Kade Richmond

If Kade Richmond is elected as Powell’s next mayor, he says a top priority will be getting more people engaged with what’s going on in city government.

“Because people aren’t very involved, I feel like a lot of the people don't show up [and] sometimes I don’t think that they get represented very well,” Richmond said in a recent interview.

The 39-year-old — who’s challenging incumbent Mayor John Wetzel in the Nov. 5 general election — said he hopes to help more people be represented.

Richmond grew up in Powell. He’s the owner of Richmond Brothers Construction and a former Powell police officer.

“This is my town, and I want to be involved,” Richmond said, adding, “I want to keep it … the special place that it’s always been for me, and I want my kids to be able to have the same kind of a legacy that I’ve had.”

Powell people generally have a “live and let live” attitude, Richmond said, and he figures that’s one reason why city council meetings have such poor attendance.

“... then you get 10 people that want to be in everybody’s business, and those are the people that are making the decisions and they’re the ones that are going to be represented at those meetings,” Richmond said.

He believes the council should be doing more to publicize its meetings — particularly those involving big decisions.

Richmond mentioned hearing repeated complaints about the money the city puts toward the Powell Aquatic Center and the Powell Golf Course.

“Maybe we should have a meeting where it gets voted on,” he said.

Richmond also wonders how many people support the city’s plan to build a new splash pad. If it’s going to represent an ongoing cost, “is that something that the city wants?” he asked.

The city council typically goes over its budget at a public work session before voting on it at three separate meetings. Those discussions and gatherings typically draw little public interest, with Richmond noting that he, too, misses most council meetings.

Promoting growth and business

Powell continues to grow, and Richmond believes the city should do more to promote growth and private enterprise.

“I would like to see my children be able to stay in Powell and not have to leave,” he said. “It seems like … Powell’s a place that you grow up and then you leave, and then you come back when you retire, because there's just not enough work here for people.”

Richmond said he’d like to see more companies make their home in Powell, giving an example of the firearms and optics manufacturer Gunwerks, which is based in Cody.

“It’s something that really brings a lot of revenue and brings a lot of jobs,” Richmond said, adding that Powell has machine shops that have been sitting empty for years.

Gunwerks moved into new and expanded headquarters in 2020, after working with the economic development group Forward Cody to secure a $6 million low-interest loan and grant package from the state government. Asked how he feels about public-private partnerships, Richmond said he believes business development “should be more on the private sector.”

“I don’t think that the city should be providing jobs by any means,” he said, “but I think that they should be promoting the private sector.”

Richmond also thinks the city should upgrade aging infrastructure so it's ready for new developments. In many parts of Powell, he said new construction projects must tie into systems that are “too old and can’t hold capacity.”

Richmond also said the city can make it “really difficult” for developers — though he adds that things have gotten “way better” in recent times. For example, he liked the city’s recent move to allow developers to build half streets in certain circumstances.

“I feel like they’ve been taking steps towards making it not so hard to develop,” he said, “and so I would like to see that continue.”

Construction and police work

Richmond has worked construction his entire adult life — including during the nine years he served as a Powell police officer. He joined the force in 2011 before resigning in 2020 over then-Chief Roy Eckerdt’s response to George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, he said. Eckerdt joined other local law enforcement leaders in condemning the Minneapolis officers’ actions and took a knee at a Cody protest against racism.

“I was not impressed,” Richmond said. “I thought people were innocent until proven guilty and I felt like they played both sides of that.”

He added that he has nothing but respect for local officers, describing himself as “pro-police.”

Richmond trailed in the primary election results, receiving about 43.7% of the vote to Wetzel’s 55.5%. However, that wasn’t much more than a poll, as the results of the Nov. 5 general election will solely determine the race. After having a relatively quiet presence in the lead-up to the primary, Richmond has since started with some advertising and yard signs.

“I’m trying to let people know who I am and what I think,” he said, looking to ensure there are no surprises for voters.