Kozak wins sheriff primary, Hackl presumptive DA
Aug. 17—CHEYENNE — Former Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak has won the Republican primary for Laramie County sheriff.
Kozak led with 9,370 votes. Laramie County jail Capt. Don Hollingshead trailed him with 8,463 votes, and CPD veteran Boyd Wrede came in third with 6,038.
The former police chief will face off against independent Jeff Barnes and Democrat Jess Fresquez in the Nov. 8 general election.
Current Laramie County Sheriff Danny Glick announced last summer that he would not seek re-election after nearly 20 years in the position and 40 years total with the sheriff's office.
Republican Sylvia Hackl also won the race for Laramie County district attorney against fellow Republican Tom Callison. Hackl finished with 11,362 votes, versus Callison's 10,112.
With no Democratic challenger, and no independent challenger as of yet, Hackl is the presumptive winner of the general election. Embattled DA Leigh Anne Manlove did not run for re-election. Manlove was elected to the position in November 2018.
All results are unofficial until they are certified by the county canvassing board at 2 p.m. Friday.
Sheriff
Since the launch of his campaign last September, Kozak has focused criticism on jail policies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was a primary cause of last year's rise in property crime. He has said he would focus on restructuring jail policies in an effort to reduce recidivism.
Kozak was the longest-serving leader of the Cheyenne Police Department, holding the position for 11 years. He was ousted following the 2020 election of current Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins. Kozak almost immediately began floating a run for sheriff.
Following his win, Kozak told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle he was "thankful" for all of the volunteers who contributed to his campaign.
"There's so much to do in the sheriff's office. My thing is jail reform — I really want to bring in drug treatment programming into the jail, I want to start work release programs and inmate work details to get them out in the community helping out — all this with the goal of reducing the recidivism rate and really reducing the crime rate in Laramie County," Kozak said, adding that he wants to bring a "positive leadership culture" to the department to ensure it can recruit and retain employees.
With fewer than 1,000 votes separating him and Hollingshead, Kozak attributed his win to the reputation he built as police chief for more than a decade.
"I think we built a really good police department, and I think people know that, and they want to see the same thing with the sheriff's office," he said.
Hollingshead, a 27-year veteran of the Laramie County Sheriff's Office, primarily ran on his experience with that department. Throughout the campaign, he was forced to defend himself and other sheriff's office leadership against knocks from his opponents.
Kozak and Wrede also trained criticism on Hollingshead for what they've said are poor working conditions within the Laramie County Sheriff's Office, including low pay and inadequate leadership.
Wrede worked for CPD for 21 years. He served in multiple roles, including on the bomb squad, on the Mounted Patrol Unit and as a detective.
Independent candidate Barnes served as a Laramie County sheriff's deputy from 2017 until his retirement last summer. He spent 21 years in the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and served 32 years with the Air Force: four years active duty and 28 years with the Missouri Air National Guard.
Democrat Fresquez is also in the race.
District attorney
Hackl has emphasized her years of management experience, including leadership experience working in the Wyoming Attorney General's Office, and in leading the Wyoming State Public Defender's Office for six years. She's said she was able to turn around the over-budget, understaffed office, and that she'd do the same with the DA's office.
Hackl was also the Cheyenne city attorney for two years.
In a Tuesday night interview with the WTE, the winning candidate first thanked her opponent for the positive "tone" of their race.
"The race we ran was straightforward and free of name calling. It was a good, clean campaign, and I appreciate that," Hackl said. "We addressed the issues."
She added that she's "a little overwhelmed and very grateful" to everyone who supported her.
And while she feels she's well-equipped for the role, Hackl said preparing to run an office like district attorney is much different than campaigning for the office.
"I must admit, the task ahead seems daunting," she said.
Should she win the general election, Hackl plans to "clarify with the state budget (office) and personnel people exactly what positions are available" and fill them " very, very, very quickly."
She would also meet with current staff and get to know what their needs are, and with the county's judges.
The goal is to have a full staff on day one of her tenure in January to "immediately begin addressing caseload problems," Hackl said.
She said it was her emphasis on her management experience that put her over the top in this primary.
"I definitely look forward to tackling this challenge," Hackl said.
Callison was most recently a staff attorney for about a year at Legal Aid of Wyoming. From 2008 to April 2021, he was a defense consultant on professional license disciplinary matters before Colorado licensing boards. Callison spent six years at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, where he prosecuted mainly administrative cases. He was also town attorney for Encampment in southern Wyoming.
The Wyoming Supreme Court may soon decide if Manlove should face sanctions possibly up to losing her law license. A Wyoming State Bar panel has recommended she be disbarred for not running her office properly and misuse of prosecutorial discretion.
Oral arguments in the disciplinary proceeding before the high court will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
County clerk
Current Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee defeated fellow Republican Andy McMahon. Lee had earned 17,136 votes, versus McMahon's 5,538.
Lee has served the county since 2016. She previously told the WTE that she'd pledged to bring a fresh perspective and energy to the office, and that she has done so.
"We've launched innovative programs, developed solutions to bring greater transparency, efficiency, accessibility and information to the people of Laramie County," she said in an email. "We've worked hard to make our elections more secure and transparent before those topics became the subject of national news."
McMahon, 55, is a Cheyenne native and has spent the past 22 years working for an accessible-automobile dealer. He campaigned on improving speed and customer service in the county clerk's office.
Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.
