EVANSVILLE, Wyo. — When former Evansville Mayor Candace Machado entered politics five years ago, she said she did so with the goal of inspiring local change. Last week, she stepped down from her role as mayor after an embattled tenure.
Originally from Oklahoma, Machado moved to Wyoming as a young child and has lived in the Cowboy State ever since. Much of her professional career has been spent working with vulnerable community members, dedicating 18 years to being social worker.
Former Evansville Mayor Candace Machado (Courtesy)
“I’ve worked in psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse facilities, school districts [and] private practice,” Machado said.
Ten years ago, she also opened Theraexpressions Meditation, which offers yoga, meditation and other methods as a means toward mental health improvement.
In 2020, Machado saw the volatile political landscape caused by the widespread Black Lives Matter protests, the coronavirus pandemic and more, and decided to get involved.
“There was a lot going on in the world, to say the least,” Machado said. “I wanted to get involved. … I wanted to make a difference in our community, and not just sit on the sidelines uninvolved. I felt like I could be a voice for those who may not feel like they have a voice.”
As a member of the Evansville Town Council, Machado and the other councilmembers took several steps forward that she looks on proudly. Among them, she said, was the creation of Evansville’s community garden, as well as mental health and counseling services for Evansville first responders and other employees.
“Prior to us putting that in place, there was nothing on the mental health side of things for our officers or first responders who had experienced trauma,” she said.
Meanwhile, Machado said the community garden provides a shared space to foster community, and also gives residents a place to pick fruits and vegetables for free.
Another accomplishment she takes great pride in is the new playground at Reshaw Park — a project that began under preceding mayor Chad Edwards’s leadership but would not be built until she had stepped into the role.
Machado was an Evansville councilmember until February 2024, when Edwards resigned for personal reasons. As the longest-tenured councilor and the then-vice mayor, Machado was named the interim mayor until the upcoming election.
New Evansville Mayor Candace Machado reads the oath of office as Town Clerk Janelle Underwood swears her in. (Tommy Culkin, Oil City News)
She said she was unsure about taking the interim position, though she ultimately decided to do so at the urging of some members of city staff.
“I got talked into going for it by our police chief and our fire chief,” she said. “At that point, I was the person with the most experience on the council … but I definitely did not get onto the council with aspirations of one day being mayor.”
Once Machado took the position, she said her primary goal was to stay true to herself and not compromise on her ideals. Those ideals include a commitment to equality and a leadership style that emphasizes integrity and honesty, she said.
“I made it very clear that I wouldn’t sell my values out, and I wouldn’t sell my constituents out,” she said.
Though initially apprehensive, Machado received unanimous support from the other members of the Town Council and became the interim mayor shortly after Edwards’s departure. Later that year, she ran in and handily won the mayoral election, making her the town’s official head.
It didn’t take long for Machado to realize just how much more intensive the role of mayor is than councilmember. However, it was a challenge she said she welcomed and tackled with an eagerness to learn.
“I don’t think many people realize just how much more goes into being mayor [than being on the council],” she said. “When you’re on council, you go to the meetings and there are some other things around town you do. But as the mayor, you’re involved with city business every single day.”
Since becoming Evansville’s mayor, Machado has helped pilot the town to more advancements she says she’s proud of, adding that none of them would have been possible without the work done by the Town Council.
Machado said she can hang her hat on the creation of the FurVille Animal Shelter, which opened earlier this year. Evansville made the decision to pursue its own animal shelter in 2024, after Metro Animal Shelter in Casper proposed forming a joint powers board which town officials decided made the existing agreement between the local animal control service and the town unfeasible.
(Dan Cepeda, Oil City News)
She said she’s also proud of helping secure a Mesa Natural Gas Solutions manufacturing plant to be built in the town. Construction on the project began earlier this year, and is on schedule to be finished in summer 2026.
“I really think that project is going to be a wonderful turning point for Evansville,” she said. “This could spur economic development and job creation, and I’d like to see more businesses come in.”
But while Machado was able to spearhead a number of projects that she looks back fondly on, she said it also didn’t take long for the position to weigh on her.
The mayor said she soon saw several people try to get something out of her while not having her or the town’s best interests at heart. She also alleged that she faced harassment since being elected, including people following her home and threatening her with violence.
“One thing you hear a lot is, ‘Well, you signed up for this,’ but I totally disagree with that sentiment,” Machado said. “I signed up to be mayor; I didn’t sign up to be stalked or harassed.”
Machado said she also felt bullied and demeaned by some members of the Town Council.
“If you aren’t of a certain political background, you are quietly silenced and told ‘Don’t rock the boat or create waves. It’s not the time for that,’” she said. “But my question is: When is it going to be time to create waves, stand up for what you believe in and advocate for positive change? And the answer is that, for a lot of people, it’s never going to be time.
“They wanted me to fit into a box, but I wasn’t going to.”
Evansville Mayor Candace Machado, second from left, reads a proclamation of unity as councilwomen Dacia Edwards and Alona Vigneault stand in support. (Tommy Culkin, Oil City News)
Adding to those frustrations was a lack of accountability, she said. Machado alleged that a member of the Evansville Town Council frequently shows up to meetings inebriated.
“There was no accountability. There are people in elected positions in Natrona that I’ve seen do very questionable things and face no consequences,” she said.
Already feeling frustrated by aspects of the job, Machado became the focal point of more opposition in June when she planted small Pride flags in the lawn outside Evansville Town Hall.
That action prompted an Evansville resident to draw swastikas on the ground outside town hall, and a petition began circulating calling for her to resign from her position.
She also received criticism from within the Town Council, with Councilmember Greg Flesvig calling for her resignation and describing the pride flags as “antagonistic” toward residents.
Another town employee alleged that Machado harassed city staff and created a hostile work environment. Those claims led to an internal investigation by the town’s attorneys, which ultimately determined that Machado had not harassed or bullied employees.
Despite the pushback faced for planting the flags, Machado said that she doesn’t regret doing it, adding that it was also not the primary reason for her decision to resign. Looking back on her entire tenure with the municipal government, Machado says she has “mixed feelings.”
“I was very frustrated and felt like this was something I wanted to do even before that situation went down,” she said. “This is me choosing me.”
The Evansville Town Council will now need to appoint an interim mayor to fill the vacant seat, just as Machado did following Edwards’s departure.
As for Machado herself, the former mayor said she plans to remain involved in the community, working with nonprofit organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as well as participating in other forms of activism and advocacy. Specific plans for the future are still forthcoming, though, she added
“I want to continue fighting for human rights in any room I’m in,” Machado said.
