It’s a good problem to have.

The Park County Commissioners have delayed making a decision on appointing a travel council board member because they have three solid candidates to consider.

It’s even caused them to drop a recent practice of not interviewing an incumbent board member. After hearing from two challengers March 5, they decided to schedule an interview for Tuesday’s meeting if possible with the longtime incumbent, Cody real estate agent John Parsons.

“We've got three really good ones,” Commissioner Lee Livingston said. “It’s only fair to set him up for an interview.”

Both challenging candidates have Powell connections, but offered different perspectives on the current board.

One of those is Craig Kenyon, a Powell High School grad, retired Air Force, and now owner of Absaroka Mountain Lodge and in a leadership role at the East Yellowstone Valley Chamber, a collection of lodges that have pooled their resources together for marketing and other purposes.

“I think [Park County Travel Council Executive Director Ryan Hauck] is doing a great job over there,” Kenyon said. “Most definitely we're headed in the right direction. I believe we need to keep going in the right direction.”

The other is Jake Ivanoff, a Cody native, real estate agent and owner of 307 Real Estate, a company with offices in Cody, Powell and Sheridan, and owner of a building in downtown Powell and the Scout Inn in Cody.

“I’m outspoken and I will say what I have to say,” Ivanoff said. “I want to really see how our money is spent and I will question some of that as well. It’s a reason for putting new people on the board.”

The commissioners agreed that there can be a benefit to a change in the board even if a solid incumbent is in the running.

“I think John has done a fantastic job, but new blood doesn’t hurt,” Chair Dossie Overfield said.

Kenyon and Ivanoff both said they’d like to offer a new perspective on a board that has recently had a lot of federal funds to put into new marketing strategies and other such programs to try and bring more tourists into Park County.

The Park County Travel Council is a Joint Powers Board comprised of 10 volunteer board members. Four are appointed by Park County Commissioners, two by the Cody City Council, two by the Powell City Council and one by the Meeteetse City Council. A representative from the Wyoming Business Council’s Travel Commission is also on the board. The board meeting, open to the public, usually meets the third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. in the boardroom at the PCTC office located at 1306 Sheridan Avenue.

Predator Board

With the incumbent not in the running, commissioners (minus Lloyd Thiel who abstained) appointed a replacement for the sportsman representative to the Park County Predator Management Advisory Board.

Powell native and PHS grad Zach Thiel was chosen unanimously over Greg Mayton, a Cody resident who has lived in the area since 2008 and been involved with both Game and Fish Department projects due to his biology training, and with the sporting goods field through his work at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports. Mayton said he’s a big outdoorsman, including trapping, hunting and fishing.

Thiel, son of Lloyd Thiel, taught high school biology for a few years and focused on how ecosystems work together, such as the balance between predators and livestock. He also grew up helping his father with the family’s Clark ranch.

The board meets annually within the first two weeks of December. Non-county appointed members are elected by district livestock owners and brand inspection fees fund much of the board’s operations.