Venus Bontadelli

When Venus “Freedom” Bontadelli and her family moved to Powell in 2023, she says she was excited to come to a place that “was so much freer” than their previous residence in California.

But the city council’s refusal to let Bontadelli keep a pet goat and other issues have left her dissatisfied with the city.

In talking politics with local residents, “you just hear the different things that people are irritated with, and the biggest thing has been government overreach, especially in a small town,” Bontadelli said, and “it just felt like the next step was to run for the city council.”

The 48-year-old is now one of four candidates seeking a seat representing Ward 3.

“It feels like the freedom and the Constitution has kind of been stepped on a bit,” Bontadelli said, “and I want to try to save the taxpayers money. Why are we spending stuff on things that we don’t need to?”

Background

Though she only moved to Powell a few years ago, Bontadelli said she’d been wanting to relocate here for nearly 20 years, as several members of her extended family had lived in Powell and Cody for decades. However, Bontadelli said the move needed to wait until her husband was ready.

After settling in, the couple decided to open the Wyoming Game Vault. It’s a downtown hobby store that sells tabletop and card games like Pokémon, Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and offers space to play them, including organized competitions and tournaments.

“We’re just trying to benefit [our community],” Bontadelli said, “and I think we’re doing a pretty good job.”

Bontadelli has done a lot of work as a caregiver in the past, but said this is her first business venture, “because, unfortunately, California is not business-friendly.

“They rake you over the coals and take everything they can,” she said, “and I don’t want this place to end up that way.”

The goat dispute

Bontadelli and her husband purchased their home in southeast Powell in mid-2024, in a neighborhood that’s zoned industrial limited. Their realtor said it would be no problem to keep small livestock, including goats, on their roughly quarter-acre property, Bontadelli has said. However, the family learned that was inaccurate last year, after a passerby spotted their Nigerian pygmy teacup goat, Porsche Lane, and complained to the city.

Although a couple neighbors expressed support for Porsche Lane, the city council declined to grant an exotic pet permit or Bontadelli’s request for a three- to five-year “grace period” for the animal; council members generally cited concerns about the precedent they might be setting.

“We tried to do everything the way they said,” Bontadelli said, but “it was just like jumping through hoops that were disappearing halfway through.”

Bontadelli sued months later, arguing its permitting process was arbitrary. Earlier this year, the council agreed to settle the suit by issuing an exotic pet permit that will let Bontadelli keep Porsche Lane in town for at least the next five years.

But Bontadelli still feels the city’s “excessive” ordinances are more controlling than keeping residents free. She mentioned that other municipalities, including Cody, are less restrictive when it comes to pets.

“It feels like the city council isn’t listening to its constituents,” Bontadelli said, “because a lot of them are yes men, yes women. And how many times have you looked up there and they all look at him [the mayor] to see what his reaction is going to be?”

More listening, less spending

Bontadelli also takes issue with the city’s spending. As the city prepared to raise electric and garbage rates this summer, she voiced support for Councilman Troy Bray’s proposal to have the city stop imposing property taxes. She also echoed concerns Bray had expressed online about the Powell Aquatic Center employing two co-directors, as she believes the city’s wages are too high for a community this size.

“It seems like there’s a lot of waste of money,” she said.

Bontadelli said there should be “audits on everything,” that the city should give back money it doesn’t use, make sure funding “is going where it should be, not always where we want it … and not trying to get the taxpayers to pay for something that isn’t really their responsibility.”

When she considers and votes on an item, Bontadelli said she will ask, “first, is it constitutional? Second, do my constituents even want it? And if not, then it’s a no from me.”

Though she’s been actively involved in politics for some time — including frequently engaging with her board of county supervisors back in California — this would be Bontadelli’s first public office.

“I know that I have a lot to learn, but I’m willing to do that,” she said, adding, “I just think that there needs to be a lot more listening and a lot less spending.”

Bontadelli faces incumbent Councilman Tim Sapp, Justin Waterworth and Lupe Bickford in the Aug. 18 primary. The top two vote-getters will advance to November’s general election.

Ward 3 is made up of everything east of Division Street and, generally, south of Third Street, including the entire south side of town.