The leaders of Wyoming’s Legislature on Wednesday called for the immediate resignation of a Park County Republican Party official who sent a state senator a vulgar email.
Senate President Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, and House Speaker Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, issued a joint statement condemning the email sent by Troy Bray, a Park County Republican precinct committeeman, to state Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne.
“The statements made by Mr. Bray are the antithesis to constructive discourse in a civil society and are especially repugnant and intolerable when made by an elected official,” the two said in the statement. “We therefore call for the immediate resignation of Troy Bray from his position as a Park County precinct committeeman.”
Bray on Sept. 12 sent an email to Nethercott criticizing her handling of a bill that would have prohibited the state from requiring employees to get the coronavirus vaccine.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, which Nethercott chairs, rejected the proposed bill.
The email, obtained by the Casper Star-Tribune, attacked Nethercott for what it called her “shortsightedness and ignorance” and closed with a suggestion she kill herself.
“If I were as despicable a person as you, I would kill myself to rid the world of myself,” the Star-Tribune quoted the email as saying. “You sicken me. Thank you for ensuring that the people of Wyoming are subjected to tyranny once again. F— YOU C—.”
Bray signed the email with his name and official party titles, including his precinct committeeman position.
Martin Kimmet, chair of the Park County Republican Party, told the Star-Tribune Bray did not send the mail in his official capacity.
Dockstader and Barlow said such communications cannot be tolerated.
“Attacking a state legislator through use of violent, lewd and derogatory language cannot and will not go unanswered in Wyoming,” they said.
The two asked the leadership of the Wyoming and Park County Republican parties to help them seek Bray’s immediate resignation and said they will work to develop “appropriate statutory means” to remove elected officials for such behavior.
“Such a unified response will be a clear signal to all that Mr. Bray’s bullying and intimidation have no place in Wyoming,” the statement said.
