Elections - Basin Mayor

Danae Bales

Bio 

My name is Danae Bales (Hagemeister). I was born and raised in Basin. I have lived throughout Big Horn and Park Counties for a combined 37 of my 46 years. I am the mother of three daughters, including two who attend Riverside Middle High School. My oldest daughter is grown and lives in Casper.

I attended school in Basin before putting myself through college as a young mother at age 21. I attended Northwest College, where I received music scholarships before later pursuing studies in Photography and Graphic Design. More recently, I attended American College of Healthcare Sciences to study Integrative Health Sciences. I continue pursuing educational opportunities throughout my career.

My professional background includes marketing, community development, and business leadership. Over the past two decades I have owned and operated multiple businesses and work in industries including media, hotel construction, wellness, and international business development. I have owned an organic skincare line for the past 5 years while working in import and export relationships. I act in consulting capacity across a broad book of business internationally. I also work part time as the Administrative Assistant for South Big Horn County Water District, a role that has allowed me to reconnect with many of the community members I grew up with in Basin. 

I also serve in leadership roles with organizations focused on housing, historic preservation, and economic development throughout Big Horn County.

The office of mayor is nonpartisan, and I believe local government works best when we focus less on political labels and more on practical solutions that improve the daily lives of our residents.

What do you believe are the top issues facing your town?

The biggest challenges facing Basin are housing attainability, economic growth, workforce retention, and community communication.

Young families and local employees often struggle to find housing options that meet their needs. At the same time, local businesses need employees, and employers need housing options to attract and retain workers.

We also face the challenge many rural communities share: preserving the character and values of our town while creating opportunities that encourage families to stay and build their futures here.

Finally, communication and collaboration between local government and residents are essential. Communities thrive when people feel heard and included in decisions that affect them.

Growing up here and then living abroad has allowed me to come back to Basin and fall in love with the community all over again. I would love to see it thriving.

With changes in property taxes creating tighter municipal budgets, what would your priorities be with potentially limited funding?

Responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars would be one of my highest priorities.

My focus would be on protecting core services first: infrastructure, public safety, streets, water and sewer systems, and maintaining the quality of life residents expect. Beyond those essentials, I would prioritize projects that create long-term economic returns and strengthen our community. Limited budgets require creativity and collaboration. 

I believe that identifying future challenges early and addressing them before they become emergencies can save taxpayers significant costs while improving long-term community stability.

What is your stance on government transparency, including public notices, open meetings, public records, and communication with the press?

Transparency is essential to building trust in local government.

Residents deserve access to information about decisions being made and the reasoning behind major projects and policies. 

If elected, I would support proactive communication through maintaining an up-to-date town website. I would also support live-streaming and sharing the recordings of public meetings whenever possible so residents who cannot attend in person can remain informed. I would like to implement a town wide text alert system to better inform residents.

Even when people disagree with decisions, they should never have to wonder how those decisions were reached or whether they received proper notice.

How do you plan to weigh decisions that could benefit your personal businesses or goals from those that benefit the town overall?

Public service requires putting the interests of the community first.

If a matter involving my nonprofit organizations, or financial interests came before the town, I would fully disclose those relationships and follow all legal and ethical requirements regarding conflicts of interest and recusal when appropriate.

Every decision should be guided by one question: What outcome creates the greatest long-term benefit for the community as a whole?

My goal is simple: to leave Basin stronger, more connected, and better positioned for future generations than it is today.

Carl Olson

Bio 

I was born in Cheyenne Wyoming but I have lived my whole life in Basin. I went to Basin School and graduated in 1976. I did not attend collage but went right straight to work for Big Horn Co-op tire shop in Greybull. I married my high school sweetheart Carmen in 1977 and together we raised three children, all of them attended school and graduated from Basin.

I have worked for Big Horn Co-op, in the oil field with my father-in-law and Dresser MI. and eventually went to work for Big Horn Redi-mix in 1979, where I am currently employed as construction superintendent.

I have been involved with the Town in many ways which includes - chair on the Master plan committee in 2012, town council member for two terms, the Planning & Zoning board, and the County Solid Waste board for fifteen years. I feel that I have a solid idea of how city and county government operates.

What do you believe are the top issues facing your town? 

I believe our town is facing an employee workforce problem. The loss of longtime employees has left the town without the experience and knowledge the town needs to run and train new employees. It takes time and money to train and license new employees which increase labor costs.

Our town has aging infrastructure that needs addressed. The town has been working on the sewer and lagoon for a while but still needs more work. Many upgrades have been made and must continue to see the full benefits.

With changes in property taxes creating tighter municipal budgets, what would your priorities be with potentially limited funding?
Money has always been in the forefront of all the decisions no matter what the project is such as equipment, infrastructure, wages, etc. Our town will need to trim extras that may not be necessary at any given time. Securing more grant money that may be available for the town’s needs for the betterment of Basin. The town purchases our power and water from other agencies so some of the prices are raised through them but we can also work on our end to keep from going too far. 

What is your stance on government transparency, including public notices, open meetings, public records, and communication with the press?

I believe our town government is for the people. We want the community to be involved whether it is coming to town council meetings that are open to the public and have public comment times, calling the town office to be put on the agenda for the meeting or call the mayor/council person(s) with your concerns. The minutes are in the local newspaper, the town has their own website where things are updated. For example, the town has implemented a budget billing plan for all residents who qualify by contacting the town office. My goal would be have 1-2 evenings a month set aside for residents to call the Mayor’s phone with concerns they would like to have addressed.

How do you plan to weigh decisions that could benefit your personal businesses or goals from those that benefit the town overall? 

I am not a business owner; I am a Basin town resident. I have worked all my life with goals to raise my family, love my wife and retire with what we need and with God’s help I am about there! Now I wish to help guide our town in a direction of growth with no promise of greatness. The town needs all the current businesses and I would like to see more viable stores come to Basin. That would open up job opportunities. We need more affordable housing not just low income housing. This would help people who work here but live elsewhere due to the housing shortage. Basin is the business I would like to benefit with my knowledge together with the town council and residents. Carl Olson for Mayor.

Charles “Chuck” E. Hopkin

Bio 

I was born in the old nursing home in Greybull. I have resided in Basin, Wyoming, most of my life. I graduated from Basin High School. He raised two daughters while working within the telephone company. I was with Mountain Bell for 23 years, starting at age 19. I worked for TCT West for 10 years when they bought out Mountain Bell. Later on, I worked an additional 10 years with RT Communications. I retired at the age of 62, but I have not slowed down. 

I have been on many boards, including the Big Horn District #4 school board, Basin Recreation, C.A.R.E.S. board, Midway Golf Course, and the Basin Town Council. I volunteer at the Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site in Hyattville. I also enjoy talking with the pubic, listening to their concerns, and helping in every way possible. 

What do you believe are the top issues facing your town? 

The top issues facing our town currently include staying within its annual budget and working towards finding additional sources of revenue for the town. There are grants available for smaller towns looking to grow. Secondly, the town needs to refurbish the present sewer lagoon. This is something the town has been working towards for 10 years now, and it needs to get done. Finally, I would like to fill the empty buildings along Main Street with local businesses. 

With changes in property taxes creating tighter municipal budgets, what would your priorities be with potentially limited funding? 

The town’s priority is to find other funding for the special projects so they don’t come out of local taxpayers’ pockets. The town should be applying for grants, tightening its own budget, and looking for ways to bring in money.

What is your stance on government transparency, including public notices, open meetings, public records, and communication with the press?

I believe in government transparency and will utilize all of these for the public. Communication is key in every business, and we need to keep it available to everyone. There is a way to send out mass texts and phone calls to alert everyone in the town about announcements that concern them. We need to check into those. 

I want the community to thrive as a whole and keep costs as low as possible. We, as a council and mayor, need to work together to achieve our overall goals. 

For State Candidates, see: https://lovellchronicle-wy.newsmemory.com/?special=BHC+Election+Edition