WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2026 |
Photo – Great Seal of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman has been removed from the position, and the sheriff’s office is now handling his former duties.
During the June 2nd Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Riverside Mayor Leroy Stephenson explained that he had received a letter from Deputy Attorney Ashley Davis announcing that Emergency Manager Lenny Layman was no longer employed by the county. Mayor Stephenson asked about the reasoning behind Layman’s removal.
Before the Board could respond, Deputy Attorney Davis said they cannot legally discuss the situation.
In May of 2020, Lenny Layman was selected from a pool of five candidates by then‑Fire Warden Ron Brown to fill the open emergency manager seat.
Back at the June 2nd meeting, Mayor Stephenson asked if the Board was planning to backfill Layman’s position. Chairman Travis Moore said Sheriff Alex Bakken will oversee emergency management coordination in Carbon County while the Board searches for Layman’s replacement.
Mayor Stephenson noted that Layman had set up a monthly emergency planning call involving all 10 municipalities and asked if the practice would continue. Sheriff Bakken said the former emergency manager had a number of events and activities planned. He will review Layman’s schedule and determine which ones to keep and which to cancel. The sheriff added that the monthly emergency calls are likely to remain in place.
Mayor Stephenson said Layman was working with the towns of Riverside and Encampment to establish a plan to connect the two municipalities’ water supplies in the event of an emergency. He asked if the work would continue in Layman’s absence. Commission Vice Chairwoman Gwynn Bartlett said she expects Sheriff Bakken to move forward with the project with support from the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.
Mayor Stephenson said he was surprised by Layman’s sudden departure and thanked the Board for its answers and Sheriff Bakken for assuming the county’s emergency management duties.
The Riverside mayor wasn’t the only municipal official caught off guard by the emergency manager’s exit. Speaking at Monday evening’s Medicine Bow Town Council meeting, Public Works Director Brian Lashley said he received the same email from the deputy county attorney regarding Layman’s removal. Like Mayor Leroy Stephenson, Lashley said he had no additional information beyond what was in the email.
The Wyoming Public Records Act prevents the county from releasing an employee’s personnel records or discussing them publicly, leaving the reasoning behind Layman’s departure unknown.
