In January, three men will be sworn in as elected members of Kemmerer’s city council.  Marlin Batista will begin serving a four-year term for the first time; Robert Bowen who has served on the council for six years was re-elected for another four-year term and Mark Quinn, also re-elected will begin serving a second four-year term.

Batista is a native of Kemmerer, is married with two adult sons and three grandchildren.  One son lives in Kemmerer and the second son lives in Texas.  His wife, Stacy, works for the District Court. Batista has worked as the chief operator for Kemmerer’s waste water system for 30 years.

“The reason I ran for city council was I care about this community,” Batista said. “I want to instill pride back into the community. I care about the people and want to be a voice for them and to listen to their concerns and ideas. I am honest and I will stand up for what is right and what is wrong.”

Batista said the biggest challenge for the city currently is the expected influx of people due to the Natrium plant and other industries coming soon. He said it will be important to make good decisions so everything will run smoothly and correctly.  Batista cited his experience in construction, supervision of operations, and budget planning to be an asset for the council.

“My best asset is I am honest and what I say and do will not be about me, but about what is best for the people in this community. We will have to deal with serious issues regarding water and sewer,” Batista said. “We need a new waste water treatment plant and lift stations.  Money is the big problem and we are currently seeking funding sources.”

Also a native of Kemmerer, Bowen, along with his partner, Jennifer Edinger, owns and operates Wyoming Fossils, located downtown on the triangle.  They dig, prepare and market fossils and have owned the business and the building since 2007. Combining their families, the couple has four children.

Bowen said, “I am very thankful the people of Kemmerer had enough faith in me to re-elect me to the council. This year the council has a lot of work to do in cleaning up ordinances and permit processes to make it easier for new businesses to get established.”

Bowen said the hiring of Stephen P. Allen as a liaison among the city and county governments and the industries will help tremendously. Working together, they have the potential to do great things for Kemmerer and Diamondville, Bowen said.

Mark Quinn said he spent his first term on the council learning and this second term, he hopes, will provide him with the opportunity to see projects come to fruition, maintain existing businesses as well as bring in new industries and businesses.

Quinn has been a project manager at the Naughton Power Plant for three years and has worked for PacifiCorp for five years.  He has lived in Kemmerer for 20 years and previously worked for Kemmerer Ready Mix.  He is married; his wife, Kori, also works at Naughton and their grown children all live in other states across the U.S.

“I like the community, it feels like home,” Quinn said. “I would like to be able to contribute to keeping the community the way we want it—to find a balance between growth and being overwhelmed.  I want to help it grow and thrive but find a happy medium. I don’t consider myself a politician but I am excited to be able to serve the community.”