Jeff Victor, Laramie Reporter

The Albany County Commission is the county’s highest level of government, wielding decision-making powers on every issue from public health to energy development to law enforcement. Democrats flipped the commission this election, with newcomer Sue Ibarra defeating incumbent Terri Jones in a race so close it triggered an automatic recount . Ibarra will join fellow Democrat Pete Gosar in the commission’s majority party. The flip is likely to impact how the county deals with aquifer protection, wind regulations and, perhaps most pressingly, the pandemic. While new cases and other metrics are not as high as they were in the weeks surrounding the election itself, the virus continues to rage in Albany County. The Commission consists of just three members, so whenever it considers a divisive issue, a two-person coalition is enough to win the day. Since the last election, the commission has been clearly divided between the two Republicans — Chair Terri Jones and Commissioner Heber Richardson —