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Facebook: Vicky O'Donoghue for Teton County Commissioner Instagram: @drivingwithmsvicky

What aspects of your background do you believe make you well-qualified to serve in this position and how have those experiences shaped your approach to public office?

I have lived in Teton County for more than 30 years and have built my life, business, and community service here. I am a small-business owner, educator, longtime driving instructor, and public-safety advocate. I continue to teach drivers through the Jackson Hole Driving Academy, where I work directly with young people, families, adult learners, and members of our community. I also founded the nonprofit Jackson Hole Driving Foundation to expand safety education and help make our roads safer. Before becoming a business owner, I spent sixteen years as a teacher. Teaching has taught me to listen carefully, communicate clearly, remain patient, solve problems, and work with people from many different backgrounds. Teaching drivers has also given me a firsthand understanding of our roads, traffic challenges, changing transportation needs, and the importance of making public safety a priority. My background also includes involvement in FFA and 4-H. Those experiences gave me an appreciation for agriculture, responsibility, hard work, stewardship, and the rural values that remain an important part of Wyoming and Teton County. They helped shape my belief that growth should be managed responsibly and that we must preserve the Western character, working lands, open spaces, and community values that make this county special. Running a small business has taught me accountability, responsible budgeting, persistence, and the importance of understanding how government decisions affect families, homeowners, workers, and local businesses. I am running for Teton County Commissioner because I believe government should listen to the people, protect public safety, spend taxpayer dollars wisely, and preserve the character that makes our community special. My approach to public office would be based on transparency, fiscal responsibility, common sense, careful research, and equal representation for residents throughout the county. I believe in keeping Teton County true by protecting its people, respecting its history and Western heritage, and planning responsibly for its future.

At the end of your term, what accomplishment would you most like to be able to point to as evidence of your success in office?

At the end of my term, I would want the people of Teton County to feel that their voices were heard and that their county government worked for them. I would hope to point to safer roads, stronger accountability, wiser use of taxpayer dollars, and better communication with the public. I would also want to show that we made responsible decisions about growth while protecting our people, Western heritage, rural values, and the character of our community. To me, success would mean leaving Teton County safer, stronger, and better prepared for the future while keeping Teton County true.

What budget priorities do you believe provide the greatest benefit to constituents, and how would you balance competing funding needs?

My highest budget priorities would be public safety, roads and infrastructure, essential county services, and responsible long-term maintenance. These are the services residents rely on every day, and they should come before unnecessary expansion, duplication, or spending that does not provide a clear public benefit. I do not believe raising taxes should be the first answer to every funding challenge. Before asking taxpayers for more, the county should carefully review existing spending, identify waste or duplication, examine contracts and partnerships, and make sure current programs are producing measurable results. Balancing competing needs requires setting clear priorities, listening to residents, and separating essential needs from wants. I would ask whether a proposal protects public safety, improves core services, benefits county residents, and represents a responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Teton County has many important needs, but we cannot fund everything at once. Good budgeting means planning ahead, maintaining what we already have, spending within our means, and making difficult decisions openly and honestly. My goal would be to protect essential services while keeping taxes as reasonable as possible and ensuring that every public dollar is spent wisely.

Ideally, how would you allocate tax payer money in our Town/County/State budget to best serve the constituents?

Taxpayer money should first support the essential services people depend on every day: public safety, roads, bridges, emergency services, law enforcement, clean water, responsible infrastructure maintenance, and dependable county services. Protecting our water resources should be a major priority. We also need to preserve open space and the Western character of Teton County while making responsible decisions about growth and development. I believe we should take care of what we already have before committing taxpayers to costly new projects. That means maintaining roads, bridges, public facilities, and other infrastructure, planning for long-term repair costs, and making sure existing programs are effective before expanding them. Funding decisions should provide a clear and measurable benefit to the public. Contracts, nonprofit partnerships, and major projects should be reviewed regularly so taxpayers know where their money is going and what results they are receiving. I would also work to ensure that residents throughout Teton County receive fair consideration—not only those living within the Town of Jackson. Town, county, and state leaders should communicate and cooperate, while also being clear about which level of government is responsible for each service and project. My approach is not “no spending,” but disciplined spending before higher taxes. We should prioritize needs over wants, eliminate waste and duplication, plan responsibly, and treat every taxpayer dollar with respect.

What is your vision for Jackson/Teton County for the next 20 years? Define your ideal, thriving community. What role would government play in achieving that outcome?

My vision is for Jackson and Teton County to remain a safe, welcoming, and strong community that protects its Western character while planning responsibly for the future. A thriving community should have clean water, protected open space, safe roads, dependable infrastructure, a healthy local economy, and housing opportunities for the people who live and work here. Growth should not come at the expense of public safety, taxpayers, neighborhoods, wildlife, or the natural beauty that makes this area special. Government’s role should be to plan carefully, listen to residents, enforce clear and fair rules, maintain essential services, and make decisions based on long-term consequences—not short-term pressure. Town, county, and state leaders should work together where cooperation benefits the public, while remaining accountable for how taxpayer money is spent. My goal would be to preserve what makes Teton County unique while preparing responsibly for future generations. That is what I mean by keeping Teton County true.

Given our limited land, infrastructure, and public resources, how would you balance housing needs with community character, environmental concerns, transportation, and fiscal sustainability?

Housing is an important need, but every housing proposal must be evaluated carefully and honestly. We should not try to solve one problem by creating larger problems with traffic, water quality, infrastructure, public safety, wildlife, or long-term taxpayer costs. I would support housing that fits the location, respects neighborhood character, and has the necessary roads, water, sewer, emergency access, and transportation planning in place. Development should be appropriate in scale and should not place unfair costs on existing residents. We also need to examine who a housing project is intended to serve, how affordability will be protected over time, and whether the public investment provides a clear and measurable community benefit. Major projects and public-private partnerships must include transparency, strong oversight, and financial accountability. Because land and public resources are limited, we must protect open space, water, wildlife, and the Western character of our community. The goal should be carefully planned, responsible growth that supports housing while protecting our infrastructure, taxpayers, and quality of life. Housing, infrastructure, transportation, environmental protection, and fiscal sustainability must be planned together rather than treated as separate issues.

How do we correct the undue influence of Non-Profits & NGOs on local government policy making?

Nonprofits and community organizations play an important role in Teton County. They often bring valuable experience, volunteer support, research, and services to issues such as housing, conservation, transportation, health, and public safety. At the same time, local government must make sure that every voice is heard—not only organizations with paid staff, strong funding, or regular access to elected officials. Residents, neighborhoods, small businesses, taxpayers, and community groups should all have a fair opportunity to participate in public decisions. I believe the best approach is transparency and accountability. When an organization receives taxpayer funding or works in partnership with local government, the public should be able to understand how the money is being used, what services are being provided, and what results are being achieved. We should also review partnerships regularly to avoid unnecessary duplication between government departments and outside organizations. The goal should be cooperation, not competition or overlapping expenses. Nonprofits should always be welcome at the table, but elected officials must listen to all sides, study the facts independently, and make decisions that serve the entire community. I want to work with people across different viewpoints while ensuring that public policy remains open, balanced, and accountable to the people of Teton County.

What are your strategies for addressing traffic?

Traffic must be addressed through better planning, safer roads, and stronger coordination between the town, county, and state. My first priority would be public safety. We need to identify dangerous intersections, poor sight lines, unsafe crossings, speeding areas, and locations where road design creates conflicts between vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, buses, and large trucks. Improvements should be based on safety data and firsthand community concerns. Growth and development also affect traffic. New housing and commercial projects should not be approved without carefully considering road capacity, emergency access, water and sewer needs, parking, and the additional traffic they will create. Transportation planning must be part of development decisions from the beginning—not addressed after problems occur. I support dependable public transportation and practical options that reduce congestion, but those investments must be safe, well used, and financially responsible. Pathways can provide benefits, but they must be designed and maintained with attention to driveway visibility, winter conditions, e-bike speeds, road crossings, and conflicts with vehicles. We also need better coordination of road construction, utility work, events, and seasonal projects so they do not create avoidable congestion at the same time. Clear public communication about closures and detours is essential. Finally, enforcement and education matter. Speeding, distracted driving, unsafe passing, and reckless behavior put everyone at risk. As a longtime driving instructor, I see traffic and road-safety concerns firsthand. My approach would combine responsible road design, thoughtful growth planning, effective enforcement, driver education, and cooperation among all levels of government. The goal is not simply to move more vehicles. It is to help people travel safely and efficiently while protecting the character and quality of life of Teton County.