Lummis opens field office in Sundance

Is Sundance now the smallest city in the nation to host a congressional office? With the opening of U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis' new digs within Old Stoney, it might just be.

Having a presence in the smaller communities of Wyoming was the plan all along, says Kristin Walker, Chief of Staff for Senator Lummis. She and State Director Jackie King came to town last week for the grand opening of the office and spent the afternoon meeting the community, playing cornhole and indulging in a spot of roping.

Senators are permitted a certain amount of square footage around the state, Walker says, and Lummis made a decision – based on Wyoming being such a rural state – that she would prefer not to have one or two large offices in the biggest towns. Instead, she wanted to have a presence within the smaller populations, like Sundance and Afton, and across as much of the state as possible.

Lummis now has seven outreach offices, including the newly opened Sundance one. The office will have two permanent members of staff: Tyler Lindholm, State Policy Director for the senator, and Kathy Lenz, who joined the team last week as Resource and Economic Development Manager.

"This is the first time a congressional office of any sort has been in Crook or Weston County," Lindholm says.

It's a place where anyone with a question about national politics can call or stop in to speak with one of Lummis's staff members, but it's also intended to be much more.

"One thing I don't think a lot of people realize about their congressional offices is that they are welcome to come in and talk about the issues of the day and policies, but these field reps can help people in Wyoming with a multitude of issues," Walker says.

King, who has been working as a field rep for 27 years and lists the many areas the office can help with

"IRS, VA, immigration, postal service – you name it," she says.

Whether it's a delayed medal owed to a veteran, an adoption application that's been delayed, a passport that hasn't arrived with a week to go before your vacation or an issue with an IRS check, Lummis's reps encourage you to get in touch.

"Anything that interfaces with the federal government, these guys have some magic levers that they can pull and get people on the phone and solve problems," Walker says.

There's no need to wait for a problem to become a crisis for you, Lindholm stresses – just come on in and help will be available.

The reps will also be aiming to do a lot of outreach, says King: office hours, engaging with the community, attending meetings and meeting with community leaders.

Lenz, meanwhile, will be pioneering a new type of role for this state.

"Kathy's gig is really new, and it's never really existed in Wyoming politics as far as I know," Walker says. The idea came from Senator Cory Gardner, Colorado, who had a devoted member of staff for economic development. Senator Lummis felt that was something Wyoming needed.

"Someone whose sole job will be helping Wyoming businesses and communities with economic development, but also accessing federal resources," Walker says.

"Senator Lummis is a staunch conservative and she's not voting for these big spending bills, but the money is coming up and she wants Wyoming to get its fair share."

The team is excited to have Lenz come on board, she adds, "to do what she's done for Sundance and Crook County for the rest of the state."

Lenz herself says she's hit the ground running and says her level of excitement at taking on the new role would best be described as "giddy".