Max Maxfield

Max Maxfield
20th Secretary of State of Wyoming
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007
Governor	Matt Mead Dave Freudenthal
Preceded by	Joe Meyer
18th State Auditor of Wyoming
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2007
Governor	Dave Freudenthal Jim Geringer
Preceded by	Dave Ferrari
Succeeded by	Rita Meyer
Personal details
Born	February 17, 1945 (1945-02-17) Beloit, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Gayla
Children	4
Religion	United Methodist Church
Website	http://soswy.state.wy.us/

Max Maxfield (born February 17, 1945) is the 20th Secretary of State for the U.S. state of Wyoming. First taking office in 2007, Maxfield won re-election in 2010, and beforehand was the state's 18th state auditor from 1999 to 2007. With Wyoming having no distinct post of lieutenant governor, under the terms of the state's constitution he is first in the line of succession to be Governor of Wyoming. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career

Born in Beloit, Wisconsin to Ralph and Vera, Maxfield graduated from Janesville High School in 1963. That year until 1964, he was studying at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before staying at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater until 1966. From 1968 to 1972, he worked and lived in Wisconsin and Michigan before moving to Wyoming. Maxfield served 23 years as an executive director for YMCA and over a year as the leader of the Wyoming branch of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, Maxfield led the Wyoming Recreation Commission from 1987 to 1989, and the Wyoming Department of Commerce from 1989 to 1994.

Political career

Four years later he won election to state auditor and held the post until 2007, winning re-election in 2002. Whilst auditor, Maxfield developed a scheme which would reimburse state employees called to active duty for lost income and benefits, culminating in the signing of an executive order to that effect by Governor Jim Geringer in November 2001. With his term in office coming to a close, he sought and won election in 2006 to become Secretary of State - beating Libertarian candidate Dennis Brossman 82% to 18% - and took up the office early the next year. He won re-election in 2010 against Democrat Andrew Simons 76% to 20%. As secretary, Maxfield is a member of the State Loan and Investment Board, the State Building Commission, and the Board of Land Commissioners, alongside his duties chairing the State Elections Canvassing Board.

Amongst his actions as secretary, two have received particular attention. Early in his first term Wyoming was described as a 'fraud friendly' state alongside Delaware and Nevada, owing to the ability of companies to register in the state without actually having a physical presence there, which in turn allows them to avoid certain regulations and oversight of their financial activities. Whilst a law was passed under his watch in that first term requiring companies to be present in the state to be registered - reportedly shutting down 4,000 corporations thereafter - Maxfield has been under pressure in his second for not meeting additional recommendations from the federal government: Maxfield has resisted calls for his office to hold detailed records on corporations - instead arguing they should be relied upon to hold their own records until called for by the state - and fears drastic regulation would affect Wyoming's "business friendly tag". This has led to the threat that federal law enforcement may step in instead, and Maxfield has responded by drafting new rules to improve the effectiveness of state financial oversight with the aim of presentation before the state legislature in the summer of 2012.

The second action is his lawsuit, beginning in late September 2011, to overturn the two-term limit on the five executive offices of the Wyoming state government, of which secretary of state is one. Approved by initiative in 1992, the term limits originally extended to state legislators as well, but in a separate lawsuit in 2004 that particular aspect of the initiative was declared unconstitutional and voided. That lawsuit did not cover the limit on the executive offices, but Maxfield argues the same principle which voided legislative term limits should be applied to the executive. Maxfield filed the motion as a 'private citizen' without consulting the other executive officers, but Governor Matt Mead expressed support for the attempt to resolve the legal uncertainties of the law - though he himself personally supports term limits - whilst state treasurer Joe Meyer both supports Maxfield and opposes term limits. Maxfield has not decided whether he will seek a third term should his challenge succeed.

In addition, he has also succeeded in bringing his office into line with federal voting guidelines, as well as creating an online campaign reporting system. Furthermore, he was awarded by name in 2009 by WebAwards for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development in the Government Standard of Excellence category for work on his office's website. Maxfield is also the chairman of the NASS Securities Committee and serves on its National Task Force on the Formation of Business Entities.

Personal life

Married to clinical social worker Gayla since 1988, he has four children (three from a previous marriage) and two grandchildren. He has served as president of the Wyoming Alzheimer’s Association, Laramie County United Way, Crime Stoppers, and Blue Envelope Health Fund, and is a certified lay leader for the First United Methodist Church. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and a Hospice Board member. He was also a board member of the Wyoming Congressional Youth Awards, Special Olympics, Wyoming Children’s Society, and the High Desert Riders.