Troy Bray has gone from a pariah for sending a vulgar email to a Wyoming state legislator three years ago to being elected to the Powell City Council.
Bray received 403 votes (53.6%) in last week’s general election to oust a longtime city council member.
In 2021, Bray caught statewide attention after he sent a vulgar email to state Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, while he was serving as a Park County Republican Party precinct committeeman.
What Happened?
In the email, Bray criticized Nethercott for her role in defeating a bill that would have prohibited COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“If I were as despicable a person as you, I would kill myself to rid the world of myself,” Bray wrote to Nethercott. “You sicken me. Thank you for ensuring that the people of Wyoming are subjected to tyranny once again. F*** you c***.”
Then-Wyoming Senate President Dan Dockstader and House Speaker Eric Barlow issued a statement condemning Bray's letter at the time and urged the Wyoming and Park County Republican parties to demand his resignation as a committeeman.
Dockstader told Cowboy State Daily on Monday he finds it disappointing Bray was elected to the council because of the way he treated Nethercott and suggested she kill herself.
“What he said was inappropriate, and I still stand by that,” Dockstader said. “My feelings haven’t changed. It was inappropriate then and it’s inappropriate now. It’s unfortunate it reached that point and he lost his civility in the process.”
Nethercott did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Cowboy State Daily about Bray’s election.
Bray was mostly condemned for the email, which he initially apologized for, yet his local Park County GOP and the Wyoming GOP declined to rebuke him for sending it.
Bray told Cowboy State Daily the incident taught him to be honest and never afraid to stand up for what you believe in.
“And sometimes make better choices with the words that you use,” he added.
Moving On
Bray continued to stay active in Republican politics after the incident and occasionally spoke at Park County GOP and Wyoming GOP meetings.
He ran for state House in 2022, finishing fourth out of four candidates in the House District 25 race. During this campaign, he added more criticism and accusations against Nethercott on his campaign website.
This summer, he chose to run for Powell City Council on a platform that his local government is wasting taxpayers’ money. He believes it’s the role of government to serve the individual rights of people first and foremost.
“We need the government to go back to serving the people rather than owning them,” Bray said. “We’re not servants, we’re not slaves, we the people are the government.”
Specifically, he plans to bring a motion to reduce the city property tax levy by 1 mill at every council meeting. Although he doesn’t expect the proposal to resonate with other members at first, he hopes that by drawing public attention to the issue it will pressure other council members to follow suit.
“It isn’t that inconsequential for the city’s budget, but in terms of a person’s pocket, people told me they’re making decisions between paying their property tax and buying their medicine or buying groceries,” Bray said. “‘Do I pay my life savings or do I eat this week?’ That’s a choice the government shouldn’t be making people make.”
Bray makes no qualms about his outspoken, provocative nature, which he believes many people find refreshing in politics. Around the country and in Wyoming this election season, voters cast aside experienced candidates for less polished and more blue-collar political newcomers.
“I’m a human being, I have the same problems, same issues as everybody else and I have the same hopes and dreams,” Bray said.
Bray said his election shows that the voters recognized that no one is perfect.
“The people are amazingly forgiving if you’re honest,” Bray said. “You make a mistake, you admit it and move on. That’s kind of how I am and how I think most people will forgive mistakes.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
