Mayoral rivals offer contrasting views on present, future

The mayoral race in Greybull features a matchup between the four-term incumbent, Myles Foley, and the town’s former police chief, Bill Brenner. 

Foley was elected to the council in 2012, won his first bid for mayor in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018, 2020 and 2022.  

Brenner spent 16 years as the Greybull police chief before retiring in January 2023.

Bill Brenner 

Background: [I was] born in Missoula, Mont., and raised in Cody, Wyo.  [I] worked cattle ranches all over the Big Horn Basin until the age of around 28.  My wife Angela and I, along with our two boys, Bryan and Dylan, relocated from Cody to Greybull in December 2001, and I have been serving the citizens and community of Greybull ever since.  I am owner/operator of a windshield repair business since 2011.  For 16 years, I was the Chief of Police/CEO of the Greybull Police Department. In that time, I wrote over $1 million in grant monies for the town.  I retired with a distinguished career on Jan. 2, 2023.  Currently, I hold the position as Chief Deputy Coroner for the Big Horn County Coroner’s Office. 

Myles Foley

Background: I have lived in Greybull since 2008. I’m originally from Bremerton, Wash. I, along with my partner Lori, own and operate The Historic Hotel Greybull and a few other businesses in town. When I first moved here, I saw that downtown Greybull was dying and wanted to do something to bring it back to life that would enhance the community. I have been in public office for the last 12 years, and have a son and grandson currently living in the community. I have a daughter and granddaughter currently living in Washington state.

Why are you running for office?

Brenner: I feel that we need term limits.  It is not good for a community to have the same mayor for long periods of time. Term limits allow new ideas, new energy and provide citizens of the community a chance to serve in positions to help their community succeed and grow.  Myles Foley has been the mayor for the past 10 years; it’s time to let someone else have a run. I have spoken with lots of folks concerning issues that they see here.  The main concern, it seems, is the constant rate increases [as] utility rates are increased to offset the spending at town hall.  If we tighten the budget up [and] stop paying so much in overtime by keeping a full staff, then we can lower rates easily.  Most of the town’s equipment can come from grants or partial grants. If you have a good grant writer, that can make a huge difference. Constantly dipping into reserves is not fiscally responsible.  In this town, there are few good paying jobs with room for advancement.  We can do better than this! I will seek companies out to move to our community to bring better jobs. Let’s face it, Greybull is NOT a tourist town like Cody or Red Lodge.  The tourists are good for businesses in the summer, but we also need to understand if you have better paying jobs here, then you will have more successful businesses because of steady year-round customers.  

Foley: I’m running for office to continue working on the projects that are currently in process or on the short-term radar such as the replacement of a 1 million gallon tank, finishing the level two study on the main water transmission line and implementing the suggestions received from that study. We are currently completing the town’s capital improvement plan and from that we will have a better road map to address projects the citizens and council consider a high priority such as street improvements, lagoon improvements and water system improvements. I feel that the council has done a great job of identifying community wants [and] needs and figuring out a way to implement and improve the town.

Some concerns have been voiced publicly about the general appearance of the town — maintenance of parks, non-enforcement of weed ordinance, potholes and condition of streets. Do you agree?  What can be done to address some of these issues?  In the case of weeds, does the town need to hire more staff or perhaps be more aggressive about ticketing violators?  

Brenner: Citizens should be concerned with the way their town presents itself.  It is the main reason for me running for office, not to mention wanting to build a drive-in theatre [and bring] good paying jobs and other things for entertainment here. These concerns are easily remedied.  Hire more public workers, part-time if needed.  It is obvious that the public works crew is stretched thin and needs assistance. Remember, the town cannot enforce the weed ordinance until they comply themselves — lead by example! The streets are horrible, it’s embarrassing to have people come here and see this. Solicit the railroad for assistance in repairing Seventh Street/Greybull Avenue: their big trucks go up and down that street every day.  The railroad has a huge foundation that likes to help [the] communities that their railroad runs through.  It’s not rocket science.  Think outside of the box for obtaining funds to better the community.

Foley: I believe the overall appearance of the town is very appealing.  We typically get positive reviews about how cute our little town is from both visitors and residents. Parks and Recreation overall did a great job of keeping up and trying to play catch up on items that needed to be addressed from the previous seasons.  The weeds overall were just tough to keep on top of this year. As a town, we sprayed multiple times to try and stay on top of them, but ultimately spent a few weeks knocking them down.  Keep in mind that our public works crew is responsible for water, sewer, sanitation, parks and rec, mosquito control and streets and alleys. They are a crew of seven and do the very best they can, and prioritize the best they can. We have seen an increase in maintenance of the main sewer line that took a lot of their time over the past year.  The council is looking to possibly increase the public works staff due to the increased workload. Railroad Avenue is something that the town has struggled with for years and will continue to. As you are aware, the council recently adopted the capital improvement plan that addresses streets.  With the adoption of this plan, we are in a better position to get the streets in shape, including Railroad Avenue.  Currently, we are on a contractor’s schedule to replace sections of asphalt on Railroad and other places around town.

The town has made inroads on several fronts over the last 5-10 years, from the steady development of the business park to the quickening pace of sales in the Frontier subdivision to the building of the pool.  What’s the next big need for the town?  What do we need to start thinking about now so that we are ready for it when it’s needed?

Brenner:  Most people that I have spoken with feel that the subdivision was a huge mistake.  The location is next to a motorcycle and quad playground and also a place where people go to sight in their firearms.  The town has had to give these units away at reduced prices. That’s probably the only thing keeping the town afloat.  Subdivisions should be left to private parties, not government. Unfortunately, the next mayor will inherit this and have to make the best of it. What we need here are jobs. Without good paying jobs, this town will dry up.  The only things keeping Greybull alive right now are Wyo-Ben and BNSF. We need a mayor with motivation to entice companies to come here and not be so focused on his businesses that he owns on main street.  

Foley: The large capital improvement item the town will be addressing next is the replacement of the 1 million gallon storage tank east of town and the 17-mile transmission line to Shell.  This tank and line are approximately 55 years old, long past their useful life. We are under a level two study with [the] Wyoming Water Development on this project right now.  After the completion of the level two study, we will most likely move to the level three construction phase.

What differentiates you from your opponent?

Brenner: The difference between me and the current mayor is that I have nothing to gain from being mayor.  I do not want to control main street and I have no contracts with the town for construction jobs. Under the current administration, our town is falling apart. I encourage voters to leave the main area of the town and go drive around the backstreets. See if I’m wrong. Go downtown on a weekend and see how dead this place is.  We can change this. Again, I have nothing to gain from being mayor, only hard work that I am willing to do. Since my wife and I have decided to stay here, I decided to fight to make this a better place and not just a bump in the road as it is now. Give me two years and see what happens. I appreciate your vote in November. Together, we can do great things!

Foley: I have been part of the town government for the last 12 years and understand fully how local government works. Everything is a process and takes time to work through. It’s not as simple as pushing a button to get funding for projects that the council views as a priority. With the adoption of the capital improvement plan, we have put the town in a better position to successfully seek grants and improve the infrastructure and facilities for the town.  I believe by working directly with the council and citizens, we can continue to build a community to be proud of.