Endorsements Background

ShelterJH is endorsing local candidates for the contested races in the primary election—early voting is open now!

A candidate endorsed by ShelterJH is a dedicated housing champion. The criteria for our endorsements include our judgment of candidates’ commitment to affordable housing; their commitment to our most vulnerable neighbors; their potential for effectiveness; their willingness to communicate directly with our organization; and their alignment with our policy priorities. We did not consider political party affiliation, personal connections, or personal support for any candidate.

ShelterJH’s endorsement process is thorough. In addition to our candidate questionnaire, we also hosted member meetings to get our members’ direct input on candidates; incorporated years of vote tracking for incumbent candidates; researched candidates’ stances; created a detailed rubric for comparison purposes; held a public forum; and interviewed each candidate individually.

We are proud of and celebrate anyone who decides to dedicate themselves to public service and run for office. Whether or not our endorsed candidates are elected, we are committed to educating and collaborating with all local governmental officials. We encourage our members and supporters to engage with the candidates personally, learn about their platforms, and make an informed decision at the polls.

Mayor of Jackson:

ENDORSED: Arne Jorgensen has been a housing leader for over 30 years. He was a founder of the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust and has been involved in countless housing initiatives. Arne has voted in alignment with Shelter principles throughout his time on the Council, engages genuinely with ShelterJH leadership, and shows earnest support for the ShelterJH mission. Arne masterfully builds bridges in the community, exemplifying his strengths as an elected official to make difficult decisions to support housing locals locally. We trust his judgment, recognize his commitment to affordable housing, appreciate his consistent support of the Virginian development, and know he would be an excellent leader for the town.

Jessica Sell Chambers has demonstrated a strong commitment to housing affordability and the working class throughout her multiple runs for office and tenure as a Town Councilor. She has been involved with ShelterJH intermittently since our inception, and we value her dedication to keeping locals housed. However, her multiple votes against the 90 Virginian Lane project jeopardize the future of this neighborhood. 

More importantly, her approach to working with others raises significant challenges. We have observed that her interactions with colleagues and community members have been counterproductive, leading to strained relationships and a lack of constructive dialogue. At ShelterJH, we know that effective teamwork and respectful collaboration are essential to actualizing lasting change. While we share many of Jessica’s values, we have concerns about her ability to build consensus to move initiatives forward.

Town Council: Two out of four candidates will secure positions on the Town Council.

We have chosen not to endorse the maximum number of candidates for the Town Council race. As a result, we have also recommended candidates who are most aligned with our values. 

Two of the six candidates demonstrate a proven commitment to housing locals locally. 

• ENDORSED: Kevin Regan has made a strong impression on ShelterJH with his thoughtful perspective, well-researched positions, and commitment to learning about our values. Kevin demonstrates a passionate dedication to advancing pro-housing legislation aligned with our policy goals, especially regarding land development regulation reform. In addition, having a renter and car-free individual on the Town Council brings a valuable and much-needed perspective.We denounce the offensive cartoon Kevin published regarding sexual harassment. Providing safe, secure, and affordable housing is a matter of public safety, as is creating a community free from sexual harassment. Kevin has acknowledged his mistake and has begun taking accountability for this tasteless cartoon he created 13 years ago. We recognize that Kevin erased the image, apologized, and is learning from this mistake. While this action is reprehensible, we are encouraged by his response and believe this past action does not disqualify him from being an effective community leader.

• ENDORSED: Devon Viehman engages with ShelterJH and seeks our input on local issues. She looks to other mountain communities for innovative solutions to our housing emergency and has strong state connections that could benefit Teton County in Cheyenne, especially as we continue the protracted campaign for a county-option real estate transfer tax. We look forward to implementing Devon’s ideas regarding inclusionary zoning locally and pursuing new funding streams with her leadership. We endorsed Devon in 2022, and still assert that her enthusiasm would be an asset to the Town Council.

While Scott Anderson has extensive experience as a Town Councilor, he expressed that selling the 90 Virginian Lane parcel might be the best decision for the community, which stands in stark contrast to our policy priorities. Additionally, his assertion that we could develop tiny affordable homes on the Virginian parcel shows a lack of understanding of the financing that is central to making these projects successful. If elected, we hope that Scott will fully support the Virginian project as a huge opportunity for supporting housing-insecure locals.

Perri Stern is a committed community advocate, and ShelterJH appreciated her call for stronger Northern South Park regulations during the County Commission deliberations this year, as well as her commitment to building homes for seniors and people with disabilities. However, ShelterJH members felt that her resistance to the 440 West Kelly project and her suggestion to slow down the Virginian Lane project does not align with the organization’s goals. We hope to continue to collaborate with Perri to codify more protections for locals in the future, similar to her advocacy regarding Northern South Park, whether or not she is elected.

County Commission: Two of the four candidates will win seats on the County Commission.

• ENDORSED: Len Carlman would be a new face on the Commission, but he has a well-established reputation for being a community advocate. Len has shown a dedication to ShelterJH’s values, and we are especially encouraged by his commitment to supporting the proposed 90 Virginian Lane project. We will assist Len in balancing the future of different development pressures in the community and are encouraged by his effort to engage with ShelterJH. 
• ENDORSED: Natalia Macker is a celebrated local leader with almost a decade of County Commission experience. We were thrilled to hear about her creative ideas for new revenue sources to fund deed-restricted housing development, as the lack of robust funding for homes for locals is the biggest challenge we face. We were also heartened by her thoughtful support for the Virginian Lane project she expressed at our forum. We were disappointed by her vote on the Northern South Park land development regulations, but believe we ultimately share the same goals regarding the future of that area. Natalia is a smart, thoughtful, innovative leader with invaluable state connections we can rely on when addressing state-level issues, including protecting local control.

Ballot measure alert: VOTE YES!

This fall, you will see the “Wyoming Property Tax on Residential Property and Owner-Occupied Primary Residences Amendment” on your ballot. ⁠

We are endorsing a YES vote on this ballot measure!⁠

A YES vote supports the creation of a new tax category for owner-occupied homes, enabling lawmakers to tax a primary home differently from commercial buildings and second homes, which will help to ensure fairer property tax assessments. This amendment could pave the way for real property tax relief for hard working Wyomingites. It also allows lawmakers the flexibility to create a more progressive tax structure that distinguishes between someone’s home and someone’s investment property. 

A YES vote is especially important in communities like ours, where housing affordability is already a serious concern. If passed, this amendment could reduce the financial pressure on residents who are struggling to stay in their homes due to rising property taxes, while ensuring that those with non-primary homes or large commercial investments contribute their fair share.

Remember, a YES vote is a step toward keeping Wyoming’s communities intact and supporting homeowners and renters across the state.

Get to the polls by November 5!

If you haven’t registered to vote yet, there’s still time! Early voting is open now and the general election is on November 5. You can vote during business hours at 200 S. Willow from Monday through Friday. On November 5, you can vote from 7am-7pm at the Recreation Center, Alta/Teton County libraries, Weed & Pest, and Old Wilson Schoolhouse.

ShelterJH is a membership organization created by Jackson’s middle-class and working-class workers. We are especially focused on solutions for our neighbors living with the most housing insecurity. As a 501(c)4 nonprofit instead of the typical 501(c)3, we can endorse, oppose, and support candidates – and help get and hold them accountable once they take office. Please join our movement and be ready to vote by November 5!