The Cheyenne City Council voted Nov. 10 to appoint Lawrence J. Wolfe to serve the remainder of the Ward 1 term vacated by the late Scott Roybal.

The appointment followed a multi-step screening and interview process. Councilmembers Layborn and White described conducting preliminary interviews and advancing four finalists. Layborn denied allegations from an online commenter that he had any improper communication with Wolfe about interview questions or the selection process. "I am at a loss to understand the idea that I had any communication with Larry Wolf about any of the questions ... That is incorrect," he said.

A resident who spoke online, Tamara Churchill, criticized the process and said it made her work to engage the community harder. "The generalization and mindset towards the union workers, the housekeepers, the retired military ... is disgusting and disappointing," Churchill said, referencing comments she said emerged during the selection event. Councilmembers who led the interview process and several colleagues defended the selection as fair, open and lawful, and many expressed confidence in Wolfe’s community involvement and experience.

Council moved and seconded the appointment on the record; the mayor announced Wolfe had an out-of-town engagement and will be sworn in on Nov. 24. Councilmembers urged voters to hold the officeholder accountable in the next election cycle.

What happens next: Wolfe will assume the Ward 1 seat at the Nov. 24 meeting and serve until the next election; councilmembers said new appointees may choose whether to run in the following election cycle.