*EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY* Governor Mark Gordon’s Inaugural Address (as prepared) January 7, 2019 Thank you Governor Mead. It’s truly an honor to be introduced by someone I have come to know and for whom I, like so many in Wyoming, have tremendous respect. I witnessed this firsthand last Friday as he addressed the deploying soldiers of Wyoming’s Golf Company. 29 of our finest men and women of a Medevac team with the impressive record of rescuing 1,500 injured soldiers over five deployments. The respect they had for him and he had for them is obvious. Before I get started, that song, “Forever West,” that Dave Munsick just sang. He sent it to me on January 25th of 2017. And this is what he wrote: “Dear Mark, I have attached my song, Forever West, that I wrote as a tribute to our state. I thought it might lighten things up a little for you and the folks you work with to help you to remember why you're working so danged hard right now. Some day, after we're long gone - who knows - maybe the song will help future legislators get through their sessions! 1 In appreciation.” Thank you Dave for that tribute to the great people who work for this state. And this podium. My son made it for this occasion, and on the front here is artwork that my boyhood hunting and fishing buddy, Jim Clayton, did. They presented it to me yesterday. Thank you and thank you Dave Picard for the idea from your friendly neighborhood woodworker. And now, here we are. I think I first realized the significance of this day near the end of November, when a friend asked me if I would add my signature to a print that had already been signed by a long list of Wyoming Governors, including all those here today. As I looked at each of your signatures, two things came to mind. First, how appropriate it was for your signature, Governor Mead, to be there among them. And second, I hoped that one day mine would earn its place among the rest. I say that because Jennie and I are so grateful to live in such a special place, to have been blessed to raise our family in Wyoming, and now to see our children begin their own families here. There is after all simply no better place to be a kid than here in Wyoming. We have the mountains, the rivers, the plains, the possibilities, the adventures, and most especially the people who have made this state what it is. Wyoming has always had its share of extraordinary individuals. People with courage, imagination, and the gumption to make things happen. The commitments by all of you to building a better future, to community, to our schools, to family, to our great outdoors, to economic opportunity and finding solutions, to all that makes our country what it is are beyond compare. 2 I am proud to be from Wyoming. I am also humbled and honestly awestruck to be here at this moment in our history. Reaching our potential will not be easy. We have challenges ahead. But if our history teaches us anything it is that we in Wyoming are resourceful and that throughout our history our state has been blessed with pragmatic, effective, and strong leaders. Senator Mike Enzi, Senator John Barrasso, and Congresswoman Liz Cheney. You all continue Wyoming’s tradition of excellent leadership in Washington. Godspeed! Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s please show our appreciation of the most powerful congressional delegation in the country! To Secretary Buchanan, Auditor Racines, Treasurer Meier, and Superintendent Balow, congratulations to each of you on taking the oath of office today = both times. This morning we had a chance to take an oath in the Capitol Rotunda in a very small ceremony limited by the circumstances of an active construction site. It was important to me that our terms begin in the people’s house and that they be affirmed here in this moment. Thank you all for your willingness to put your name forward and to serve. I look forward to our work together. You follow my friend Auditor Cynthia Cloud whose eye for detail, diligence, and dedication were an inspiration to those of us who served with her. To my friends new and old in the Legislature, you have done great things, and together we have much more to do. I look forward to what we can accomplish. -- 3 You know delivering an inaugural address is challenging enough, but to have to do it following those who have spoken eloquently and passionately in this same ceremony is a bit intimidating. Ambassador and First Lady Sullivan - thank you for all you’ve done for Wyoming. Governor Geringer - we are all thinking of your First Lady and our prayers go out for her recovery. The two of you have meant so much to Wyoming. Judge Freudenthal, you and your husband, the Governor, who uncharacteristically resisted the urge to roast me today, thank you too for your lasting contributions to our state. Governor and First Lady Mead, Jennie and I especially want to thank you and your family for your exceptional service to Wyoming. You have done good for Wyoming and well by her people. You certainly rode a long, long loop. You gathered successes from the far corners and still left us fresh horses. I think everyone here knows it was a long election season with many good candidates, but I am especially grateful to the team of extraordinary individuals of all ages who had faith in the Gordon campaign and worked their tails off to make this day possible. Jennie, you remember more than anyone how long this campaign trail was and I would not be here without your support and encouragement. Now those of you who know the First Lady might suspect she was only doing it to keep me out of the corral when we are working cattle. Even if that is true, I am honored to know that we will be working together to make sure Wyoming is all that she can be. Jennie and I are eternally grateful for our family. Aaron, Megan, Bea, Austen, Anne, Bracewell, Spencer, and Sarah -- thank you for keeping us human and helping us to keep our eye on the future. Some of you may know that Spencer and Sarah recently welcomed a son six days after the election. Everett is our first grandson. I know now that the weight I felt gazing at that picture with all the Governors’ signatures is the 4 responsibility I feel to the people of this state and to Everett and his generation. Perspective Our state enjoys a rich history that sets a context for our prospects today. Historian T.A. Larson wrote that “Almost no part of the country has the opportunity now facing Wyoming: to demonstrate what America could have been if planners and developers had traded short-term profits for long-term gains.” How fitting a quote for us today. I believe from the bottom of my heart that Wyoming can reach new heights and be a beacon for others. We can lead the way into a bright future if we focus on the world we want our grandchildren to inherit even as we address the issues of this day. Growing up in Wyoming, you have to appreciate history. It is everywhere. In our rocks, in our towns, in our stories. If you grow up in Wyoming, than you know we have always been a leader. This year we celebrate the fact that 150 years ago Wyoming passed an act recognizing women’s right to vote, a first for our nation. We followed that by electing the country’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross. These are momentous achievements in our nation’s history. Wyoming earned her moniker as the Equality State by being bold and fair, something we plan to observe in a restored Capitol this coming December. We are rightfully proud of this legacy, and as we go into this anniversary year we must be mindful of living up to that reputation. I grew up on a family ranch where I learned how valuable everyone in a family is and how much success hinges on everyone’s willingness to pitch in. As Governor, I will work tirelessly to make sure we work to give all our citizens, young and old, male and female, better, more secure lives. How do we seize the future. 5 I believe in personal responsibility. I believe our best times will come when we assure a reliable and fiscally prudent future. We must recognize that not all wants are needs. How we separate these will be our toughest work in the coming years. We will have choices to make that relate to government spending. The services we have come to expect, and in some cases depend on, come with a price tag. We in Wyoming are not eager to take on new taxes and especially so if we have not done our best to control our expenditures. These are watershed times for Wyoming and I have and will continue to encourage balancing today’s wants against tomorrow's needs. In my prior role as Treasurer, I steadfastly warned against depleting our savings just to avoid making tough decisions today. I did so because our investment earnings are one of the top three sources of income, and arguably the most reliable -- just as Governor Stan Hathaway predicted in 1974. I believe we will need to become more efficient not just cheaper.