The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

Last April, Tom Walsh beamed with pride as he walked into the Casper Journal.

On the front of that week’s paper was a picture of Sgt. Chris Walsh, Tom’s son, who had just returned home from a 16-month tour of Iraq.

“That’s my boy on the front page,” he said with an ear-to-ear grin.

The pride that Walsh showed on that day was a reflection of his passion and dedication to Wyoming troops.

As the representative from House District 56, Walsh served all his constituents with that same pride and passion since 2003.

But in late January, Walsh resigned his position.

Last spring, during a routine checkup, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and underwent chemotherapy. The good news now is the leukemia is in remission; doctors expect Walsh to make a full recovery.

But recovery isn’t an easy process. The chemotherapy has weakened Walsh’s immune system; his red blood cells took a beating, and he requires regular blood transfusions.

So as difficult as it was, Walsh did the admirable thing, the right thing: he resigned from the Legislature.

“I didn’t want to,” Walsh said last week. “I worked so hard. But I just could not, in good conscience; I could not take the session off. That’s thousands of votes by the end of the session, and (the constituents in HD 56) wouldn’t have anybody there.”

Walsh set an example for other elected officials to follow with his resignation, just as he did during his time in the House of Representatives.

Walsh drafted legislation that ultimately paved the way for the ongoing expansion of Casper’s Child Development Center, and other preschools and early learning facilities around the state.

He fought for Wyoming’s veterans. Walsh sponsored a bill that earmarked $10 million in emergency funds for soldiers’ families who need help in a time of crisis. He authored legislation that expanded the chapel at the Oregon Trail State Veterans’ Cemetery, which is ongoing.

Walsh also authored a bill that led to the creation of the Wyoming Business Ready Communities Program. According to Walsh, that program has brought more than 1,500 new jobs to Wyoming over the last few years.

Walsh could have taken the session off, but he realized that doing so meant the people in his district would have no representation.

While some elected officials are more concerned about toeing a party line or collecting a pension than actually serving their constituents, Walsh had his priorities straight; he put the people in his district first.

Walsh set an example in office that other officials should follow. His greatest accomplishment wasn’t drafting legislation for preschools or veterans; those are but two small pieces of the puzzle.

Walsh’s legacy will be his commitment to doing the right thing, and the passion and integrity with which he served n and, ultimately, resigned.

Print this story | Email this story

Add Your Comments Here:

To submit your comment you must enter your name, comment, and the letters and/or numbers from the Image Verification box. This is a feature to help protect against spam.

Casperjournal.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

Potentially libelous statements.
Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
Personal attacks, insults, or threats.
Commercial product promotions or consumer complaints.

Click here to report offensive or inappropriate comments. The comments below are from readers of casperjournal.com and in no way represent the views of The Casper Journal or Lee Enterprises.