. Out of these bills, five were passed by the Legislature and four were signed into law by the governor.
Ulvestad said this showed promising momentum in the legislative branch toward tackling the issue, which has created a financial hardship for many Wyoming residents across the state. It’s important that lawmakers continue this work, Ulvestad said.
He worked for the Sheridan Recreation District for eight years and was director for five of those years. This is a special district that operates off a mill levy from the county’s property taxes. It was this experience that has emphasized the significance of this issue, he said.
“I know how important that funding is for those local districts that provide those services,” Ulvestad said. “We can make an educated decision on how to balance out (a property tax cap) and not overtaxing folks, but also supporting those local districts that need those funds.”
Hannah Shields is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s state government reporter. She can be reached at 307-633-3167 or [email protected]. You can follow her on X @happyfeet004.
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