MONDAY, August 3, 2026|
Photo – Carbon County Emergency Management C4 Building – Bigfoot99 file photo
County officials have agreed to begin searching for a new emergency manager with help from the sheriff.
In May, Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman was removed from his position, and the sheriff’s office began handling his former duties. No official explanation has been provided for Layman’s removal.
Lenny Layman was selected from a pool of five candidates in May of 2020 to fill the open emergency manager seat by then‑Fire Warden Ron Brown. He was responsible for organizing the county’s emergency response, crafting hazard mitigation plans, and securing state and federal grants to purchase emergency equipment.
Back at the June 2nd Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Riverside Mayor Leroy Stephenson asked if the Board was planning to backfill Layman’s position. Commission Chairman Travis Moore said Sheriff Alex Bakken would oversee emergency management coordination while the county searches for a new emergency manager.
During the July 20th Board of Commissioners meeting, Chairman Moore announced that he and Sheriff Bakken had discussed what role the emergency manager should have moving forward and asked if the sheriff was ready to begin searching for a new candidate.
Sheriff Bakken responded that he was prepared, adding that he had a clear understanding of the emergency manager’s responsibilities and how to oversee the position.
Commissioner Moore asked to open the candidate search nationally by posting the position on job listing websites, such as Indeed.com.
