Rep. John L. Freeman (D-Sweetwater) is announcing his decision not to seek re-election to the Wyoming House of Representatives, District 60. This decision was difficult because of the support that he has received from the community for the last 10 years.
“It has been an honor to serve in the Wyoming House of Representatives. I’m thankful that I was able to serve in the restored capitol building and meet in the territorial chamber where women’s right to vote was cemented 150 years ago.” -Rep. John Freeman
Rep. Freeman worked hard to represent the interests of House District 60, Sweetwater County and the State of Wyoming since he was first elected to the House in November 2010. Rep. Freeman has served on the House Education Committee, the Joint School Facilities Committee, the Management Council, the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee (TRW), the Select Natural Resource Funding committee, and the Select Committee on the Wyoming Value Added Energy and Industrial Plan, the Governor’s School Safety Taskforce and Complete College Wyoming Committee. He also served on the Wyoming Distance Education Task Force, and as Minority Caucus Chairman for 4 years.
As a former teacher and college trustee, Rep Freeman was a strong voice for Wyoming’s education system. The K12 system was rated 7th in the nation two consecutive years, and the nation’s report card, NAPE, reported Wyoming’s students are performing fifth highest in the nation. He was named 2020 Outstanding Legislator by Wyoming’s Special Education Directors. He returned to the School Facilities Committee to advocate for the Rock Springs satellite high school and was involved when Farson-Eden and Black Butte High Schools were built. He worked with the Accountability Advisory Committee to craft metrics to fairly evaluate WY alternative high schools. John is a strong advocate for Career and Technical Education, resulting in his appointment to several state committees, and was instrumental in changing how community colleges’ budgets were developed in order to create a predictable revenue stream. Rep. Freeman was the original House floor manager to create Wyoming’s newest state park, Quebec 1, a former guided missile command center. He is a strong advocate for conservation, wildlife, outdoor recreation, senior centers and historical/cultural resources.
John Freeman has been active in Sweetwater County since 1979. In 1994, he was awarded the Outstanding Citizen Award for his work on Green River’s Greenbelt. In 2017, he was named Green River’s Distinguished Citizen. John has been a member of the Sweetwater County Outdoor Recreation Board, Green River Recreation Board, the first chairman of the Green River Greenbelt Task Force, a Trustee of Western Wyoming Community College and a past President of the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees. John coached youth soccer for 14 years. Mr. Freeman was employed as US History and Government teacher in Sweetwater School District #1 at Rock Springs Alternative High School and Rock Springs High School. He currently works for Western Wyoming Community College’s as a High School Transition Coordinator. He serves as an advisor to WWCC’s Association of Non-Traditional Students (ANTS) and the student Veterans’ Club. John has lived in Sweetwater County since 1971, while his family has had a presence in Sweetwater County since the 1880’s. He is a graduate of Rock Springs High School, Western Wyoming College, and the University of Wyoming. He is married to Theresa Collins Freeman and they have three grown sons: Michael, Matthew and Sean.