Three candidates selected to fill Eklund’s legislative seat

CHEYENNE—Following the death of Rep. John Eklund, R-Cheyenne, on Nov. 14, Wyoming politicians had to act quickly to fill the vacancy before the 2026 budget session kicks off in February.

Because Eklund was a Republican whose district, House District 10, was wholly located within Laramie County, the Laramie County Republican Party was tasked with nominating three candidates to succeed Eklund.

Monday evening, party officials selected Sharon Fain, Justin Fornstrom and Ron Rabou.

The three were selected by a ballot of Laramie County GOP precinct committee members following a brief introduction and Q&A portion, where candidates were given 30 seconds to answer questions predetermined by the party.

Now, it is up to Laramie County commissioners to decide which of the three will be the new representative for HD 10. Commission Chairman Gunnar Malm announced Tuesday evening that the selection meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the Commissioners’ Board Room, located on the third floor of the Laramie County Governmental Complex, 310 W. 19th St. Commissioners will interview each of the three finalists, then deliberate and pick one of them to fill the open seat.

When the commissioners, along with Platte County commissioners, were involved with this process in August to replace Sen. Darin Smith following his resignation, one of their primary concerns was selecting someone with a thorough understanding of property taxes.

While Commissioner Troy Thompson said this is certainly important for a candidate to understand, his top priority is identifying someone who will be there for the commission and pick up when he or any of their constituents call.

“I think that’s more important than anything else,” he said.

“We have three really good candidates that came out of the party meeting last night, and all three would be exceptional.”

Sharon Fain

Fain decided to pursue the vacant seat largely because she felt she could best serve eastern Laramie County through her experience in business and economic development.

In her letter to the Laramie County GOP requesting consideration, Fain wrote that she believes in “defending private property rights, advancing responsible and limited taxation, and ensuring that Wyoming’s agricultural producers and legacy energy industries can thrive without unnecessary interference.”

Fain has experience in energy and public policy, as well as a commitment to agriculture.

“The residents deserve responsible and experienced leadership in the state House,” she told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle Tuesday. “With Rep. John Eklund’s passing, these are big boots to fill.”

Early in her career as a television news producer in Oklahoma, Fain was asked to relocate to Baghdad, Iraq. Instead of moving to the other side of the globe, she and her husband, Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Dale Steenbergen, decided to relocate to Laramie County, where they’ve lived for the last 20 years. The couple maintains a sixth-generation purebred Gelbvieh cow-calf operation.

“The opportunities here are limitless, but we all need to work together to ensure that we have a financially stable future for Wyoming,” she said.

Now, she serves as the external affairs and marketing vice president for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming, and serves on the board of the Wyoming Congressional Award Council following a career of more than 16 years in energy communications, crisis communication, business development and strategic communications in Wyoming.

When asked Tuesday about what her priorities would be if selected to serve in the Legislature, Fain told the Tribune Eagle there’s a need to evaluate property taxes and have continued conversations about economic drivers for the state to diversify the economy to eliminate or lessen the impacts of the traditional boom-and-bust cycle.

When Sen. Taft Love, R-Cheyenne, was selected by county commissioners to fill the seat made vacant by Smith’s resignation, the most common point of discussion was property taxes.

Fain said that to address the decrease in funding due to property tax cuts, there needs to be a healthy discussion at the state level about the impacts these decisions have on communities’ ability to provide safe and reliable services.

“The health and safety of our communities are critical, and we need to ensure that we are addressing all of these issues before making such decisions that impact the day-to-day lives and safety of our communities,” she said.

Justin Fornstrom

Fornstrom is a lifelong resident of Laramie County and the current mayor of Pine Bluffs, where he graduated high school before earning a degree from the University of Wyoming in 1995.

He primarily considers himself a farmer and owns an agricultural operation with his brother, Mark. The pair also owns other commercial businesses in the area.

When asked why he put his name in to fill the vacant seat, Fornstrom said he’s motivated by a sense of loyalty to his state and to his area.

“John Eklund was a great man and a great public servant, great legislator,” he said. “I just wanted somebody [to succeed him] who would be an advocate like he was for agriculture and Laramie County and for the whole state.”

If Fornstrom is selected, he said he will resign from his post as mayor of Pine Bluffs, and the current council members will select someone to temporarily fill the vacancy until the next election cycle in 2026.

Fornstrom said that, if appointed, he is well aware he would be joining the House around two months before the 2026 budget session kicks off. Since it’s a budget session, he said developing and passing a responsible budget would be his top priority.

He said his other priorities include being a strong advocate for Wyoming’s agriculture sector and natural resources, as well as supporting Wyoming’s legacy energy sector. Fornstrom also noted he wants to pursue avenues to diversify Wyoming’s economy.

“I strive to be a good leader, and I enjoy listening to people and debating the issues. I hope that interest and skill set would serve me well in moving forward here,” he said.

When asked about property taxes, Fornstrom said his more than 16 years serving on a county fire board and his more recent experience as mayor gave him a thorough understanding of the issue.

“I am concerned that, currently, we are taking the approach that we were just reducing property taxes without any real, well-developed plans for how we backfill that money,” he said. “Government can probably afford to tighten their belts a little bit, but these are pretty drastic cuts, and more proposals for cuts are on the way, whether it be by the ballot or by the Legislature.”

Ron Rabou

Rabou is a fifth-generation Wyomingite and operates an organic farm near Albin. He said one reason he decided to pursue the vacant state seat was that Eklund was a friend of his, and he saw this as an opportunity to continue his legacy, while also giving back to the community that supported him as he and his wife operated a business and raised a family in the area.

“It’s an opportunity to serve the community that has blessed us for so many years, and in a place where we’ve raised three boys, and a chance to continue to lift up the community out here and continue to serve what’s treated us so well over all these years.”

In addition to being a local businessman and more recently pursuing energy technology opportunities in the form of carbon capture, utilization and sequestration, Rabou serves on many volunteer boards in the community.

He has previously been elected to the Laramie County Community College Board of Trustees, where he served as chairman, and served on boards for Wyoming Agriculture in the Classroom, Cheyenne Arts Council, the Purple and Gold Legacy Foundation, the American Society of Agriculture, the University of Wyoming Dean’s Advisory Board and currently serves as UW’s national representative for the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching.

“I think that experience helps,” he said. “I think that certainly listening is one of the most important skills all of us can have, and certainly will be a major player in how I would legislate and lead in this position.”

Rabou said he will let this philosophy of listening drive his policy decisions, noting that it is a little premature for him to note what his top priorities would be as a state politician when asked Tuesday.

“I want to listen to what’s important to the people out here, and my mission will be to carry their best interest forward,” he said.

When asked for his position on property taxes, Rabou noted he is for limited government, but acknowledged there is still much to learn, absorb and understand, again leaning on his philosophy of listening to and representing constituents.

“Whatever issues are facing the Legislature, I certainly know [property tax] is a big one. I think that it’s important to really get both sides and as much perspective as possible before one actually dials in on what an actual solution would be, or what side of the fence you would be on,” he said.