Pride and passion in Hanna

Newly elected mayor shares goal of showing county what Hanna has to offer

Lois Buchanan was told about her win as mayor on the evening of the election day.

"I was going to bed early and figured I would find out in the morning, but somebody called me and the unofficial results were in and it had me ahead," Buchanan said. "It made my sleep a little harder, although I was happy."

Buchanan said her slogan during the campaign was "pride and passion".

"I wanted residents to take pride in their properties and do it with a passion," Buchanan said. "Now I want to enforce the ordinances that are in place and clean up some of this junk."

Buchanan was sworn in on Jan. 8.

Now that she has been on the job for a short time, Buchanan is working to achieve her goals for the town she had talked about during the election.

"I am out to mend any fences that need it, and I don't mean that literally of course," Buchanan said with humor. "I want to mend relationships with agencies and communities that might need some care."

Getting the ordinances enforced has been a priority since she took office.

"My famous saying is that some of the town looks like a salvage yard," Buchanan said."I know that sounds a little harsh but I think if I was an outsider coming to town, I would have this impression."

She said even neighborhoods have properties that need to be helped to look less like a junkyard.

"When I started my job as a school bus driver, I have seen some places that look really bad," Buchanan said. "Seeing some of these properties is what inspired my slogan 'pride and passion' because Hanna can be a nice looking place with our established yards if people take care of them. There are plenty of nice looking homes in our community-and the ones that are not because of not following ordinances need to be addressed."

She said it can't be done overnight, but there has to be a start.

Buchanan is looking into the ways that the town can help residents who would have difficulty getting their homes cleaned up.

Her "fence mending" with communities, boards and agencies has Buchanan wanting to attend many meetings such as Carbon County Council of Governments, Wyoming Association of Municipalities, Carbon County Economic Development Board and other associations that work with small Wyoming towns.

"I know there is a lot for me to take in and learn, but that is why I ran for mayor," Buchanan said. "Hanna has a lot to offer Carbon County with its rich history and residents. I want people in county to know our town is interested in participating with making Carbon County the best place possible."

From a personal standpoint, Buchanan has been happy since she took over at her first town council.

"I felt wonderful when I went home from the meeting that night," Buchanan said. "The people didn't eat me alive and I left with no teeth marks."

Buchanan said she is looking forward to all the work that comes with being mayor.

"I am going to enjoy the people contact," Buchanan said. "I want to listen to people and their concerns. I want to hear what the town employees have to say because they bring a lot of years of experience with their positions."

Buchanan said she was fortunate to come into a staff that was reliable and capable.

She is hopeful that by tackling the enforcement of ordinances and reaching out to surrounding communities, Hanna will soon be a place that visitors and residents alike can say, "what a nice town."

"The people are already great here and now we just need to get the town cleaned up to reflect how excellent our town is," Buchanan concluded.

 

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