Louise Carter-King Explained

Louise Carter-King was the first female mayor of Gillette, Wyoming.^[1] Carter is frequently interviewed in international U.S. press because Gillete is a center of the coal industry in Wyoming.

Family

Carter-King's's father, Herb Carter, was one of the previous mayors of the city.^[2] Her husband works in the coal industry.

Positions

Carter-King resigned January 7, 2022.^[3] She stepped down over 500 "disparaging and disrespectful" texts and emails, ending an embattled and highly controversial two terms as mayor, starting in 2014. Ironically the mayor was instrumental in causing the resignation of Councilman Shay Lundvall ^[4] over comments liked on a local citizens Facebook posts. Councilman Lundvall was reelected to the council with strong public support after his forced resignation.

Arts

Carter-King is supportive of the local arts industry.^[5]

Coal industry

Gillete is very dependent on coal mining and is a boom town at the center of the Wyoming fossil fuel industry.^[6] Carter-King has expressed opinions throughout her career about the coal industry.^[6]

After a 2017 policy change by president Trump loosening regulations on coal, Carter-King was mildly optimistic about how that would effect the local economy, while noting other trends causing the closure of coal companies.^{[7] [8]}

The predicted return never came—a convergence of energy market changes favoring non-coal fossil fuels and reducing the viability of coal. After the 2020 elections, she expressed interest in talking with the Biden administration about how to recover jobs in Gillete due to the failing local coal industry. Carter-King acknowledges the larger forces that reversed the opportunities they were hoping for during the Trump administration.

Muslim rights

When anti-Muslim protestors attempted to prevent creation of a mosque in Gillete in 2016, Carter King supported rule of law and condemning discrimination.^{[9] [10]}

Controversies

After the city council rebuked a counselor for public sexist actions in June 2020, local community groups protested Carter-Kings administration.^[11] Carter-King resigned January 7, 2021[3]. She stepped down over 500 "disparaging and disrespectful" texts and emails, ending an embattled and highly controversial two terms as a mayor.

Notes and References

1. Web site: McKim. Cooper. Gillette Mayor Sees "Marked Difference" From 2016 Presidential Election. 2021-02-27. www.wyomingpublicmedia.org. 10 November 2020. en.
2. Web site: Opinion by John D. Sutter Video by McKenna Ewen. Opinion: This town powered America for decades. What do we owe them?. 2021-02-27. CNN.
3. Web site: Mayor Louise Carter-King resigns, effective immediately.
4. Web site: City Council issues statement about former councilman.
5. Web site: 2017-08-30. Can the Arts Save These Struggling Towns in Postindustrial America?. 2021-02-27. OZY.
6. Web site: 2021-01-28. 'Energy capital of the nation' reacts to new climate orders; mayor says she's 'ready to talk' to Biden. 2021-02-27. CBS 42. en-US.
7. News: Mayor Of Wyoming Coal Town Reacts To Trump's Climate Order. 2021-02-27. NPR.org. en.
8. Web site: April 2, 2017. Associated Press. President Trump's Rollback of Coal Rules Electrifies Wyoming Workers. 2021-02-27. K2 Radio. en.
9. Web site: Ahtone. Tristan. Wyoming town abandons mosque opposition, pivots to anti-refugee rhetoric. 2021-02-27. america.aljazeera.com. "People would call and say ‘is the city going to allow a mosque to locate here?’ and of course, we answered, We would allow any church as long as it was zoned correctly.”.
10. Web site: Bryan. Miles. Gillette's First Mosque Draws Anti-Refugee Anger. 2021-02-27. www.wyomingpublicmedia.org. 21 December 2015. en.
11. Web site: Exchange. Greg Johnson Gillette News Record Via Wyoming News. Protesters seek ouster of Gillette mayor after councilman's resignation. 2021-02-27. Casper Star-Tribune Online. en.