Platte County Complaint Against Commissioners Contains False Claims, Documents Reveal

A complaint filed by Platte County residents asking Governor Mark Gordon to remove their county commissioners from office contains at least one demonstrably false claim, according to documents obtained by Cowboy State Daily.

The 64-page complaint, signed by nearly two dozen residents and submitted on December 1, targets all three members of the Platte County Commission: Steve Shockley, Ian Jolovich, and Jeb Baker. The controversy centers around a proposed wind and renewable energy project by NextEra Energy Resources near Chugwater, which is scheduled to present its case to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Industrial Siting Council on December 29.

The document alleges that the commissioners committed “malfeasance in office, neglect of duty, and violation of official oath,” putting their actions within reach of state law 18-3-523, which authorizes the governor to remove county officials found guilty of misconduct by a judge.

False Campaign Finance Claims

One claim in the complaint has been directly refuted by county records. The document alleges that Commissioners Shockley and Jolovich “never filed required campaign-finance reports” as required by law.

County Clerk Malcolm Ervin confirmed this claim is false, providing PDF copies of both commissioners’ campaign finance reports from the 2022 primary and general elections, all bearing appropriate file stamps from that election cycle.

“My guess is they went to WYCFIS [Wyoming Campaign Finance Information System] looking for Steve and Ian’s records, and obviously they’re not there,” Ervin explained. County clerks weren’t granted access to that system until 2024, and weren’t required to upload historical documents.

“The fact that the complainants did not even ask the filing office before making that allegation is remarkable,” Ervin added.

Controversial Fire Safety Meeting

A significant portion of the complaint focuses on a July 15 meeting hosted by NextEra regarding fire safety and training, particularly concerning Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The meeting excluded press and public attendance, while Commissioners Shockley and Baker attended.

The complaint alleges this constituted an illegal closed meeting since a quorum of commissioners was present. It further claims that Shockley attended in his capacity as a commissioner rather than as a firefighter, describing him as “listed only nominally as a potential volunteer firefighter.”

Palmer Canyon Fire Department Chief Will de Ryk strongly disputed this characterization, calling it a “huge insult” to Shockley.

“Nobody ever called me to find out how active he is,” said de Ryk. “He’s probably one of our most active members, and I have conversations almost on every fire about where he’s at, where it is; do I need him and his truck, just him or not him at all.”

Former Platte County Fire Warden Aaron Clark concurred, stating, “Steve Shockley has been a firefighter for at least 25 years that I know of. This is totally ridiculous.”

Legal Questions About Meeting Status

Legal experts disagree on whether the fire safety luncheon was subject to Wyoming’s open meeting laws.

Former state House Speaker Tom Lubnau, who conducts legal training for local government officials, said he doubts the laws apply to that gathering: “That’s not a ‘meeting’ for the law’s purposes. If you broadened the definition to cover that, hearing somebody talk about firefighting at a cocktail party would be covered.”

However, Gillette-based attorney Charlie Anderson took a different view. “I think there’s an issue there,” he said regarding the press and public exclusion. “At first blush, it sure sounds like the commissioners were there in their capacity as county commissioners.”

Platte County Sheriff Tony Krotz, who attended the meeting as the former county emergency management coordinator, confirmed it was a fire safety talk with no county business votes or initiatives involved.

Tensions Over Wind Leases

The complaint also alleges that commissioners retaliated against project critics during an October 21 commission meeting by “misappropriated and misrepresented” information about a family that opposed the project.

During that meeting, commissioners referenced documents showing that Terry Baker, who vocally opposed the project, had previously signed wind leases on the same parcel. The complaint characterized this as “introducing illicitly obtained documents into the public record.”

County Clerk Ervin dismissed this allegation, stating, “All land records are public. We were doing our research, and found that an individual who’d signed a number of land leases is now very vocally against wind and solar projects.”

Growing Trend of Removal Attempts

This complaint marks the fourth instance in the past year where county residents have attempted to use the governor’s authority to remove local officials. Previous cases involved officials in Weston County and Hot Springs County.

Gordon’s spokeswoman Amy Edmonds acknowledged the increasing workload these investigations are causing the governor’s office but emphasized that each complaint receives careful consideration.

“It’s beginning to appear to be a fad,” Edmonds wrote, adding that the process “should be used sparingly” as it requires the governor to override local election results. “It is becoming apparent to this office that some in the state see this as a way to attempt to remove county officials when public policy differences arise. Removal is not a solution for complainants that simply do not like a county decision or county official.”

The trend has sparked discussions in other counties, including Park County, where GOP Chair Vince Vanata recently addressed inquiries about the process. “People in our state have been frustrated by the lack of any recourse when it comes to actions, or inactions, of their elected officials,” Vanata said, noting Wyoming’s lack of recall elections.

Commissioner Shockley expressed confidence that “the truth will come out,” while Commissioner Jolovich said he remained focused on county business despite the complaint, including maintaining essential services amid funding shortages.