Locally born and raised in Thermopolis, Levi Shinkle has announced he will be running for House District 28 on the Democratic ticket.

According to Shinkle’s website, “Wyoming’s boon-and-bust economy means every few years, our legislators have the same conversation about the budget, about education spending, even about selling off some of our public lands. It’s time for new voices, new ideas, and new approaches to make sure the Wyoming we pass on to our children is one we can be proud of.”

That is where Shinkle’s priorities lie, in education funding, public lands, equality and extractive resources. These are the things Shinkle says keeps him awake at night.

Shinkle was born and raised in Thermopolis, as was his mother, Lois (Cabre) Shinkle. His maternal great grandparents arrived here in the 30’s and his paternal grandfather settled in Wyoming in 1902.

“If you grew up moving through Wyoming’s educational system as I have,” he said, “you know the value of a quality educational system that is concerned with the future of the state’s youth, and the conservation of them as Wyoming’s next generation.”

Shinkle is also a proponent of keeping our public lands in our own hands.

“These wild places do not belong to some corporate or government agency,” he said, “they belong to us, the citizens of this state and country and they should remain that way.”

He notes that even though Wyoming is known as the Equality State, it still allows discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in a myriad of areas.

“The Equality State needs to be an open and unbiased home for everyone, in practice and in policy,” he said. “We should continue to lead the way, regardless of irrelevant factors such as race, religion, gender, origin or income.”

Returning to the boon-and-bust cycle our state has been in for decades, Shinkle agrees its been Wyoming’s economic foundation and is ingrained into every aspect of our identity, including Wyoming’s State Flag.

“But as we change throughout our lives, so does the economy,” he said. “We cannot deny the importance of fossil fuels in Wyoming, but we also cannot resist or ignore the changes.

“Wyoming can and must be a leader in that transition, and we must begin now to plan for the future. Wyoming has the resources and location to be a strong leader in sustainable energy as it has been in fossil fuels for over a century. Now is the time to embrace these technologies, not push them away.”

Shinkle is a current member and the secretary for the Hot Springs County Library’s Board of Directors, secretary of the Smoking Waters Art Guild and the collections manager for the Wyoming Dinosaur Center.

He has also been a volunteer coach with rec football and basketball as well as a volunteer with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Northwest Wyoming.