The Mayor’s Minute from Mayor Patrick Collins – Oct. 24, 2025
Published on October 24, 2025
Every football season, I try to take a trip to an opposing Big 10 stadium and watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers play football. This year, my son and I met in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. We loved walking the campus along the Mississippi River, the restaurants, the amazing canopy trees, everything – except for the fact that the Huskers did not show up and got dominated in the game. The fans in Minnesota were very welcoming, and I know they enjoyed whipping us yet again. I’m still working out next season’s trip and hoping for a better outcome. GBR!
The Corporations Committee of the Legislature has been discussing public records and cities’ responsibility to hold those records and make them available to the public. This week, the state ombudsman held a meeting to allow the public to weigh in on potential changes to the law. The City of Cheyenne averages 16 record requests every workday, and I am concerned about any effort to shorten the timeline to respond to record requests. I understand our responsibility and I also want to make sure our staff has the time to respond to record requests in a complete and responsive way. We will keep working with the Legislature to protect the public’s access to our records and to do our best to make sure our staff has the appropriate time to responsibly deliver.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month. I was invited to a gathering at the hospital to say a few words and read a proclamation dedicating the month. I was shocked to learn that 9.9% of Laramie County adults have Type 1 or 2 diabetes which is a chronic health condition that is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and blindness. I wanted to participate in order to thank the dedicated professionals at the hospital and around our community who are working every day to educate our community about early detection, education, and access to proper medical care. Thank you to all who are involved in helping keep Cheyenne healthy.
Tuesday morning was Purple Partner Day. The library hosted organizations in our community that provide victim services to our residents. I stopped by each table to learn what they do and to say thank you. One thing I kept thinking of was my hope that one day they would each be out of business because there would be no more victims to serve. Unfortunately, that day won’t happen.
We held a groundbreaking for Meta last year, and I toured the site this week to see the progress. Wow! Two 350,000 square foot buildings are completed, and the team is installing switches and other equipment. One part of data center development that I am excited about is the opportunity for our kids and grandkids to choose to stay in Cheyenne or come home to a great career. During the tour, I met five Meta employees who left Cheyenne years ago to find quality work and brought their families home when the opportunity to work for Meta in Cheyenne happened. Kids who grew up here and went to Fairview Elementary, Carey Junior High, and East High School are now back home raising their kids. I was awed by the size of the campus and very appreciative of their investment.
When we started our Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, my dream was 28 bronzes: one on every corner of Capitol Avenue before my time as mayor is done. Tuesday, we unveiled the 83rd and 84th bronzes in our collection. Ellen Church was the first female flight attendant and an important part of Cheyenne’s aviation history. A bronze of Ellen will be placed on the corner of 21st Street and Carey Avenue. Joseph Carey was a real Wyoming statesman and a big part of our early history. It is fitting this bronze will be on the corner of 18th Street and Carey. One aspect of the bronze project that I love is the way the bronzes educate all of us about important individuals in our city’s history. The QR codes on the base of each bronze take you to a website sharing information about the artist, donor, and subject. The generosity of our community continues to humble me. Thank you.
Cheyenne and western Wyoming is at risk of losing much of our water supply due to the decades-long drought affecting the Colorado River drainage. The river and the major reservoirs are at dangerously low levels that may require the managers of the water to make cuts to the amount of water taken from the system. Most of the Wyoming municipalities and industries have very junior water rights, putting the ability to receive Colorado River water at risk in the near future. Wednesday, Rep. Rob Geringer hosted a meeting of almost 30 legislators where Chris Brown, the state’s water lawyer, gave a lesson on how we got here and where we go into the future. It was a master class on water law, and I now understand more about the unbelievable complexity of our situation. Our team at the Board of Public Utilities has worked to find new water resources so we can get through a reduction in Colorado River water. That effort is challenged by the number of communities in the same boat as we are: looking for new water. It is my hope the states in the Colorado River Basin find a way to agree on a fair way to manage water usage before the government or courts are forced to decide what is fair. Thanks, Rep. Geringer, for putting this together.
I had many of my questions about air service answered at a meeting with WYDOT’s Aeronautics Division. Cheyenne is part of a state program for providing critical passenger air service in the state. Shawn Burke, Mariah Johnson, and WYDOT Director Darin Westby shared the challenges of getting airlines to serve our rural state. SkyWest serves our territory, and we are limited to 50 seat airplanes by their contract with United Airlines. One of our biggest challenges in Cheyenne is our proximity to Denver International Airport. 90% of passengers from Cheyenne drive down I-25 to DIA instead of flying Cheyenne. Judy and I fly Cheyenne regularly, and I love missing the traffic, parking charges, and long TSA lines. If we had more people choosing to fly Cheyenne, an increased number of flights a day would make the service even more convenient. I appreciate the partnership we have with WYDOT, Laramie County, and the City to support passenger air service.
Joe is a developer of housing in the Rocky Mountain region who lives here in Cheyenne. He asked for a meeting to learn more about our impression of Cheyenne’s housing needs. I enjoyed the conversation and asked him for ideas on how we can lessen the regulatory burden on home builders with the hopes of seeing more housing units built. Housing is getting so expensive, and I am looking for ways to make it more affordable. The cost of land is one challenge I don’t have an answer for.
This weekend is the annual Wyoming vs CSU football game. The game is sold out, and I am hoping for a much better result than my Minnesota trip. Go Pokes!