Ericka Smith and Marina Tucker are both deputy Park County prosecutors who moved to the area last year — and they’re both seeking to replace their retiring boss, longtime County Attorney Bryan Skoric.

Tucker, of Cody, and Smith, of Powell, each made their cases to voters during a June 17 forum hosted by the Park County Republican Women. The two Republican contenders shared their experience, talked about their goals and suggested ways to improve the county attorney’s office.

Backgrounds

Tucker started in social work and obtained her law degree in 2019. The Ohio native worked in civil practice before becoming a deputy prosecutor in Billings and then coming to Park County.

Tucker said she would work to keep crime rates low and stand up for people who can’t defend themselves.

“I want Park County to be a place where people can leave their doors unlocked, their cars unlocked, their kids can walk to school,” she said. “That’s part of why I’m here, and that’s an important thing that I would like to see continue.”

Tucker said her track record shows “that I stand my ground and take hard cases to trial” and she said being a prosecutor aligns with her values.

“I’ve had people ask me, ‘Well, could you ever do criminal defense?’ and the answer for me has always been no,” she said. “It’s not in my blood to do that.”

In contrast, Smith is a longtime Wyomingite — she grew up in Cheyenne — who has worked as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. Her 26 years of practicing law have also included extensive civil work, with West Park Hospital among her former clients.

Smith told the crowd she has conservative values and follows most of the Republican platform “to a T.”

As for her approach to crime, she said prosecutions need to not only be fair, but also just.

“... I’m a big believer in defending the Constitution [and] protecting our communities, and those things have to go hand in hand,” Smith said.

Prosecutors “can’t be too heavy handed, we can't be too underhanded,” she said. “We want this community to be safe, and for the people that live here to be well.”

Potential improvements 

Since taking over as the office’s Powell-based deputy last year, Smith said she’s been working to rebuild partnerships with local law enforcement, the Wyoming Department of Family Service and other organizations.

“We have great resources that I think are not being tapped into,” she said.

Another potential area of improvement for the county attorney’s office, Smith indicated, is in advising and counseling county officials.

“The role really is about helping, protecting, teaching, and it’s not about necessarily being the person that runs the ship,” she said, “and I think that that’s a way that we can improve things.”

Tucker said the county attorney’s office is doing a lot of work and has “some really great people,” including Smith.

Tucker does believe the county attorney’s office could have better internal communication and coordination; she mentioned that the office is currently spread between different levels of the county courthouse in Cody and the county annex in Powell. 

“Some of that’s just sort of a physical impediment that we have, but I find that working next door to somebody with their office open greatly improves the ability to collaborate, communicate and coordinate,” she said, “and so I would like to work on improvements in that.”

Tucker said she’d also like to put an emphasis on staff working together and supporting each other, saying that can help with retention and recruitment. She added that she would consider recruiting people from other areas.

“There’s lots of good talent within Wyoming, but I do think, again, that it is good to expand our horizons, and seek out good, skilled people wherever we can find them,” she said.

As for Smith, she said there are “amazing” attorneys out there and that Park County is a desirable place for new recruits.

“Wyoming lawyers, they’re good people,” she said, “and this is a beautiful place that I know changed my life when I moved here.”

Smith also said she would have an open door policy, saying that helped when she oversaw prosecutors in the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.

“That creates a place where people feel safe,” Smith said. “We don’t like those touchy-feely words sometimes, but people need to be able to come to you and say, ‘Hey, I’m irritated about this. Hey, this isn't working.’”

Republican voters will be asked to choose between Tucker and Smith in the Aug. 18 primary.