State Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, is all too familiar with being on the losing side of votes. As one of only two Democrats in the state Senate, Gierau has to reach across the aisle and make deals in order to get things done for his community of Teton County.
“As a super minority member, I don’t have the luxury of not listening to the folks on the other side,” Gierau said.
Gierau said he tries to turn his willingness to listen to his colleagues across the aisle into a strength by forging strong relationships with his fellow lawmakers based on an understanding of their viewpoints. When more difficult issues arise, Gierau said this pays dividends in getting lawmakers to come to his side.
Moving past political affiliations and partisan politics, he said, is the ultimate key.
“Just get into the personal relationships with people, other members, and then learn about their issues and how they look at them,” Gierau said.
Gierau said he has a bit of a kindred relationship with some of the Republican state senators in Hawaii, who are in a similar super minority role, only holding three seats in their 25-seat chamber.
“We talk about what it’s like being in a super minority and the similarities we both face, except we’re in different parties,” Gierau said.
The former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi is well-known for saying that Republicans and Democrats agree on around 80% of the issues, which he preferred to focus on. Gierau firmly agrees and believes almost every member of the Legislature is there from a desire to represent their constituents and help their community.
“We come at it from different angles,” he said. “Sometimes they are a little bit more pronounced.
Teton County is the only county in the state to have a clear Democrat majority. It’s also the only one with an economy almost solely dependent on tourism, which Gierau said has long separated it from the rest of the state from a cultural perspective.
Now, with tourism growing into the state’s second largest industry and Teton County’s property taxes skyrocketing, he sees more appreciation for the money his county is bringing in for the rest of the state after historically being one of the state’s poorest counties.
“I think they’re starting to appreciate more and more what Teton County and what Teton County dollars bring to the table,” he said.
Comedian
Gierau is often referred to by many of his peers as the funniest member of the Legislature, never lacking a one-liner or wisecrack.
Although he swears this designation is news to him, Gierau said he makes it a priority to bring some lightheartedness to the Capitol due to the serious nature of the work they’re engaging in and the incredibly long hours they put in.
“It really is a family,” he said. “You spend so much time in such close quarters, it can get too hard if you don’t try and lighten it up a little bit.”
He and other members of the Senate also make a point to try and eat lunch together. At these soirees, talking about politics isn’t allowed.
Last year, some members of the House pulled a prank on their Senate colleagues, placing incognito sound devices around the Senate that issued a small chirp similar to the noise made by a smoke alarm low on battery.
“We try to keep it a little lighter down here and try to keep it fun and try to keep it from getting a little too serious,” he said.
How Did He Get Here?
Gierau first got into politics in the 1980s when he applied for a liquor license for his restaurant. After being turned down for the license, Gierau decided rather than get payback he’d just get even.
“I decided the next time they handed out liquor licenses in that town, maybe I thought I’d maybe get on the other side of the table,” he said.
He started attending town council meetings and then was invited to join the local planning and zoning commission. By 1988, he was elected to the town council.
Gierau would go on to serve six years as a county commissioner after four years on the council.
He’s now in his eighth year in the Wyoming Legislature. Gierau has learned to start many of his arguments with “I’m a businessman,” which he believes resonates with his other members.
“When I start with other things, generally the luck will kind of fade a little bit,” he said.
Business Leads To Bills
Gierau is rather centrist in his beliefs and not someone you would likely label as a classic Democrat. A business owner, Gierau considers himself a fiscal conservative, and supports the right to bear arms.
This session, Gierau has sponsored Senate File 42, a bill that lowers the threshold on resort liquor licenses from 100 rooms to 20 rooms as long as a facility also has a restaurant and a meeting space.
Gierau said the trouble with the current law is that many establishments offer far fewer than 100 rooms, mentioning a small resort he likes to stay at outside Greybull in northern Wyoming.
“They’d just like to upgrade it and maybe sell packaged liquor on premises for a wedding or a party,” he said.
In addition, getting a full liquor license in certain Wyoming towns can be very difficult as the number of licenses are capped based on population size, leading to a highly competitive process.
Gierau said the current law was crafted around helping his home community in mind, but resorts have since started popping up all around the state and only 42 businesses have a resort liquor license statewide.
“This is more of a small business idea for really the rest of the state,” he said. “It’s become a very popular bill for statewide implications.”
SF 42 has sailed through both chambers, easily passing the Senate in January and passed by the House on a 43-18 vote on Tuesday.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
