February 16, 2023 |
After the Governor’s Annual Prayer Breakfast Wednesday, Day 26 in the Wyoming Senate started on a more spiritual note than usual. Debate was delayed. The minutia of laws and statutes were set aside for several guests who shared thoughts and reflections on the big picture. The usual morning prayer was led by a priest from the Holy Apostle Orthodox Church in Cheyenne. Father R. Joseph Collins asked for mercy and wisdom.
Pictured above: Gov. Mark Gordon, keynote speaker Anne Beiler and First Lady of Wyoming Jennie Gordon at the 2023 Governor’s Prayer Breakfast Wednesday morning at Little America. Photo courtesy Jennie Gordon, First Lady of Wyoming/Facebook.
Breaking with the usual tradition, a second prayer was offered, this time from one of Wyoming’s First People.
Following the Arapaho prayer, the recently elected Chairman of the Arapaho Business Council, Joseph Goggles, addressed the Senate. Goggles served in the U.S. Marines from 1996 to 1999. He also served four years in the Wyoming Army National Guard from 2001 to 2005.
Following his military service, Goggles became a law enforcement office for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Thermopolis. He went onto become a judge in the Wind River Tribal Court. Chairman Goggles told the Senate that the United States is a nation made of different cultures.
Chairman Goggles told the Senate members that he looks forward to working them on the issues that the State shares with the tribes.
Collaborating in the “spirit of neighbors” will be the key to building a stronger relationship between state government and the tribes, he told the Senate. The Arapaho Business Council chairman said he would not have been elected to his leadership position if he had not listened to and collaborated with others.
Following Goggles remarks, the Senate heard from the morning speaker at the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, Anne Beiler. The founder of Auntie Anne’s hand-rolled pretzel chain told the chamber she was impressed with culture of Wyoming and said it should be exported to the rest of the country.
After the reflective start to the day, the Senate got down to the business of politics and hammering through more bills. The legislature only has two more weeks left to finish its business before the March 3rd deadline.
