Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 8

At Casper Star-Tribune Monday, November 25, 2002 YOUTH: Candidates represent largest group under 40 elected since the 70s AGREEMENT Continued from Al ka, who joined the negotiations. "They can bridle it, saddle it and ride It to job, pension and economic security.1' In Tacoma, local union Vice President Dick Marzano said workers were glad to have an agreement before the Dec. 27 end to a Taft-Hartley cooling-off period that was imposed by President Bush. "It's a lot better to have an agreement in hand through the collective bargaining process so both sides can feel they've accomplished something," he said. The dockworkers' previous contract expired in July.

Union member Bernard Bowden, 45, of Antioch, said he felt "relief and a lot of apprehension" about the tentative agreement. "Six years? You know how things change," said Bowden, who has worked at Oakland's port since 1983. "It's too long to have a contract." The shippers' association had locked out dockworkers at the 29 major Pacific ports for 10 days, leading President Bush to Invoke the Taft-Hartley law to open the docks Oct. 9 to avoid an economic crisis. The ports handle more than $300 billion in trade each year.

The lockout began after the companies accused the union of an illegal work slowdown to gain leverage in the contract negotiations. Some economists estimated that the U.S. economy lost $1 billion each day as cargo piled up at the docks and ships 4alted at anchor offshore. Some factories shut down for lack of supplies. Bush was the first president in 24 years to invoke the emergency provision of the Taft-Hartley Act in an attempt to halt a labor dispute.

He also was the first president in history to use the act to stop a lockout, not a strike. Taft-Hartley has been in voked 11 times in port disputes in the past, of which only nine were successfully resolved. the Legislature. He did not seek re-election this yealr. In 1975, 24-year-old Democrats John Vinich of Hudson and Steven Cranfill of Wor-land born two days apart 4r began their legislative careers.

Four years later, Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from Cheyenne and former Miss Frontier, became the Legislature's youngest ever woman member at! 24, and a handful of others in their late 20s were elected around that time. "There were many nontradi-tional candidates elected in the post-Watergate years," Lummis said. "If you're looking fof a common reason why so many young people were elected in 76, '78, and '80, 1 would attribute it to Watergate." She explained that Watergate created a backlash against traditional government, and women as well as young people benefitted from the backlash. "I am absolutely delighted that there are three newly elected legislators under the age of 40," she said. Lummis said one of the reasons younger people may approach issues differently is that when they look 50 years down the road, they realize they will still be living with the decisions they make today.

Lawmakers in their 60s, 70s and 80s, on the other hand, probably won't see the Wyoming of 50 years from now. A young legislator's perspective is colored by "wanting change, wanting to be an instrument of change and still taking the long view," Lummis said. Continued from Al "I can assure you that my dedication to Hudson allows me lo be committed to the hard work and responsibility of a council member sbe said in her letter. "My schedule is very flexible and I am willing to work hard for the benefit of us all." Lajeunesse looks lorward to serving on the council. "I really want to share my ideas witii council members and hope that more young people will get involved with their government because that's I heir future." she said.

"I hope this inspires them." In Wyoming's two largest towns, 25-year-old (iuy Padgett was elected to the Casper City Council, and 27-year-old Brent Beeman won a seal on the Cheyenne City Council. Padgett and Beeman both said they were partly motivated to run because Wyoming has a problem keeping young adults in the state. "No one's going to stay in a place where they don't really feel that they have any representation or a voice," Padgett said. A city council needs input from people of all ages in order to get "a mix of ideas and experience that are really necessary to accomplish growth and prosperity." he said. Beeman said his age will help him bring a fresh perspective to the Cheyenne council but should not be considered a handicap.

"I don't think age should ever make a difference if you know the issues and you're passionate and you can do the job," he said. to get in and stay involved in the governmental process," Hinckley said. "If you're not involved in the game, you can't complain and you get the government that you deserve." Hinckley said it was Simpson who lit fire, and that the former lawmaker also told him, "You've got to have a thick skin because politics is a contact sport." The other new legislators in their 30s are Republican Edward Buchanan, 35, an attorney from Torrington, and Republican Steve Harshman, 39, a Casper teacher. It was a good year for relatively young legislative candidates. The average age of the 23 new lawmakers elected this year is 51.6, while the average age of those they are replacing Js57.6.

But Hinckley, Buchanan and Harshman are hardly the youngest members to serve the state's governing body in the past 30-plus years. Dennis Stickley of Laramie and Roger McDaniel of Cheyenne, both Democrats, were both all of 22 years old when they began their legislative careers in 1971. Stickley was actually a 21-year-old senior at the University of Wyoming when he was elected in November 1970. John Turner, a Jackson Republican, was also elected to the Legislature that year at age 28. Incidentally, 1971 launched the legislative career of Rep.

Dick Sadler, D-Casper. At 42, Sadler was no spring chicken, but he is the only person elected that long ago who is still in He considers it important that he set a positive example as a councilman, he said, because "if someone young screws up, I think it sets a neg-ativ tone for anybody else who tries to follow in their footsteps." Beeman is the second-youngest councilman to serve Cheyenne since the city adopted the council form of government in 1972. Kent Krauser was 26 when he took a council seat in 1977. City officials in Casper are unsure whether their town has ever had a council member as young as Padgett, but if so it hasn't happened for at least 25 years or so. Padgett was pleased that voters were open to such a young candidate.

"I think It's becoming obvious to everybody that we need to encourage young people to have a stake in their communities and their state," he said. At 32, Cheyenne Republican Beckett Hinckley is the youngest lawmaker Wyoming has seen in a long time. "I think it's outstanding," he said. "The state of Wyoming is looking forward. (Voters are) looking forward to Wyoming's future, and they see a little youth and energy and enthusiasm as a good thing." Hinckley, a Cheyenne assistant prosecutor, admitted he learned a few lessons from his former boss, retired U.S.

Sen. Alan Simpson, who often refers to Hinckley as a "young whip-persnapper." "The most important thing I learned from him is how imperative it is, win or lose, you have RESTRICTIONS Continued from Al ing France, Italy, Germany and Austria and other EU countries. "It's a relief for us," said Del-phine Marie, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "The initiative would have caused enormous problems for genuine refugees and for Swiss relations on this issue with its neighbors." The People's Party had gathered signatures for its referendum back in 1999, when Switzerland was being swamped with people fleeing the war in Kosovo.

Party members in parliament opposed the proposal along with the rest of the coalition. The party has one seat in the seven-member cabinet, Defense Minister Samuel Schmid. Schmid, who comes from a moderate wing of the party, distanced himself from the proposal even warning he might quit the party because of a fight with its leader Christoph Blocher, who led the campaign for new laws. The People's Party won 15 parliament seats at the last election in 1999 a 50 percent increase and is now the second biggest party behind the left-of-center Social Democrats. It hopes to make bigger gains at national elections next year, and billionaire industrialist Blocher has his sights on a cabinet seat.

The tight vote indicates that immigration is likely to be a dominant issue in the national election. Three previous anti-immigration initiatives during the past 10 years were defeated by clear majorities. This time, a majority of Switzerland's 26 states voted in favor of the proposal, all in the German-speaking part of the country. The most populous state Zurich voted narrowly in favor with 50.6 percent, while the French-speaking state of Geneva came out most forcefully against the restrictions, with 61.4 percent. KENNECOTT: Cooperation, higher safety rate needed by company form as well as others in the Rio Tinto group," he said.

Before coming to Kennecott, Clayton headed Hamersley Iron in Perth Australia. Hamersley Iron, a member of the Rio Tinto group, is one of the largest iron ore producers in the world, operating 5 mines in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, one of the world's largest privately owned railroads and a dedi cated port facility which exports more than 59 million tons of iron ore annually. Gillette-based Kennecott employs more than 1,000 people in Wyoming. It also owns the Spring Creek mine and 50 percent of the Decker mine, both in Big Horn County Montana, and the Colowyo mine in Colorado. Kennecott's total coal reserves exceed 1.6 billion tons.

Continued from Al Clayton said he finds himself telling people about the good qualities of Kennecott's parent company, London-based Rio Tinto. Some people express concerns that a foreign international company has large ownership of Wyoming coal, Clayton said. However, Clayton said he responds by telling them Rio Tinto is a very reputable company focused on providing opportunities for its employees. "I'm proud to be part of Rio Tinto," Clayton said. "You won't see corporate scandals at Rio Tinto.

That's not how we approach business." Rio Tinto recently become the only mining company listed on the sustainable development Index, he said, a sign of the companies commitment to the environment and the industry. Now approaching its 10th anniversary in Wyoming, Ken-necott does face some internal challenges, Clayton said. It's mines sometimes work too independently of one another and the company's long-standing safety record has faltered in the past year. "We do better than national (safety) statistics, but that's not good enough. We do not per 7fn )TTlh i7777TT777i nun IRLLLMM fez NOV.

26 7AM-7PM ffi, You may vote at your regular voting place Nov. 26 ft You may vote by absentee through the mail by calling 235-9217 for a ballot ft You may vote absentee prior to Nov. 26th at the County Clerk's office. Watch the UW Cowboys Cowgirls in Action! Paid tor by Tanner for House Committee 0 Bargain afT" To enroll In the EASY PAY subscriber plan, please fill out the form below and mall Or call the customer service department at 1-8004426916 or in Casper at 2660660. lira 73 Priced less 4 lines 10 days Signature (required for validation) $17 rtoTfrngTrcriit rard cct number Additional lines $3 Apples to ads run wnltt 10 daj Nodtacountsoradsrur lesthan Electronic Debit Account Authorization Please Debit my: Ochecking account of each month C)l 8 of each month "MasterCard Discover (Plea print) Name Delivery Address Apt QfidjLCaoi expiration de.

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