Round 2: Gov. Gordon tells Chuck Gray to ‘shut up’ at fiery land board meeting

Tensions between Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray erupted again Thursday during a meeting of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, this time over an amendment to a slew of unmet housing applications to provide what Gordon called “attainable housing” for communities from Ranchester to Rawlins.

The flashpoint came when Gray attempted to rebut points made by State Treasurer Curt Meier during a debate over Gray’s proposed amendment to require citizenship checks on housing grant applicants. “Hold on, hold on. Stop! Shut up!” Gordon said from the chairman’s seat. After a pause, Gordon said, “We’re going to pause for a bit. Come on,” as he stood up and pointed, appearing to suggest the two should step out of the room.

Earlier in the day, Gray introduced an amendment requiring that all people receiving housing through state-funded projects be U.S. citizens, cross-checked through the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program. During the morning session, Gordon ruled the motion out of order — a decision that prompted Gray to fire off a press release while the meeting was still underway, accusing Gordon of being “liberal” and calling the ruling “outrageously wrong.”

Later in the day, Gray brought the amendment back for a different set of projects, triggering the debate that would consume the afternoon session. Meier questioned the purpose of Gray’s amendment and called it an “unfunded mandate” that would create unnecessary bureaucratic burdens. “I’m trying to figure out exactly what problem we’re trying to solve here,” Meier said. “There’s a national organization that actually does that. That’s ICE.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder attempted to find middle ground, noting that while board members appeared to agree on the goal of protecting taxpayer-funded benefits for citizens, the question of implementation remained unanswered. The atmosphere grew more volatile as Gray and Degenfelder both sought recognition from the chair simultaneously, prompting Gordon to raise his voice. After being told to “shut up,” Gray objected to the governor’s tone, saying Gordon was violating his own rules for decorum.

The confrontation was strikingly reminiscent of an incident at a marathon Board of Land Commissioners meeting in Douglas in January, where Gordon and Gray clashed over a wind energy lease. At the end of that meeting, Gordon turned to Gray and asked, “Step outside, you want to step outside?” Gray responded, “Are you threatening me?” Gordon’s spokesperson later clarified that the governor “wished only to step outside and have a conversation.”

After a break Thursday, Degenfelder moved to table the unmet housing applications until an April 23 special meeting. Gray, while saying he stood by his amendment, ultimately welcomed the motion to table. The motion appeared to pass 4-1, with Gray casting the only no vote. In a statement after the meeting, Gray accused Gordon of “another one of his unhinged outbursts,” while Gordon’s spokesperson said the governor “will not be commenting on Chuck Gray’s continued, predictable mudslinging.”