Paul Montoya (Laramie City Council Ward 1, Wyoming, candidate 2024)

Paul Montoya

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Laramie City Council Ward 1

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 20, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Albuquerque, N.M.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Broadcasting

Contact

Campaign website

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Personal LinkedIn

Paul Montoya ran for election to the Laramie City Council Ward 1 in Wyoming. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Montoya completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Paul Montoya provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 31, 2024:

• Birth date: March 8, 1958
• Birth place: Albuquerque, New Mexico
• High school: Del Norte High School - Albuquerque
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Broadcasting
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Paul Montoya for City Council (Simple and to the point)
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign Twitter
• Campaign YouTube
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Laramie City Council Ward 1 (2 seats)

William Bowling, Sharon Cumbie, Roxie Hensley, and Paul Montoya ran in the general election for Laramie City Council Ward 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	William Bowling (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Sharon Cumbie (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Roxie Hensley (Nonpartisan)
		Paul Montoya (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Laramie City Council Ward 1 (2 seats)

William Bowling, Sharon Cumbie, Roxie Hensley, Norbert Kriebel, and Paul Montoya ran in the primary for Laramie City Council Ward 1 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	William Bowling (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Sharon Cumbie (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Roxie Hensley (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Norbert Kriebel (Nonpartisan)
		Paul Montoya (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Montoya in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Paul Montoya completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Montoya's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’ve lived in Wyoming for the last 29 years. After attending most Laramie City Council meetings over the last year and a half, I feel it is time to give back to the city I love. That is why I’m running for City Council in Ward 1.

I moved to Wyoming with my wife Lynn 29 years ago. We have owned and run many businesses over that time including radio stations, a bed and breakfast and a broadcast consulting company. I have been involved with a number of boards over the course of his time in Wyoming.

I am a graduate of Leadership Wyoming Class of 22. I am a Rotarian here in Laramie.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I have found the Laramie City government to be wasteful in it's spending. I would work to promote efficiency and accountability in our city's spending. Also, ensuring that city leadership is responsible in both budgeting and expending city monies.
• Addressing aging infrastructure in residential areas. 10% of our streets have remained unpaved for decades. We need to find a way to change that. Senior-friendly infrastructure. We need to support our seniors by providing good streets and sidewalks.
• Attracting and retaining businesses. Laramie needs to create a more business-friendly environment by reducing government regulation.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Community involvement in decision-making. Too many decisions are made behind closed doors and by the time residents are involved decisions have already been made.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My wife Lynn. She is always the sensible partner in our relationship. I also aspire to have her passion to loving and helping people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Transparency and accessibility are the most important. Too many times elected officials get wrapped up in projects and agendas and ignore what citizens are really saying. Regular dialog with fellow residents can give an official high altitude view of issues that are truly important.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Common sense and no ambition toward any higher office.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

In city government the core responsibilities of any elected official are public safety (police and fire), street repair and development and water/sewer. Other items are secondary.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Getting my hometown of Laramie back on a good track.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

President John F. Kennedy assassination. I was 5 at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Selling shoes while in high school. Also did my first radio job as an announcer at our local radio station.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I feel it is more important for holders of this office to have leadership experience. Not necessarily political or governmental.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I have been involved in multiple businesses, many that I have owned. I have also been involved in multiple boards over the last 25 years.

Tell us your favorite joke.

A man was driving down the road when a policeman stopped him. The officer looked in the back of the man’s truck and said, “Why are these penguins in your truck?”

The man replied, “These are my penguins. They belong to me.”
“You need to take them to the zoo,” the policeman said.
The next day, the officer saw the same guy driving down the road. He pulled him over again. He saw the penguins were still in the truck, but they were wearing sunglasses this time. “I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo!”, the officer said.

“I did,” the man replied. “And today I’m taking them to the beach."

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

First, budgeting needs to be clean and transparent. A spreadsheet is far more understandable than a 200 page document that tries to hide the pertinent information.

Second, when expending budgeted funds the public needs to be aware at every step and notified in understandable terms.

Third, the city government must live within it's budgets.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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