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House District 16
The following responses from candidates were compiled — with minimal editing for readability and space — from a questionnaire sent to each candidate by the News&Guide. Read the full Q&A at JHNewsAndGuide.com.
JIM McCOLLUM
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Party: Republican Age: 55 Job: Builder, craftsman and author/poet Years in district: 43
Why do you want to represent your district?
We need an effective voice in Cheyenne that will be a voice for the people in Jackson and across the state. Property taxes, affordable housing/living, education
Top three priorities:
Again, restructuring our Jim McCollum property tax valuations and rates. Education spending, teacher retention, and putting the focus back on students and teachers, not administrative salaries.
Strengthening Wyoming’s overall economy.
Rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is jeopardized.
We’ve made great progress with voter ID. I would like to see less drop boxes, meaningful legislation on absentee voting.
Place a cap on how much the tax can increase in any given year. I would like to see a cap of 3%.
We need to address the excessive spending on the administrative level. We need to put the focus back on students and teachers. We spend roughly $16,700 per student in Wyoming. Too much of that money goes to administration, multiple assistant principles and staff. There is a vast amount of wasteful spending.
Should Wyoming have an income tax?
No.
MIKE YIN, incumbent
Party: Democrat Age: 36 Job: Software developer Years in district: 7
Why do you want to represent your district?
I want to work toward a Wyoming where our kids can grow up and get a great education, find opportunity to have a career or their own business, and raise their own families.
Top three priorities:
Protecting reproductive rights in a post-Dobbs world.
Increasing local options for our community that we can apply toward solving housing issues.
Relief options for locals to ensure we keep people in their homes as property values skyrocket.
The viability line that Roe v. Wade had set for 50 years was also mirrored in Wyoming law until this last year where a completely draconian ban was enacted. The Roe v. Wade standard is what we need to codify back into Wyoming law. If we want to reduce the number of abortions in Wyoming, we should be increasing access to birth control so people can have more control on when they
want to be pregnant.
Each legislator should have a discussion with their county clerk on what our current process in elections is. Our clerks work to ensure the safety and security of our elections. The Legislature needs to ensure that every citizen has full access to the ballot and a voice when choosing their representatives.
Property tax assessments are because of the rise in home prices. We need to fix the home affordability crisis across the state, and that means prioritizing the people who live and work in our Mike Yin communities and recognizing how each second home raises the costs for everyone trying to make a living in the community. I am for property tax relief for those that live and work here, but it must be in a way that does not give tax breaks to second homeowners which only worsens the housing crisis further.
Diversify its tax structure with a diversified economy. The wealth in the valley pays a far lower share of its income toward our school system than the rest of the population, and as tax revenue from fossil fuels declines, we need to evaluate whether that arrangement makes sense.
Should Wyoming have an income tax?
Yes.
A tax for very high incomes is justified. This class literally makes money by claiming residency in Wyoming over a different state.
