Governor candidate Bill Sniffin formally announced
candidacy in Cheyenne, Casper and Lander Feb. 6

Republican Bill Sniffin, who is planning to run for governor in 2002, formally announced his candidacy Wednesday, Feb. 6.

The Lander businessman has been traveling the state visiting with people since early December. He held press conferences in Cheyenne and Casper before returning home to Lander for a rally that evening.

An enthusiastic crowd of more than 130 people greeted Bill and Nancy at the Best Western Inn of Lander for the rally. Earlier, he held a press conference on the steps of the State Capitol in Cheyenne and at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper.

Both press conferences were featured prominently on Casper and Cheyenne TV stations. His announcement story made the front page of the Cheyenne Tribune-Eagle. A photo of Bill was on the front page of the Casper Star-Tribune with a story of his press conference featured on B-! of the Feb. 7 paper. He recently announced the availability of his website at www.billforgovernor.com.

As for running for governor, Sniffin stressed he plans to get his ideas out early. Three of them include:
o Strong Business focus. "My candidacy can offer voters a wide variety of business experience and leadership," he said. Sniffin has been a leader in creating and running successful businesses. He has been a statewide leader in economic development and tourism promotion. "The economy is the key to everything," he says. "Wyoming needs a strong executive in the executive branch."

He says now is an appropriate time for Wyoming to elect a business person as chief executive. He supports helping existing businesses to expand, increasing public-private partnerships and adding value to Wyoming minerals.

• Energy Rebate. "We live in the heartland of energy, yet Wyoming citizens pay very high prices for gasoline and fuels for utilities. I propose paying directly to the citizens of Wyoming an energy rebate certificate when people here are paying outrageously high prices and when budget surpluses allow it," he says.
  
  
• Highest Quality Education. "A quality education system is fundamental to our society. It is the cornerstone of economic development and it gives people the skills necessary to succeed in today's economy," he says. He supports giving teachers the best tools possible to do their job.
  

Distance learning and lifelong learning programs are a necessity in a state as vast as Wyoming, he says, and he also supports University of Wyoming and Community College innovations.

Sniffin is best known as the prize-winning editor and publisher of the Lander Journal for 28 years. He sold the newspaper in 1999.

He has worked very closely with the Wyoming tourism industry and with local business communities all over the state.

As a journalist, he has covered the State Legislature for 30 years and worked closely with every Wyoming Governor, U. S. Representative and Senator over that time. "I have studied and reported on state government for three decades. I have earned the right to graduate from being an observer to a participant."

In addition to the Lander Journal, Sniffin, 55, and his wife Nancy have been involved in the ownership of more than 20 newspapers, print shops and publications in the Rocky Mountain Region since 1970. They have also owned a myriad of other businesses and real estate properties.

"As an entrepreneur, no other candidate comes close to my experience in creating new businesses and taking average businesses and making them into great businesses," stressed Sniffin. He knows how to hire the best people and knows how to motivate them to do the best job possible.

As a journalist, Sniffin said he felt it was always important to be "apolitical."

"The practical reality is that journalists should always try to remain as politically neutral as possible when reporting political news," stressed Sniffin.

When considering his run for Governor, Sniffin said, "when I look at my personal and professional life over the past 30 years in Wyoming it shows that I qualify as a Republican in all ways."

State Rep. Del McOmie, Lander, is Sniffin's campaign chairman. Persons can send their donations to his campaign address at 453 Main Street, Lander, WY 82520.

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