Why We Built Evanston WY Politics

From the Editor’s Desk

Sometimes good ideas start with a simple challenge. Last year, during community discussions about the 1% SPET tax, conversations across several local Facebook groups were lively — and at times, difficult to keep civil. One moderator told a commenter that if they didn’t like how things were being handled, they could always start their own group. That moment stuck with me. I thought, maybe we really do need a dedicated space for local politics — one built around fairness, respect, and facts.

So I created the Evanston WY Politics Facebook group. What began as a place for civil conversation about Evanston’s local ballot measures quickly grew to include county and city topics as well. Over time, it became clear that Facebook alone couldn’t keep pace with how fast information moves — posts get buried, links disappear, and it’s hard to follow a timeline of what actually happened. That’s what led to building the Evanston WY Politics website, a public home for the news, summaries, and resources that might otherwise get lost in the scroll.

The goal isn’t to replace local news or debate — it’s to make civic information easier to find and understand. Every article links directly back to its discussion thread on Facebook, so conversation still happens in one place. The website simply provides a stable record: meeting summaries, official notices, and context for how decisions in Evanston and Uinta County connect to the broader picture in Wyoming.

Staying neutral is at the heart of this effort. That means focusing on verified facts, giving equal footing to different perspectives, and doing everything possible to avoid partisan framing. Whether you lean one way or another politically, the hope is that you’ll find this project to be a calm, reliable space to stay informed about what’s happening right here at home.

Evanston WY Politics is still growing — the group launched in September 2025, the website followed in October, and a new YouTube channel is in the works to eventually stream local meetings once live features become available. Each piece is about helping residents stay engaged without the noise or division that often surrounds political conversation.

This project started with one small question — could local politics be discussed with more respect and clarity? — and it’s grown because the community has shown that it can.

We welcome your feedback — join the discussion in our Facebook group or email feedback@evanstonwypolitics.org.

– Tyson, Evanston WY Politics