He answered submitted audience questions with detailed candor.

Mazzei, a certified financial planner and former Oklahoma State Senator, presented a detailed platform for Oklahoma’s future. His agenda is built on his Christian faith, a commitment to the Oklahoma and U.S. Constitutions, and fiscal conservatism. Key proposals include major tax reforms, combating illegal foreign activities, overhauling education, addressing infrastructure, and public safety challenges.

“The plan I’ve constructed for the people of our state will create growth and opportunity for all the people of Oklahoma, particularly your kids and your grandkids, by making Oklahoma a no income tax state and abolishing property taxes for seniors and veterans,” Mazzei said.

Economic Policy and Tax Reform

To make Oklahoma a no-income-tax state, modeling the success of states like Tennessee, Texas, and Florida, Mazzei’s three-step plan involves:

1. Immediate Reduction: Cutting the state income tax rate from 4.5% to 3% by eliminating “$2 billion in cash giveaways” or tax loopholes.

2. Phased Elimination: Further reducing the rate in subsequent steps over years.

3. Transition to Activity-Based Tax: Eventually holding a statewide vote to transition from an income-based tax system to an activity-based one, which would then tax sales and services. He cited taxing tickets for Oklahoma City Thunder games as an example of a new revenue source under this model.

“When you or I go to an OKC Thunder game and buy a ticket to go to the Paycom Center, you do not pay a sales tax. But over in the state of Tennessee, if you go to a Memphis Grizzlies NBA game, you pay a sales tax. Would you or any of the other 19,000 fans be upset and not attend because of sales tax? Not likely any.

“Some services and most sales items are taxed, which is much more economically efficient versus an income-based system where our labor, our time, and our productivity is taxed. The proof, for example, is in Tennessee, their economy is seeing incredible growth,” Mazzei added.

In addition to income tax reform, Mazzei advocates completely abolishing property taxes on homesteads for all Oklahomans aged 65 and older, regardless of income. He proposes phasing this out over several years to ensure county revenues remain stable, arguing the current system is “immoral” for forcing seniors on fixed incomes to pay taxes on unrealized gains. He also emphasized that the sales tax exemption for agriculture and manufacturing is non-negotiable and will be permanently maintained.

Public Safety, Law, and Foreign Influence

Mazzei identified several key public safety and legal issues he plans to address:

• Banning Sharia Law: Mazzei advocates for banning Sharia law in Oklahoma through new legislation and mandating training for law enforcement to identify Sharia-influenced threats.

• Reforming the Judicial Nominating Commission: Mazzei wants to ensure Oklahoma has common sense judges. He criticized his opponent for not supporting reform of the Commission which Conservatives have championed for decades.

  “The judicial nominating commission only gives the governor three [candidates] to choose from. President Trump can choose from whoever he wants to sit on the judiciary [subject to legislative confirmation],” Mazzei said.

• Illegal Marijuana Farms: Mazzei identified illegal marijuana farms, run by Chinese and Mexican criminal cartels, as Oklahoma’s number one public safety threat. He plans to use an executive order on his first day to close a loophole in the state’s land purchase affidavit form that currently allows non-citizen “bona fide residents” to buy land. This action is intended to curb foreign ownership of land for illicit activities. He also acknowledged the need to assess and fund the cleanup of toxic waste sites left by these operations.

• Prison System: Mazzei attributes Oklahoma’s high prison population to underlying mental health and drug addiction issues. Rejecting early prisoner release, he proposes shifting funds from the state’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse—which he called a “financial train wreck”—to more effective, non-governmental recovery programs like “Women in Recovery” and “John 3:16.” He also suggested that increasing correctional officer pay would help with prison population management.

Infrastructure and Economic Development

• Water Infrastructure: To address the state’s diverse water issues, particularly groundwater depletion, Mazzei proposed a new $1 billion water infrastructure fund. Rejecting further studies from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, he plans to create a new working group of stakeholders, led by a figure like the Secretary of Agriculture, to manage the funds and implement practical solutions like diverting river water to aid depleted lakes.

“We kept sending money to this group called the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to come up with a long-term plan, and they’ve never come up with a long-term plan. Everybody’s frustrated. There are some basic solutions for southwest Oklahoma, on this issue. I’ve talked to the experts out there. If we literally do some infrastructure work to divert some of the water flow of the North Fork Red River, instead of it just flowing to Texas, some of it can flow into Lake Altus. They’d have much better water levels for their farmers. I believe, instead of wasting money on green energy scams like wind power, the more important infrastructure effort for us to deal with is water,” Mazzei said.

• Aluminum Plant Project: Mazzei defended a major aluminum plant project, emphasizing its economic benefits, including 10,000 jobs and a $25 billion economic impact. He refuted public fears about safety and foreign influence, stating:

  • Safety: The plant will use advanced technology to emit fluoride at levels 60% below EPA standards and will be subject to third-party monitoring.

  • Incentives: The $1 billion incentive package is not a cash handout but is primarily structured through a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district using the company’s own property tax payments.

  • Foreign Role: The land will be owned by the Oklahoma-based joint venture, not a foreign government. He clarified that only a small percentage of specialized technical roles (around 5%) would be filled by experts from the UAE, a U.S. ally, while the vast majority of jobs would go to Oklahomans.

Mazzei said, “The Oklahoma aluminum plant literally cannot happen unless it’s one hundred percent in compliance with the Federal Clean Air Act. I’ve come up with a plan from what we’ve learned from a very successful facility in Iceland that is right next to a fishery, right next to farmland. They have a third-party independent evaluator looking at the permitting process. [I’m] hundred percent confident that the water and the air will be completely safe for the people, the cattle, and for the farms.”

Education Reform

Citing that only 20% of Oklahoma students read at grade level, Mazzei outlined a education reform plan modeled on Mississippi’s success. His plan includes:

• Electoral Reform: Moving school board elections to the November general election and requiring party affiliation for candidates to increase voter participation and accountability.

• Literacy Overhaul: Hiring a statewide literacy director, issuing an executive order to mandate a smaller number of phonics-based reading curricula, and retaining the third grade reading gate.

• He dismissed lottery funding for education as a “snake oil gimmick,” noting that its contribution is a small fraction of the overall K-12 budget.

“When I talk about [education] statistics that only twenty percent of Oklahoma students can read at grade level, that means four hundred and fifty thousand students are going through the system, and they’re not reading at grade level, which is completely unacceptable. Particularly when Republicans have supermajorities down at the House and the Senate. My friend, State Auditor Cindy Byrd, discovered that Tulsa Public Schools spent seventy-five million dollars on DEI initiatives in violation of state law. And what did my opponent, the chief law enforcement officer of Oklahoma, do about it? Nothing. It’s still happening in many school districts across the state.

Further on education Mazzei said, “I will hire in my first week, a statewide literacy director to replicate what Mississippi did. In the Mississippi State Department of Education, they only have six reading curriculums that their 140 school districts can choose from and they are all phonics based.”

Governing Philosophy

Mazzei emphasized that his 12-year tenure in the Oklahoma Senate and experience as Secretary of Finance give him the policy expertise and relationships needed to enact his conservative agenda. He stressed that success in the legislature depends on deep policy understanding, relationship-building, and political negotiation, and noted he is already working with current legislators on his policy goals.

In closing Mazzei said, “We’ve got eight days to go [in the primary]. And we’re in a good position to win if the true Republican conservatives show up. You can go to mikeforok.com if you want to get more details of our plan.

“What makes me so optimistic is that when true conservative Republicans choose faith and freedom and unite around a solid plan, together we truly can usher in a golden age of growth and opportunity for our kids and our grandkids. I sure would appreciate your vote and support on August 25^th and I thank you for the passion and hope and belief that you have in Oklahoma’s future,” Mazzei added.

Mazzei appeared with this author June 4th on the YouTube Channel Straight Up Dave:

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist” and locally as an “Equal Opportunity Aggravator.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email. Your subscriptions make this work possible and I greatly thank you for your support.

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To a broad group of racially and age mixed mostly conservative men and women, Dr. Taylor framed parents — not the state, school districts, or churches — as the primary owners of a child’s education. Further Dr. Taylor argues that classroom transparency and parental notification are non-negotiable as are literacy and math, with specific pushes for phonics, cursive writing, and insistence on grade-level reading.

“It is not the [federal] government’s responsibility to educate our kids. It is not the State of Oklahoma’s responsibility to educate our kids. It is not the school district’s responsibility to educate our kids. It is not even the church’s responsibility to educate our kids. It is the parents’ responsibility to educate their kids. It’s the parents who determine where they’re going to put their kids in public school, private school, home-school, charter school or whatever they want. That is the parent’s decision and parents are responsible.

“We have school districts that are telling parents, don’t come into my classroom and see what’s being taught in this class. We have school districts that say, kids can call themselves by whatever pronoun they want, and we’re not going to tell parents what’s going on. That stuff must stop. I was told and I still can’t believe this true, but in our great state that there are furries [children identifying as animals] in schools that have set up litter boxes for kids to use on campus, that’s a mental illness. Those kids need to be in proper treatment, and their parents need some help too. Because if the parents are assisting in that, that’s a little bit of concern,” he said.

Thus Dr. Taylor illustrates difference without mentioning his opponent (an owned tool of the Oklahoma Political Education Complex) who preaches against parents, faith, and merit-based education accomplishment in very polite terms.

Dr. Taylor has taught history and government in public high school for the last eighteen years and has served as Senior Pastor of First Christ’s Church of Norman, Oklahoma since 1977. He authored the book, “It’s Biblical, Not Political” and produced a DVD, “Critical Race Theory vs. The Bible” which exposes the lies of CRT being taught in the political public education system. This is why the Leftist leaning establishment hates him so much.

“My superintendent told me I have to tell everybody this wherever I go, so I am going to tell everybody this: The first week of school, all my kids will have an ‘A’ on their assignment. And so, I tell them, “Hey, I am going to call your parents this weekend.” And their eyes get big as saucers; they’re scared. I said, “No, I am going to call and brag upon you.” They don’t know what to do with that. So, I then call their parents and say, “Hey, I am Doctor James Taylor; I have your child in early U. S. History and government, and they have an ‘A’ in my class, and I anticipate they’ll continue to do ‘A’ work,” Dr. Taylor said.

“In eighteen years, every single year I hope this year will be different. Every single year I hear every parent say, ‘you are the first teacher that’s called and says something positive about my child.’

“When I call these parents, it creates a positive relationship with the parents and a positive relationship with child,” Taylor added.

“Now here is the deal: why this is so important. What would happen if we could get ten percent of our teachers across our great state to call and brag to the parents on their kids? Would that have a positive or negative impact? I believe it is positive,” Dr. Taylor declared.

He notes that low salaries, compared to neighboring states, plus low public confidence in the education system has contributed significantly to Oklahoma’s teacher shortages. In a recent poll, confidence in the Oklahoma education System has dropped from 41 percent in 2024, to 31 percent in 2025.

However, since 2018, the per-pupil public school revenue increased by over 51 percent. Dr. Taylor reports what most parents know, this massive funding increase has not achieved academic excellence. The academic outcome has steadily declined, something that the Oklahoma Political Education Complex is trying to hide in this race by slandering Dr. Taylor, minimizing his background and demonizing his beliefs.

The positives of Dr. Taylor’s campaign for State Superintendent acknowledge the critical role of education in shaping the future of individuals and society. He believes knowledge is the great equalizer, empowering individuals with confidence and self-esteem. He agrees that a large part of the process is socialization and learning how to get along with others. Dr. Taylor asserts that education is the pathway to prosperity, imparting critical communication, teamwork and functional skills to help improve emotional intelligence.

After his formal remarks to the TCRMC, one of the first questions was about school employees who have been inappropriate to students.

Dr. Taylor said, “That is repugnant to me. And that’s something that the culprits are the school districts in allowing those accused to quietly transfer to another district. The reason is they don’t want publicity so they allow this person to just resign. And then they go on to down the street and get hired. I have begun putting together a database. (I don’t know why we don’t have this now.) So that when I get started, that database will be available so that we can track where these [bad actor employees] are operating. And then I’m going to connect with the legislators so that we can actually put some teeth in laws that prohibit abusive activity. If a school district allows bad behavior and then passes on the trash, that school district will be held accountable.”

Another audience member asked, “I am curious if you are documenting the damage the education industrial establishment is doing?”

Dr. Taylor answered, “When we do the audit, we’ll find out where the money went. Transparency is a healthy thing. In this office, it is an arena where you’ve got a mess going on and if you don’t deal with that, then that mess continues and it infiltrates the whole field.”

Another audience member quired, “So going around right now on all the news stations, you are not qualified. Can you explain your job history? Will you break all of that down for people that are uneducated on your career?”

Dr. Taylor answered, “Happy to do that. My Doctorate is in ministry. And yes, I had extensive administrative classes. That is part of the process. The principles are the same. You must deal with finance as well as curriculum. The principles are the same, whether I am in the pulpit or whether I am in the classroom. Teaching is teaching. Whether I am teaching the word of God or whether I am teaching the Constitution, teaching is teaching. The audience is the only difference.

“I’ve shared a little bit about my classroom experience and what the teachers, parents, my superintendent and my kids say. That’s real stuff. My opponent hasn’t been in a classroom for over thirty years. I am going to tell you: a classroom in the eighties and nineties is not the classroom of 2026. It is not even close.

“My opponent is pushing the point that he’s got experience in special ed, but our son is level three Autistic - a special needs child so I am living and teaching special needs every single day,” Dr. Taylor explained.

“The other thing the other side is saying is that I am ‘Ryan Walters 2.0.’ To attack me they associate me with Ryan Walters. I am not trying to distance myself from him. I am not trying to embrace him because I am not Ryan Walters. I am James Taylor. The reality is, we are not the same. He has hair; I do not. My tan is better than his,” Dr. Taylor said.

“Student mental health is one of these issues that wasn’t so prevalent thirty or forty years ago in the classroom. Now, kids are struggling with a whole lot of things. A lot of it has to do with parental involvement or the lack of parental involvement. And we all know that the more parental involvement you have, the better your students do in class.

“My administration is going to focus on parental involvement. More than just talking about it but engaging the parents. My philosophy is we must engage them. A lot of teachers don’t like this because it takes a lot of time. But I promise you the upfront time pays off down the road,” Dr. Taylor declared.

For more information on Dr. James Taylor, click here for his website and for his Facebook Page, click here. He may also be reached by email at taylorriot@yahoo.com. The Tulsa County Republican Men's Club meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Oklahoma Joe's BBQ at 61st and Sheridan.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist” and locally as an “Equal Opportunity Aggravator.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

At that event, McCarty appealed to voter concerns about public safety in Tulsa, highlighting personal experiences with nearby shootings and advocating for evidence-based scalable systems to reduce crime in our county of over a million residents.

Incumbent Kunzweiler, as a long-serving (38 years) criminal justice leader, emphasized courtroom experience, conservative values, and claimed operational reforms during his tenure. He advises voters to weigh both experience and conservative authenticity. He spent significant time attacking his challenger.

I respect both candidates and consider them friends, but incumbent District Attorney Kunzweiler’s observed rage at being challenged is disturbing. His allies have pressured this writer by pushing lies about McCarty. These frantic attacks beg the question, why does Kunzweiler not campaign on his record?

Kunzweiler Fanatics attacked McCarty’s family, her clients, her education, her work, her motives, and even made up conspiracy theories about a family foundation.

McCarty posted a response page on her campaign website titled, “The Truth” for all to consider. McCarty declares she is running because Tulsa County deserves a District Attorney that is serious about public safety, smart with taxpayer money, honest with the public, and accountable to the people.

There are significant problems in the Tulsa District Attorney office that Tulsa taxpayers will pay millions in court ordered judgements to make right. Further, Court System issues were most recently revealed in the failures of Tulsa Juvenile Justice Center to protect children in custody, an issue McCarty brought to public attention and pushed to resolve.

Attorneys from other parts of the state refuse to practice in Tulsa County because the judges ignore the law in capricious ways on a regular basis. I am a witness to lawfare in Tulsa County. Based on that experience, I cannot recommend anyone in Oklahoma speak with law enforcement or the Department of Human Services. Criminals filed actions against a witness in civil court even while the Oklahoma Citizens Participation Act should have prevented it. Thus, no one is safe to talk.

In addition, I have written (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) on the Gertrude Marshall Blakey unsolved homicide in Tulsa. After 46 years, Tulsa Police Department (TPD) still will not release the investigative file to the family trustee because police say there is an ongoing investigation with no apparent investigation going on.

I asked DA Kunzweiler to review the TPD investigative file on Gertrude Marshall Blakey and he said he asked and TPD refused to show it to him. Apparently, justice and transparency are not things that happen in Tulsa.

The Trustee believes the file is kept hidden because many judges and attorneys, if not TPD Officers, are involved in the coverup of murder, fraud and embezzlement. God help taxpayers if a RICO case is ever heard in a Federal Court.

Monday, I wrote again to the Attorney General’s office asking for help or even information on this case, but… cue crickets. In that email, I also asked when AG Gentner Drummond will act on the Tulsa Public School District. Drummond declared publicly in several forums that he had tasked a Grand Jury to review the $66 million of identified audited fraud by the Tulsa Public School District. He said the Statute of Limitations would hit in June. Guess what, June is almost here.

Recently, an attorney asserted that DA Kunzweiler has the authority to investigate the charges against the Tulsa Public School District. That was a surprise. Kunzweiler campaigns as “a prosecutor not a politician” so why would he hide from the responsibility to protect Tulsa children and teachers from criminal fraud?

Colleen McCarty serves as Executive Director of Oklahoma Appleseed, a non-profit watchdog organization dedicated to rooting out government waste, corruption, and lack of transparency—holding public officials accountable regardless of party. Since founding Appleseed, she has transformed it from a modest $150,000 operation into a $1.5 million statewide force with a staff of 13 attorneys, researchers, and professionals fighting for fiscal responsibility and open government.

As a veteran political journalist, I have interviewed many and I strongly believe Colleen McCarty to be honest, forthright, conservative in judgement and aggressive in the pursuit of justice. She is not a member of any special interest. She is a believer in public safety and security for all citizens of Tulsa County.

Every decade or so, it is good to change regimes. Former DA Tim Harris endorsed his assistant Kunzweiler for the job. Kunzweiler has been in charge for over a decade and citizens are increasingly concerned about public safety.

Colleen McCarty is the best candidate for Tulsa District Attorney.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Myers said, “For the longest time, there was no response from Starling until just a few weeks ago, when he asserted he had another engagement. As a result, we will have a forum to get to know Jon Echols.”

Griffin Communications (TV 6 in Tulsa and TV 9 in OKC) have announced a televised forum tonight, May 18, in Oklahoma City. Let us hope they have a contract signed with Mr. Starling. To many Tulsans, Starling has not been seen and some suspect… well, a great many unacceptable things.

The Tulsa Republican Party Attorney General Forum was moderated by a broadcast personality. Jon Echols was first asked to introduce himself.

Echols: Thank you for having me here. My philosophy on debates and forums is any place, anytime, any chance I get to talk with voters, that’s what I want to do. I am a fifth-generation Oklahoman, but other than my salvation, the best part of me is right over there—my wife Kristen.

I am a lawyer. I am a small business owner. I served twelve years in the Oklahoma Legislature, And I am proud to be the conservative public safety candidate to be your next Attorney General. And I am so excited to get the answers tonight and to be here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thank you so much for having me.

Moderator: Are you willing to challenge the governor of your own party?

Echols: I’ve already done it twice. I’ll give you the first one. I called on my opponent to resign from Governor Stitt’s cabinet when Governor Stitt came out and bucked President Donald J. Trump on the immigration issue. When he came out and essentially said we need more illegal immigration. I am the guy that made illegal immigration a state crime in the State of Oklahoma. He was wrong then, and he’s wrong now.

We can have good-natured debate, but tonight, I am disappointed you are just hearing from me. This is the fourth debate my opponent has chosen not to show up on, or we could be having this conversation together right now. But to be clear, I am never afraid to call out anybody and not afraid to defend my record.

Moderator: How do you ensure that legal decisions are based on the law and not influenced by donors or party leadership?

Echols: One thing you know about me is I am not going to be influenced. I just gave seven thousand dollars back. But number two, when you are talking about a conservative attorney general, that’s a little bit different than a conservative legislator.

Think about it from the perspective of the courts for Justice Antonin Scalia and for Justice Clarence Thomas. What they say is they were ‘slaved to the law.’ What does that mean? That means whether they agreed with it or not, they would follow the law.

I am the second generation out of poverty. I am a poor kid from South Oklahoma City. We didn’t have any political connections and we still don’t. I am going to treat everyone, whether they’re from Nichols Hills or Southern Hills or the wrong side of the tracks the same. I am going to follow the law.

Moderator: How do you handle a St. Isidore issue with when most of the party and the governor is on the other side of the issue?

Echols: On St. Isidore first. I am a school choice person. In the St. Isidore case, I filed an amicus brief with the ACLJ. You’ll probably hear me talk about the ACLJ a lot. If you know anything about the American Center for Law and Justice. That’s the type of lawyer I am. I’m going to stand for your religious liberty.

I have a belief system that God gave children to their parents. That is what I believe the system is set up for, and I will continue to stand firmly in that belief system.

Moderator: What is the greatest legal threat facing Oklahoma citizens right now?

Echols: Illegal marijuana, specifically from China and the Mexican cartels. That is the greatest legal threat facing us right now inside the state of Oklahoma. The citizens voted for medical marijuana, but what has happened is we have been infiltrated by illegal foreign influence.

They will be gone and destroyed. And when I say that, and when I talk about what I’ve done as a legislator, it’s not to brag. I was the one that passed the law that gave the attorney general the authority [to act against illegal grows].

I am proud to have law enforcement’s back. We are going to shut down many of these Chinese backed or Mexican Cartel backed operations.

Moderator: What are your thoughts on the McGirt decision.

Echols: The McGirt decision was decided, frankly, on behalf of a real scumbag, Jesse McGirt, a child molester. The decision itself said for purposes of the Major Crimes Act. I am a law professor by training, and my team tells me don’t get too law professor, so we’ll try not to, but for purposes of the Major Crimes Act. That’s the big seven crimes and now tribes have jurisdiction over tribal citizens on tribal land. How do we unpack that? Here is my position as attorney general: we need more compacts, less lawsuits. We must come up with a way to deal with this problem that doesn’t involve federalizing Oklahoma law which [sends issues] to nine U.S. Supreme Court justices that can’t find Oklahoma on a map.

My plan is to work out these jurisdictional differences, ladies and gentlemen. It’s not that hard. We’ve had joint jurisdiction when it comes to native adoption, and it hasn’t been that hard.

Moderator: Was it a mistake for the city of Tulsa to enter into an agreement with the Muscogee Creek Nation? Or should that be a state level agreement?

Echols: It should be a state level agreement. Part of the problem is that we have a patchwork of jurisdictional issues. When I explain McGirt in the details, what you are going to hear me talk about is the victims of crime. Because at the end of the day, that’s who I am concerned about. When I talk about perpetrators getting justice, it’s because I am an ordained Southern Baptist deacon; I believe in a Lord that believes in justice. He believes in redemption too, but he also believes in justice.

We have a jurisdictional patchwork. I will say part of the reason Tulsa made the agreement is the failure of the state. Had the state come in and worked out functional agreements, Tulsa would have been covered.

Again, I am so proud to have these sixty sheriff endorsements. They are concerned [at times of arrest] about figuring out which tribal boundary covers which part of the state. Those endorsement attest that I am the guy that’s going to lead us to something that actually has justice for offenders and victims.

Moderator: The Oklahoma State Auditor’s Office published the results of several special audits that have identified millions of dollars in mishandled funds, for example, from Tulsa Public Schools. What criteria will you use to determine which audit results are worthy of formal prosecution?

Echols: We live in a state that has what I call soft corruption. The powerful get away with things that the rest of us just don’t get away with, and my race is a perfect example of that.

If you were stealing from the state of Oklahoma, you would be excited when I got out of the legislature. Because I was the guy that created LOFT [Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency], I was the guy that went to bat to call out corruption and theft. I have news for Oklahoma criminals: I am coming back as State Attorney General.

The reason that the state auditor can’t do their own audits dates back to the seventies. We had an out-of-control Democrat auditor who used the office as a weapon. Then the legislature overcorrected which government tends to do. Now we have an auditor who literally can’t call their own audit.

I think more people should be allowed to call for audits. I think audits are great things. I think you could say, for example, if the auditor called for an audit on their own, they would have to inform the Speaker of the House and the Senate. I would like to see the pendulum swing the other way in favor of more audits.

Guys, I created LOFT, and it took me three years to do it. Loft, when I talk about it, was DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] before DOGE. It existed hired its own internal accountants that could be embedded inside state agencies. Despite taking three years, I am a bulldog on protecting taxpayer dollars.

As attorney general, you are giving me an even bigger sword of law. I will be way more aggressive in making sure your taxpayer dollars are spent well. That’s part of the reason for my service inside the legislature; I am a small business owner. I am the only [candidate in this race] that’s ever tried a lawsuit within the state of Oklahoma.

You are going to elect me as attorney general to watch over your taxpayer dollars, and I will be very aggressive on day one. If I was attorney general right now, I would have already called for an audit on the Department of Mental Health.

I’d call one for the MCOs [Managed Care Organization]. That’s going to get some more super PAC ads against me because I think that’s who’s funding some of the [attack ads] now. The MCOs are taking advantage of our local providers inside Oklahoma, and I would call for a wellness care authority right now. An audit doesn’t mean something is wrong; an audit means we need to look under the hood to see what’s going on.

Moderator: This next question is on your view of Sharia Law in Oklahoma.

Echols: I will follow the law. First the law means the Constitution. Number two, it means statutes. I will not follow what I wish the law would be.

I am not shy of saying when I think the law is wrong. I’ve done that a lot, but at the end of the day, I will be someone that follows the law. I will hold everyone accountable to the law. And if I think the law is wrong, meaning it should be changed, then I will say that. But I will follow the Constitution above what I will follow statutorily.

As Attorney General, I would have investigated the proposal for a Broken Arrow Mosque. I am the only one in this race that sent people to the meetings to talk and listen to people about what was going on. The proposal was funded by a terrorist organization. We must investigate that. We must put a stop to that. I think the law should be clearer.

I believe in American law only for American courts. Period. Hard stop.

Moderator: The attorney general’s office has a consumer protection division for fraud and protection against foreclosure abuse. How do you plan on operating those divisions? Any different than what’s being done now?

Echols: A lot of people think the attorney general is a chief District Attorney. It’s not. But you hear me say as I go throughout the state, the attorney general is a lawyer for the taxpayers of Oklahoma. In addition to holding state government accountable, it has an entire consumer protection division, whose job is to make sure consumers are taken care of. By a show of hands, how many of you know if you were taken advantage of by a contractor? The attorney general has an entire division that can help.

For those watching on the internet, roughly five percent of the audience know that. How many of you know that the attorney general can help you with your Medicaid rates, for example, or your health insurance rates? Because it has an entire division in the consumer protection department to make sure, for example, to prosecute Medicaid fraud.

I am in politics because this is my service to the citizens of the state of Oklahoma. I do this because I want to make a difference.

One of my big initiatives is sending staff to go out and talk to citizens about the consumer protection division—to be front-facing, no different than congressional field reps. And I can do this with no extra money.

I’ll commit right now, I won’t ask for another dime from the legislature to run the attorney general’s office. We are going to be forward-facing to make sure the consumer protection division works for the people.

Moderator: How do you see the role of the Tenth Amendment in the Constitution protecting state authority.

Echoles: When I was in the legislature, we created what is called the Tenth Amendment Center in the attorney general’s office for the express purpose of protecting the citizens of the State of Oklahoma against an out-of-control federal government. Part of the reasons some old members of the Senate were mad at me is because they wouldn’t hear it, and I helped lead a rally at the state capitol to force the change.

Many of you were probably there when I was standing beside Don Spencer to get the Tenth Amendment Center passed. I am currently the only statewide candidate endorsed by the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association. I am incredibly proud of that.

The second amendment is the one that guards all the other amendments. The tenth amendment is the one right after it in my opinion. I am a federalist. What that means is, I believe all rights not specifically stated, all responsibilities not specifically stated in the constitution belong to the states. With President Donald Trump, as Attorney General, I am going to work hand in glove with him.

Moderator: On the same page, the next question is; when should the attorney general decide to act against the federal government?

Echols: Anytime the federal government oversteps its bounds, the attorney general of the state of Oklahoma is honor-bound and duty-bound to protect its citizens. Period. End of story.

Moderator: When would you join or lead multistate lawsuits?

Echols: That’s a great question. I know I keep going back to it, the ACLJ thing, but that tells you a lot about my general philosophies on conservatism and religious freedom. If you are looking for the type of attorney general that I am going to be, that’s going to be my duty. We are going to be joining in religious freedom cases. We are going to be leaders in the prolife movement on the national stage. We are going to be leaders in taking on these out-of-control leftist organizations. I am also going to be a leader in holding big business accountable when they’re doing things like grooming our children, which is happening inside things like Roblox and others. We’re going to hit all of them.

We’re going to address some of the ridiculous dark money ads that have just been absolutely lying about me. Guys, that’s funded by liberal out-of-state interests, because they are afraid of having me as attorney general. So as your next attorney general, we are going to be a lawyer for the people. We are going to join in conservative issues.

Moderator: The narrative your opponent is putting out there that you are a career politician looking for your next job. True or false?

Echols: I’ve heard that. That’s why I keep talking about what I’ve done in the capital. One of the things my opponent and I have in common is that I go around the state talking about myself as attorney general and he goes around the state talking about me for attorney general.

If you want to know what my record is, come to me and talk about it. Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t need another job. God has been good to us. I am the only one in this race, Republican or Democrat, that’s ever started a small business at their own risk.

If it wasn’t for the law, I would still be a poor kid from Southwest Twenty Third Street. My mom and dad met in law school, where my mom was a single mother, special education teacher going to law school at night, first generation to ever go. She’s passed away ten years ago; God bless her. I’ll see her again in heaven. But that’s where the law changed my life.

I love the law. I believe in the law. The attorney general’s office is my New York Yankees job. This is the job that I want to do, and I was born to do this. I am proud of my service to the state of Oklahoma, and I am proud of what I’ve done.

I’m going to hit three things at once because they’re all together, and I think we make a mistake when we hit them separately. I’m gonna hit illegal-grows, I’m gonna hit fentanyl, and I’m gonna hit human trafficking.

There’s a group of moms in Tulsa, moms and some dads, who have lost their children to fentanyl. Sadly, about half those children were traditional drug addicts. The other half just experimented one time with what they thought was [harmless] and it was laced with fentanyl and killed them. China has been making fentanyl or opium longer than we’ve been a country.

Fentanyl deaths in the rest of the country are going down. What does that have to do with human trafficking? Because it all comes in here together.

I am so proud to have been in the legislature when we created the human trafficking division that exists inside the attorney general’s office. And again, talking about the crossroads of America, I-35 and I-40 here. These law enforcement endorsements matter, and don’t listen to anybody that tells you they don’t. If you want to know what’s going on with human trafficking or with fentanyl, talk to your local sheriffs, talk to your local police because they live it everyday.

I will be the hardest attorney general in the country on human trafficking. It is a crisis inside the state of Oklahoma, and we will work with local law enforcement to do it.

Moderator: What do we do about the Oklahoma marijuana businesses?

Echols: The citizens of the state voted for passage of the medical marijuana question, so it is what it is good or bad, the citizens passed it. But now that we’ve done it and we’ve experimented with it for a while, we need to change it.

The Legislature should add some real penalties early on for hardcore illicit drugs. If you are not going to get somebody to get the mental health treatment that they need, and a lot of these are mental health problems. They’re not going to get the treatment that they need if there aren’t some types of consequences inside of that.

These are some real concrete solutions that I wish we would have passed. And think the best time to fix the shoplifting issue was four years ago when I tried to fix it. The second-best time is now; it’s kind of like planting a tree.

Moderator: Has an attorney general ever refused to defend a state law in court, and if so, what standard would you use?

Echols: Generally, no. The attorney general should not insert their will for the will of the Legislature. My standard is the U.S. Constitution. That’s it; that’s the standard.

If the legislature were to pass a bill tomorrow that says abortion on demand, and you can do partial birth abortion, I can’t defend that. I just can’t. I think that violates our Constitution. It’s not something I would do. I think the job is, to the extent possible, follow the making body.

Moderator: Attorney General opinions can be legally binding. Do you agree with the current process that what they say is law of the land?

Echols: I do. I think that’s a good thing. But let me tell you what I am going to do a little bit differently. I am going to review old attorney general opinions. We have eighty years of Democrat attorney general opinions that no Republican attorney general has reviewed something that’s routinely done by attorney generals in other states.

Moderator: What and who is God to you?

Echols: My Lord and Savior of my soul is who God is to me. The Apostle Paul says he is the chief among sinners, and I can only imagine what that makes me. But I am justified through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

My wife and I met at First Southern Baptist Church, Dell City. When I was fifteen years old, I saw her walking across the back of the church, I was done. We went to school together at Christian Heritage Academy. Then we got married.

Audience Question: We are seeing a rush of data centers come to Oklahoma. Could you talk about the changes in the law that made Oklahoma so attractive to them? Do you see a role for your consumer protection group in the amount of energy, water, and cost of all this?

Further, in the approval process, NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) have been used by big money and big PR firms, and they throw it at officials. Then officials throw it to the public as though that covers in secrecy all project details. Could you clarify?

Echols: I am going to hit both of those. My race is a good example of that. It truly is big business versus small business. It’s Oklahoma business versus Virginia business, and then huge publicly traded corporate business versus me, a seven-time small business entrepreneur.

NDAs are a terrible idea. They shouldn’t be used in state government. I would have supported the bill that would have gotten rid of them. When the governor was chasing Mitsubishi or whatever else. I wouldn’t sign the NDA.

Oklahoma can’t be the dumping ground for data centers. The way it became a dumping ground for wind, we can’t do that.

Here is what we must do in the State of Oklahoma. Number one, our water and number two, our electricity. I am going to implement a very specific plan on both of those. As to electricity, I am the lawyer for the rate payers when you elect me as your next attorney general and I will make sure that data centers pay for any increase, any cost that is associated so it doesn’t go on your electricity rates. I am running against the current Oklahoma Secretary of Energy, who hasn’t said that we have a difference on this issue.

The second issue is water. Data centers are massive users of water. One of the things the legislature did this year was pass a bill requiring reclaimed water for cooling, which would have cut about ninety five percent of the total water utilization.

Audience Question: You mentioned the marijuana and the fentanyl issues. Do you support tightening the ability to get it?

Echols: That’s a great question. I get beat up on this all the time because I am hard on illegal growers. There is nobody in the state harder; I’ve been going after them. I’ve been trying to chase them in the legislature for eight years. If you are legitimately in the medical marijuana business, then I am going to defend your right to do it; it’s the law. If you are a dispensary and check cards, not selling to kids or legally in the grow business, that’s legal.

I am offering something different. I passed the bill that allowed secret shopper programs at dispensaries. You know why every grocery store, every convenience store out there doesn’t sell beer to kids under twenty-one? Because ABLE goes around and checks it with a secret shopper program. OMMA has legal authority to have a secret shopper program. I know because I passed it; it was my bill. But they’re not doing enough of it. As the next attorney general, I will if they won’t step up.

As AG, I am going to ask for the same authority, and I am going to go do it. I think what we need to do is enforce the laws we have. That would solve ninety-nine percent of the problems with dispensaries.

A previous story by this writer on Jon Echols, February 17, 2026 is available here. To reach Jon Echols’ website, click here.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

One absent candidate thought this forum would be an ambush, but this writer found it to be one of the most straight forward opportunities for the many congressional aspirants possible. The event, at Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, featured six Republican candidates running for Oklahoma’s Congressional District 1.

Event Logistics and Rules

• Moderator: Oklahoma Senator Shane Jett, (R-District 17) and Chairman of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus.

• Audience Instructions: Cell phones were to be silenced, applause held between answers, no food, and water was allowed. A post-forum straw poll was conducted via QR code.

• Q&A Format: The speaking order was determined by a random drawing. Time limits ranged from 30 seconds for speed round questions and rebuttals with 90 seconds for the first question and closing statements. If another candidate was named, they were provided time to respond. If the candidate was not present they were ridiculed (which the crowd enjoyed). The audience’s response to obvious paranoia: If a candidate fears Oklahoma Republicans, they are not qualified to engage Washington Democrats.

Candidate Profiles and Introductions

Candidates introduced themselves alphabetically:

• Kim David: A Republican for 47 years and current Corporation Commissioner. She served in the Oklahoma State Senate (2010-2022) as the first female Majority Leader and first female Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She has a background in petroleum marketing and comes from a family with a history of military and law enforcement service.

• Nancy Dyson: Grew up in northeastern Oklahoma and served in the U.S. Army. She had a 30-year career with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and holds degrees in psychology, business, and history. She now manages rental properties and is active in local politics.

• Courtney Gill: A seventh-generation Midwesterner and lifelong Republican. As an economist, she studied at Cambridge University and earned an MBA from Oxford. She has worked in finance and government relations in Washington D.C. and London.

• Jackson Lahmeyer: A fourth-generation Oklahoman, lead pastor, and entrepreneur endorsed by President Trump. He is the founder of “Pastors for Trump” and serves on the National Faith Advisory Board. He presents himself as a “fresh voice” and not a career politician.

• Kelly Walsh: An analytical chemist and Associate Laboratory Director. He registered as a Republican in 2008 and became politically active caucusing for Ron Paul. He aims to bring an evidence-based approach to policymaking.

• Todd Woods: A fifth-generation Oklahoman and a Republican for nearly 49 years. He has over 37 years of experience building companies, employing up to 3,100 people, and leading disaster recovery operations. He identifies as a “complete outsider.”

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Top Policy Goals

Candidates were asked to detail their top three policy goals if elected:

• Kim David: 1) Achieve energy dominance, 2) Secure the border, and 3) Ensure election integrity.

• Nancy Dyson: 1) Codify President Trump’s executive orders into law, 2) Implement term limits, and 3) Reinstate town halls for greater government accountability.

• Courtney Gill: 1) Balance the federal budget, 2) Enact term limits and campaign finance limits, and 3) Develop policy to address the potential displacement of 30-40% of the workforce by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• Jackson Lahmeyer: 1) Advance Trump’s “America First” agenda, 2) Secure the border permanently, 3) Prohibit Chinese Communist Party ownership of American farmland, and 4) Prevent Sharia law from taking root in the U.S.

• Kelly Walsh: 1) Increase affordability by ending the Iran war and repealing non-productive tariffs, 2) Promote accountability through term limits and FOIA enforcement, and 3) Uphold constitutional rights and ensure equal protection under the law.

• Todd Woods: 1) Achieve fiscal responsibility through a balanced budget amendment, 2) Secure both the southern and northern borders, and 3) Implement government financial transparency to track all spending.

Stance on Key Issues

Iran Conflict

When asked if Congress should support President Trump regarding the conflict in Iran, candidates’ views varied.

• Supportive of Trump’s Actions: Nancy Dyson, Jackson Lahmeyer, Todd Woods, and Kim David all expressed strong support for the President’s actions. David stated she would support a declaration of war if necessary, while Dyson said Congress should support the Commander in Chief in any way he wants.

• Cautious/Nuanced Stance: Courtney Gill described the conflict as highly complicated but ultimately supported a strong military and “peace through strength” to keep Americans safe.

• Opposed to War: Kelly Walsh expressed opposition, comparing it to the costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and questioning the official narrative by repeatedly calling it a “Forever War.”

Foreign Land Ownership in Oklahoma

Candidates viewed foreign land ownership by adversaries, particularly the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) and China, as a significant threat.

• Proposed Solutions: Suggestions included declaring NAIT a domestic terrorist organization (Lahmeyer, David), nationalizing property owned by adversaries (Dyson), taxing such groups “out of existence” (Walsh), and taking a more aggressive, confrontational approach (Woods).

Equal Protection for Children in the Womb

On extending the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause to the unborn:

• Candidates in favor: Todd Woods, Kim David, Jackson Lahmeyer, and Courtney Gill all supported the idea, framing it as a pro-life and states’ rights issue.

• Candidate against: Kelly Walsh stated he would not support such legislation.

Use of Tariffs

• Candidates in favor: Todd Woods, Kim David, Courtney Gill, and Jackson Lahmeyer all expressed support for President Trump’s use of tariffs to protect American jobs and ensure “fair trade.”

• Conditional Support: Kelly Walsh supported tariffs that lead to reshoring businesses but opposed sweeping tariffs on goods the U.S. does not produce.

Congressional Term Limits

All candidates supported congressional term limits to curb corruption and prevent career politicians.

• Specific Proposals: A 12-year lifetime limit (David) and a limit of three 2-year terms for the House and two 6-year terms for the Senate (Dyson, Gill, Walsh) were proposed.

Congressional Insider Trading & Lobbying

All candidates agreed this is a major problem, citing the hypocrisy of strict penalties for citizens but not for politicians.

• Proposed Solutions: Mandatory blind trusts for members of Congress (Gill), enforcing existing laws (Walsh), passing strict federal ethics rules similar to those at the state level (David), and imposing harsh penalties for violators (Woods).

Balanced Federal Budget

There was a consensus that the $39 trillion national debt is unsustainable and stems from a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

• Proposed Solutions: Candidates advocated for cutting waste, fraud, and abuse; ending “forever wars”; passing a balanced budget amendment; and holding members of Congress accountable by preventing them from running for re-election until a budget is balanced (proposed by Gill, referencing Warren Buffett).

Data Centers

Candidates agreed that decisions regarding data centers are a state and local issue. They raised concerns about their low employment, high energy and water usage, and potential water contamination. The consensus was that data centers should not be located near residential areas and must “pay their own way” without taxpayer funding.

Sharia Law and Mosque Proliferation in Oklahoma

This was also viewed as a state and local issue, with federal intervention deemed inappropriate.

• Core Stance: The issue is seen as a direct result of “bad immigration policy.” Immigrants should assimilate to American culture, and the US Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

• Proposed Actions: At the state level, the governor could declare groups like the Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations. At the federal level, Congress should pass laws outlawing Sharia law with significant legal consequences. Local activism, as seen in Broken Arrow, was praised as an effective tool.

Joining a Congressional Caucus

• Will Join Freedom Caucus: Todd Woods confirmed he would join.

• Undecided/Premature: Courtney Gill, Jackson Lahmeyer, and Kim David all felt it was premature to commit before the election.

• Conditional: Kelly Walsh would join a caucus if its goals aligned with his, specifically ending the “Forever” Iran war and repealing certain tariffs.

Lightning Round: Funding for Homeland Security and Border Patrol

All speakers unanimously agreed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Patrol should be fully funded by “any means necessary” to ensure national safety. One suggestion was to use single-issue bills to eliminate “pork” spending.

Post-Forum Straw Poll

• The event was recorded and remains available for your viewing at this link.

• Audience members were invited to participate in a post-forum straw poll via QR code displayed onscreen at the end of the event. Two questions were asked, 1.) Who did you support before the forum? and 2.) Who do you support after the forum? The poll results from an audience of near 150 attending follow.

  

  Straight Up is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

  About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

  Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

In an exclusive interview, Tedford declared, “I’ve spent my life building a business from the ground up, creating jobs and opportunity in the real economy. I’m running to bring that experience to Washington. Delivering results for working families, and standing firm in the conservative values that make this country strong.”

In the field of twelve Republicans, Tedford notes he is leading in fundraising (as of March 31) and while polling returns still have the undecided at 55 percent, he is the leader at 16 percent support. Locally well known, Tedford has served in the statehouse since 2022 on committees for insurance and energy, among other detail driven topics.

Tedford’s key accomplishments in the Oklahoma House focus on infrastructure and a suite of reforms aimed at consumer protection, anti-fraud measures, and mitigation. Recently the Arkansas River Bridge Bill (2123) authorized the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to begin planning a new bridge over the Arkansas River, a long-term public safety benefit for Tulsa County allowing greatly reduced emergency response times in the growing area south of the river. It became law without the governor’s signature.

“I believe next week the Senate will pass SB 2933, which is the comprehensive consumer protection bill for insurance. As you know, insurance has been a big discussion this year and in the last couple of years, because interest rates have been climbing and a class action lawsuit was filed against State Farm. There is concern about bad actors not paying claims. That bill was the insurance commissioner’s request to empower the insurance department to be able to deal with bad actors, slow claims handling, non-renewals (e.g., older roofs) and fine/penalize insurance companies if they don’t respond to claims timely,” Tedford said.

In addition a bill combating fraud by outlawing certain “assignment of benefit” agreements and the Strength of Our Homes Act, created tax incentives for weather-resistant building materials to promote resiliency. All will greatly help homeowners.

While he supports reforming the judicial nomination process to mirror the federal system, he acknowledges that the House defeated this effort, revealing a caucus trend more favorable to trial attorneys than his own tort reform stance. Tedford favors nominations by the elected governor rather than an unelected committee of attorneys. For judges, Tedford supports the current retention vote system providing direct accountability, while noting voter engagement and information can be lacking. He commended the recent successful campaign to unseat a Supreme Court judge.

In the spirit of full-disclosure, this writer first met Mark Tedford in a small casual group studying Christian Apologetics, the theological defense of the gospel, long before he ran for any office.

Tedford frames his political philosophy as inseparable from his worldview, using natural law and general revelation in secular debate to build broader consensus rather than citing scripture directly. This approach, he argues, allows for substantive discussions on core principles—like rights originating from God, not the state—with a wide range of people, even those who disagree.

Tedford rejects the “all or nothing” legislative approach favored by some Oklahoma conservatives, arguing it consistently results in “nothing.” Instead, he advocates for securing partial policy wins year over year, mirroring the long-term, multi-step strategy he attributes to leftist progressives.

He believes conservatives often fail to articulate their case effectively, ceding the moral high ground to progressives who are skilled at framing policies around short-term emotional appeal rather than long-term consequences.

Tedford cites his record of debating and voting for socially conservative legislation to prove ideological alignment with conservative stalwarts while defending his methodology as the only pragmatic path to achieving long-term conservative goals.

“As you can see again from my debates, even though my style is very friendly in a lot of ways, I didn’t shy away from debating the hard issues. I debated for banning surgeries for transgender youth. I voted for making trafficking the abortion pill a felony. I debated for banning DEI in colleges. So I not only voted for these things, but I also debated. And part of the reason I debated is because I felt like conservatives sometimes don’t articulate their arguments very well.

“Conservatism works. It’s very pragmatic policy, but there are times that we don’t really make a case for what we believe. The liberals are really good at bringing out the strengths of their case. Which in large part is a very humanistic approach. ‘People feel bad. We should help these people financially because they need it right here in the moment’ they say. But [their argument does] not realize the long term outcomes might be better if people had to endure some hardships in the short term,” Tedford said.

Tedford defines his “Main Street Strong” approach to include:

• Lower Costs, Higher Paychecks

• Unleash American Energy

• Keep Border Secure, Enforce the Rule of Law

• Strengthen American Industry and Jobs

• Stop the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

• Protect Families, Defend Our Values

• Better Healthcare, Make it Affordable

• 100% Pro-Life, Pro-Second Amendment

• Strong Military, Strong Veteran Care

“I feel like there is a lot of unintended consequences from progressive policies. If the responsibility is on the individual to make their way, then they may struggle in the short term, but if they can become independent, they’re much better off than living in a cycle of government dependency.

“I think that it’s a struggle for people who are conservative to make the case that in the long run, people are going to be better off if they follow these policies. Then to have a bunch of social programs or concede to identity politics, which in the long run is not going to be better off for society. And so that’s why I debated for them. I again it’s you can’t compromise on certain things, and it gets down to your assumptions of government. Like if you really believe that the parents have the ultimate control over their children and not the state. Then it’s there is a point you have to fight for that.

“Listening to the other side and engaging incrementalist policy is not compromise on principle. I feel like it’s a blind spot for Republicans. It’s that you have progressives who have been willing to take one or two a year and continue to fight for the long term. Where I feel like Republicans try to get all points in one bill and end with nothing,” Tedford added.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

David framed it as a continuation of her family’s deep-rooted commitment to public service and sacrifice. She was introduced as the wife of Dan David, a U.S. Deputy Marshal, who previously served for ten years as a Broken Arrow street cop.

David shared that her son is a U.S. Marine residing in Fort Gibson, and her daughter is a Lieutenant Colonel with the Air National Guard, serving full-time at the 137th Fighter Wing. This “family of service,” she explained, is the primary driver behind her political involvement, with a central goal to “serve our country and make it a better place today than it was yesterday.”

“If I don’t do my job right, my family will disown me. I must do it right, or they won’t let me come home,” David said with a smile.

She recalled the early days of “paycheck to paycheck living” while raising children as her husband worked multiple part-time jobs, stating that everything her family has, they have worked for. As an Owasso graduate married to a Broken Arrow graduate, David affirmed her deep connection to the region, declaring herself “all pro Tulsa” and “all pro Northeastern Oklahoma.”

David highlighted her fifteen years of experience in state government as a key qualification, asserting she has a record of “proven results.”

She served for twelve years in the Oklahoma State Senate, where she was the Appropriations Chairman during the state’s worst budget crisis. She equated this experience to being given a checkbook and a mountain of debt and being told to “Balance the budget,” a period where she learned to make difficult decisions for the good of the state. Subsequently, as Senate Majority Leader, her responsibilities included reading and assigning every bill to committee and then reviewing each bill again before it reached the Senate floor, making her an “expert at crafting legislation.”

Transitioning from the Senate to the Corporation Commission felt like a “natural flow” due to her background in energy. However, she admitted her initial expectation—that permitting oil and gas would be the biggest part of her job—was wrong. Instead, she faced an unforeseen explosion in the need for new power generation and transmission lines, a challenge not just for Oklahoma but for the entire nation. David argues this extensive legislative and regulatory experience, particularly in energy, means she has no learning curve and can “hit the ground running” if elected.

As a geologist with a lifelong career in energy, David positioned her platform around fighting for Oklahoma’s energy interests on a national scale. She heavily criticized the Biden administration, accusing it of attempting to “literally destroy our national security by shutting down oil and gas.”

She noted that Oklahoma’s 50,000-plus miles of gas pipeline are at capacity, and while intrastate pipelines can be built, the ability to export to other states is constrained. Her primary goal is to shore up natural gas production and pipeline construction to ensure a “secure and affordable” grid, arguing that the “whole green deal did nothing except drive your energy costs through the roof.”

David recounted a pivotal experience at a conference in Grand Rapids where supporters of natural gas were called “racist” and “bigot,” which opened her eyes to the need for engagement at the national level. In response, she became the chair of the national Pipeline Safety Committee, was appointed to the federal regulatory board that regulates pipelines (FISA) and joined rulemaking authorities for both liquid and gas pipelines.

“It was the first time I had been called a racist bigot for supporting natural gas. Makes no sense. But just so you know, that’s just how crazy things get when you leave Oklahoma. It is crazy. I just couldn’t believe it. But it opened my eyes to the fact that if I was going to do my job [on the Corporation Commission] effectively, I had to be in touch and in tune with what was happening at the national level,” David said.

Her objective is to craft “sensible” regulations that don’t prohibit the free market and allow the industry to “move at the speed of business.” If elected, her immediate goal is to join the Energy and Commerce Committee to leverage her expertise with federal agencies like the EPA, NERC, and FERC.

David addressed specific concerns and difficult questions from the audience.

• Tulsa “Massacre” Memorial Bill: An audience member expressed strong opposition to a bill passed by Senator Lankford to establish a memorial for a “massacre” in Tulsa, arguing the term is disputed and that the bill would “hang an undeserved flag of shame” over the city. David stated she had not yet read the bill but committed to doing so. While withholding a final stance, she assured the audience, “I’m not going to support anything that I think harms Oklahoma’s reputation in any way.”

• Tribal Relations: When asked about relationships with tribal nations, David emphasized the importance of working together, stating, “If we’re not working together... we’re just failing at every turn.” She praised tribal nations for being “fantastic at growing their business” and applauded their significant contributions to healthcare, which improves the overall health of the state’s workforce.

• Meredith Family Environmental Case: Addressing a question about an environmental issue affecting the Meredith family in the Fort Gibson area, David explained that historic “breakouts” of briny water are occurring on their property. The Corporation Commission’s role is to plug abandoned wells, but it cannot act because the family’s house is in the way and there is no documented well on site. The commission does not have the authority to buy private homes. To address this and similar situations, David wrote legislation to create a half-million-dollar revolving fund. This fund allows a county to purchase and remove a home in an environmental crisis and then apply for reimbursement, protecting taxpayers while providing a solution. She noted this bill was expected on the floor this week.

• Support for Donald Trump: When asked directly if she “loves” Donald Trump and if her loyalty would remain, David responded unequivocally: “I do. I do. I love it... the guy gets results.” She stated she has been a supporter “from the beginning” and pledged to do everything she can to help him succeed.

• Data Centers and Nuclear Energy: David clarified that the legislature is primarily in charge of data centers, but the Corporation Commission is ensuring through large-scale tariffs that residential customers do not bear the costs of new transmission lines required by these centers. On nuclear energy, she referenced a feasibility study conducted last year. She concluded that while nuclear is nearing price parity, Oklahoma’s abundant and cheaper natural gas makes it the more sensible option for the next 10-15 years. She also noted that public comment on the study was “vicious,” indicating significant public resistance to nuclear power in the state.

  

For more on Kim David, click here to reach her campaign website.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

OKGOP Chairman Charity Linch offered the TRC organizer, Charity Marcus, an opportunity to speak to the group and resolve all dispute, but she has not accepted the offer as of this writing. This story, however, focuses on the factual errors of TRC’s history posted on their web site as captured in the following graphic.

The Tulsa Republican Club website is available at this link.

It was Paul Thornbrugh not “Tom” who started the club named the Tulsa Republican Men’s Club. Paul came to Tulsa in 1965 to work for Mapco as the Director of Governmental and Political Affairs. Paul was known as “Mr. Republican” and identified by Voices of Oklahoma, an Oklahoma Historical Society project, as a patriot, public servant, politician, and businessman.

Host John Earling interviewed him October 14, 2014, that extensive interview is online at this link. https://voicesofoklahoma.com/interviews/thornbrugh-paul/

While you can tell in the interview that John Erling is a leftist host, he did a good job on this interview of Paul and the gallery of photographs includes many more than I had seen on his study wall. Paul knew Presidents and once danced with a First Lady. He was gracious, smart, kind to the young, and above all he treasured his family. He was one of this writer’s political mentors. Paul was 97 when he passed May 17, 2018.

He started several political clubs in his time. That is something Marcus TRC fails to understand. Political groups are always forming and changing, and anyone can be a Republican – it is a self-selecting affiliation by individual registration.

Old lions may disagree with details, but false fabrications by Marcus TRC illustrate the necessity of truthful documentation. All the current drama could have been avoided if Marcus TRC had not lied, attempting to achieve historic credibility they do not deserve. Start a club under a new name and get busy building up your own branch of the local party rather than dividing it into some childish self-aggrandizement or consultant cash flow.

Charity Marcus had worked with Ronda Smith and her 9/12 group and she ran for Chairman of the County party but was defeated in 2025 by Melissa Myers and grassroots activists. Marcus has frequently been a campaign consultant for Democrats, has been involved in some questionable nonprofits, and has engaged as a spokesperson for reparations.

Divisions within the Tulsa GOP have always existed and the current ones reflect decades-old power struggles dating back to the Ronald Reagan era. At that time, Paul Thornbrugh was the influential spokesperson for the Tulsa GOP and, along with his “sidekick” Warren Roberts, was part of Mayor Jim Inhofe’s inner circle.

This group’s gathering spot was the Summit Club, which hosted the meetings. A significant schism occurred after Inhofe’s fourth mayoral term ended in an upset defeat by Terry Young. Thornbrugh and Tom Cole pressured Inhofe to run for mayor again, but he refused, determined not to be controlled by them. Instead, he declared his candidacy for Congress, directly challenging their preferred candidate. Inhofe’s congressional victory created a lasting factional split.

Update: After publication, Terry Simonson wrote to highlight that he "was Chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party between 1992 and 1998 (at the time the longest serving Chairman and who never had an opponent at the county conventions). We had two camps: one lead by Paul Thornbrough and one lead by Art Rubin - moderate and conservative [respectfully]. Yet with great patience and diplomacy and inclusion, I was able to keep the party at peace and get Republicans elected at all levels." He agreed with the core assertion of the story that "a divided party is not really new."

The dynamic repeated when Pat Highland was elected to OKGOP Vice Chairman from 1989 to 1991, and “upended” the established order. The same happened in Tulsa County in 2025 as the grassroots elected Melissa Myers as Tulsa County Chairman thus returning the party to traditional Republican values.

In response to losing their power base, Thornbrough and Roberts’s faction back in the day, left the Tulsa Republican Men’s Club and formed a rival organization, the Republican Assembly. Initially, this group served as a home for the more liberal wing of the party. Over time, however, the Republican Assembly has morphed into a more hard-right-wing, conservative operation. Then the club maintained a degree of order and inclusivity, allowing disruptive figures like former City Councilor Chris Medlock to present minority reports, a practice that contrasts sharply with the current environment.

When the Tulsa Republican Men’s Club at the Summit Club dropped “Men’s” from the name in 2008, the Conservatives re-activated the club, incorporated, added County to the name, and established bylaws for the Tulsa County Republican Men’s Club (TCRMC). The first page of those bylaws follow.

You will notice that this writer is not named as a supporter. I was thought to be a more liberal Republican at the time maybe because I regularly attended the downtown club. The most famous of the downtown meetings, however, was a presentation by then new OKGOP Chairman Randy Brogdon (listed above) in 2015 where my simple question “for humor” drove Brogdon to tell me I had reason to “fear his temper.” That threat did not work to Brogdon’s advantage.

That original Tulsa Republican Club eventually folded.

I am now the Third Vice President (membership) of the real TCRMC that has all its paperwork in order.

In 2025, immediately after losing her campaign for County Chairman, Charity Marcus began the effort to claim the historic club utilizing the false history noted above. The old club had a Facebook page that credited Paul, but apparently getting the name right was not important to Marcus TRC. They did manage to take the logo.

This writer and several other long-term members of the original Tulsa Republican Club were not invited to join the new effort. In short, many believe the new club is just a strategic maneuver to create public notice and legitimize themselves. I call it the “Not Republican Club,” but it would have worked without dispute as a new club.

Ronda Smith, former Tulsa County Chairman, Stan Stevens, a disgraced former official from Washington County, and Bob Jack a failed candidate for Tulsa County Commissioner (District 3) whose campaign illegally conducted ballot harvesting are reportedly assisting Marcus in her efforts. After voter rejection at the 2025 Tulsa County Republican Convention, they are attempting to resurrect an old name for the ousted faction, which many contend is simply anger if not enragement over their loss of perceived political power.

For the State Executive Committee, as I understand it, the core issue is that this new group has allegedly misrepresented itself to elected officials as an “official Tulsa GOP club.” This is completely improper because the group is not chartered according to party rules. However, there are other Republican Clubs that are not properly chartered, but their public acts, personalities, and statements are not as problematic.

On the brighter side, very few people are engaged in local party politics. Local people can make a difference and candidates knocking doors and talking with constituents win races. But campaigns are wise to recruit new people for their teams. Long term party folk can bring their networks, but also their agendas.

All other issues aside, in one way the upstart Marcus TRC is remarkable: They unified Oklahoma Republicans in all 77 counties against them.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions. In April 2026, he began the YouTube Channel, Straight Up Dave. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Only the largest school districts pay stipends as most school board members in Oklahoma serve for the benefit of their community’s children. The state’s two largest districts, Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) and Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) do pay and such payments don’t much improve local education. Together both districts draw our national educational rankings down the drain and both have failed audits by the Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector office. They fail to teach or account.

Auditor Cindy Byrd in her Tulsa announcement of candidacy for the Lt. Governor’s position said her personal takeaway from auditing Oklahoma’s two largest school districts is that attempts to fix education with “more programs, more services, more counselors, more technology” have not improved academic outcomes but have only added to rising costs.

Auditor Byrd’s office found under a previous superintendent, “TPS contracted out $29 million on consultants and $37 million on vendors, totaling $66 million not directly benefiting teachers or students.”

Audit teams reviewed hundreds of lengthy contracts containing vague, non-tangible concepts like $5.2 million for “system-level alignment to strategic priorities,” $1.2 million for “multi-tier wraparound services,” and $6 million for “behavior management.”

Wow, who else would like to be paid for providing intangible things so vaguely detailed that no one understands what they are? Paid with no proof of delivery? Paid from nearly blank invoices. In this case, “Due to the vague invoices and contracts, auditors reviewed emails and purchased materials to justify payments, revealing funds went to private companies, NGOs, nonprofits, and consultants for TPS restructuring.”

Ever wonder why School Board Elections are held separately? So only their loyalists and extended families show up to vote. Thank you Oklahoma Legislators for catering to the Educational Industrial Complex voter base. Is it time for pitchforks and torches or can you see the lights of constituent concern?

Byrd asserts that when public schools, which receive tax dollars, are in academic decline, taxpayers deserve answers. She advocates for citizens to easily access online financial records, detailed expenditure lists, and meeting agendas with votes by each governing school board member, believing that greater community awareness of finances strengthens schools and helps accomplish academic goals.

That is not happening in Oklahoma School Board meetings or online.

Back to Sen. Goodwin’s bill, she had to know that TPS is now asking for $609 million in bond approval April 7^th from Tulsa citizens. She had to know about the TPS audit.

Former Tulsa City Councilor Jayme Fowler, in a recent interview with this writer, said the propositions fail to address deep-seated systemic issues, including poor academic outcomes, administrative bloat, underutilized facilities, and a destructive busing policy.

“This bond package perpetuates a failing status quo,” Fowler added.

Maybe Sen. Goodwin wants to get both the bond and the stipend approved before Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond brings charges against the TPS School Board, assuming of course, he can pull his head out of his gubernatorial race before the statutes of limitations kick in.

Goodwin’s family is in the news business. TPS’s legal trouble, which has been ongoing for years, is not a secret.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but current TPS Board Member (District 5) John Croisant who failed to stop the $66 million financial disaster, is running as a Democrat for Congress to represent Oklahoma’s first district. God only knows how much oversight accountability he can avoid should he win a Washington office.

The release said, “Sen. Regina Goodwin has received Senate approval for a bill to update the stipend school districts can opt to provide to school board members for attending board meetings. Under the provisions of Senate Bill 63, the stipend, which has not been updated since 1972, would be raised from $25 up to $190 per meeting for up to four meetings (total $760) each month.

“Under current law, school districts are not required to offer a stipend – for those that do, this change reflects what that $25 stipend would be 54 years later when you adjust for inflation,” said Goodwin, D-Tulsa.

“The people who step up to serve on school boards are taking time away from their own lives and families to serve on behalf of our students, teachers, and patrons,” Goodwin said. “This is a long overdue update to our statutes, and again, it is not mandatory for any district to offer the increase. I hope the House will join the Senate in giving school districts the ability to update the stipend amounts for their dedicated, hard-working school board members.” [Including some who fail to provide oversight over tens of millions of dollars that should have gone to teachers and classrooms.]

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest local news and opinion. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

He asserts that the propositions fail to address deep-seated systemic issues, including poor academic outcomes, administrative bloat, underutilized facilities, and a destructive busing policy. This bond package perpetuates a failing status quo.

Fowler advocates rejecting the bond packages in total to compel TPS leadership and the community to publicly and collaboratively develop a comprehensive reform plan focused on rationalizing schools, revitalizing neighborhood schools, and improving educational fundamentals.

Deconstruction of the Four Bond Propositions

Fowler provides a sharp critique of the four bond propositions from Tulsa Public Schools.

• Proposition 1 (Educational Materials & Athletics): While framed as funding for educational materials like textbooks and STEM labs, Fowler highlights that $20 million is earmarked for athletics. He describes TPS athletics as an “absolute disaster” and among the worst in the nation, plagued by scandals and a lack of success. He questions the stewardship of this money, pointing out that TPS has six football stadiums for nine high schools, whereas a district like Frisco has only three stadiums for over fifteen high schools.

• Proposition 2 (School Construction & Repair): Fowler criticizes the plan for building and repair, noting, “In the late 60s, Tulsa Public Schools had 80,000 students and nine high schools. Today we have 34,000 students and we still have nine high schools open. Of our 45 elementary schools, there is somewhere in the range of 15 to 25 percent of those with less than fifty percent occupancy.

“TPS is asking in this bond package to build approximately ten million dollars’ worth of new facilities for free daycare in East Tulsa. The idea of asking taxpayers to provide free daycare to only one part of Tulsa, to me, “I have a deep philosophical objection. We are asking Tulsa taxpayers to subsidize someone else’s personal lifestyle & choices. This is full blown socialism at its worst,” Fowler said.

• Proposition 3 (Technology): While acknowledging this proposition is for purchasing technology, the core criticism is that it does not address the fundamental failure of the district to teach students basic skills. Fowler asserts that the district is failing to teach children how to read and do math, making technology purchases a secondary concern.

• Proposition 4 (Transportation Equipment): Fowler connects this proposition to the district’s long-standing busing plan, which he argues is a primary driver of the district’s decline and should not be perpetuated with new equipment purchases.

Ultimately, Fowler contends that all four propositions support “business as usual” and do not introduce the substantive change the district desperately needs.

Analysis of Systemic Failures and Administrative Inefficiency

Fowler identifies several deep-seated systemic failures within Tulsa Public Schools that he believes the bond package would only perpetuate. A central issue is the district’s severe academic under performance. He states that most students arrive in high school unable to read at grade level, a problem exacerbated by the long-standing practice of “social promotion” in neighborhood schools, where students are advanced regardless of academic achievement. Citing Oklahoma’s rank as 50th in the nation for education, he concludes that TPS, as the state’s largest district, is likely one of the worst school districts in the United States.

Operational and administrative inefficiencies are another major concern. Fowler describes the district as “very bloated” and “top-heavy,” with an organizational structure geared toward overhead and administration rather than the welfare of teachers and children.

He notes the Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector’s report found the school board was paying significant invoices without proof of work, and millions to “identity politics and equity, diversity, and inclusion” instead of students and teachers. This mismanagement, with a lack of accountability, demonstrates failed stewardship of local taxpayer money.

The Destructive Legacy of the Busing and Magnet School System

Fowler notes that the district’s voluntary busing plan, a holdover from the desegregation era of the late 1960s, is the “big crux” that has “hollowed out and destroyed our neighborhoods.” While TPS was unique in avoiding a federal court order for busing, it is one of the few districts that still maintains such a system today. He describes the policy as cruel, arguing that it has created a two-tiered system.

The bus plan funnels resources and students from across the city to a few “vibrant” magnet schools, while children from low-income backgrounds are left behind in “chronically failing” neighborhood schools with no transportation to access better options.

Fowler argues that TPS has spent “millions and millions of dollars” perpetuating this system, which effectively drains vitality and property values from local neighborhoods.

He declares that vibrant cities are built on vibrant neighborhoods, which in turn depend on vibrant neighborhood schools, something the current busing and magnet school focus actively undermines.

“If we’re going to have a vibrant city, we’ve got to have vibrant neighborhoods. The only way we’re going to have vibrant neighborhoods is that we have vibrant neighborhood schools, not magnet schools, not private schools, not suburban schools but vibrant neighborhood schools. Families move into neighborhoods for the schools,” Fowler said.

“Just look at the suburbs. How vibrant they are. People don’t purchase homes there for the museums and parks, they go there for the vibrant schools and family safety. It’s very important that Tulsa gets this right. It’s not that we never again pass another bond issue. Far from it. I think we should just hit the pause button on this bond issue,” Fowler added.

Contrasting Educational Models and Lost Opportunities

Fowler highlights the deficiencies of TPS by comparing it to more successful educational models and lamenting the loss of effective programs. He contrasts the infrastructure bloat of TPS—with its nine high schools and six football stadiums—to the efficiency of Frisco public schools, which serve a larger high school population with only three stadiums.

He also points to the vibrancy of Tulsa Tech, which provides critical vocational training but primarily serves suburban students; for every four students, three are from the suburbs, while only one is from Tulsa Public Schools.

This occurs despite Tulsa taxpayers funding approximately two-thirds of Tulsa Tech’s ad valorem tax revenue, effectively subsidizing the “hollowing out” of their own city.

Furthermore, Fowler mourns the disappearance of fundamental educational practices and programs from TPS. He notes that vocational education, which once provided non-college-bound students with a pathway to a successful career, is no longer an option.

He also speaks passionately about the abandonment of phonics-based reading instruction. He recalls his personal involvement with the “Reading Partners” program, which successfully used phonics to teach children to read, and notes that his mother, a 35-year TPS teacher, considered phonics the “bread and butter” of her classroom. He argues that the district-wide shift away from this proven method is a primary reason so many students cannot read.

Proposed Path Forward: A Pause for Comprehensive Reform

Fowler said this is the first time in his life he has opposed a bond package, but he believes it is a necessary step to compel the district to address its fundamental problems.

He calls for a new, comprehensive reform plan developed through robust community engagement and collaboration, involving all stakeholders: the school board, the superintendent, city and civic leaders, and the public. He references a past successful reform effort under Dr. Keith Ballard in the early 2010s as a model for this type of collaborative process. A new plan, he insists, must focus on several key areas:

• Rationalizing Schools: Drastically reducing the number of school buildings to match the current student population. He suggests consolidating three or four high schools from the current nine.

• Revitalizing Neighborhood Schools: Shifting focus and resources away from the magnet school system to rebuild strong, vibrant schools that serve as anchors for their local communities.

• Restoring Core Education: Reintroducing foundational skills like phonics-based reading and bringing back vocational education programs, potentially in partnership with Tulsa Tech or OSU-Okmulgee.

Grounded in his family’s deep, multi-generational history with TPS and his wife’s burnout experience as a special education teacher overwhelmed by workload and classroom politics, Fowler stresses that his goal is not to be anti-public schools but to ensure every child receives a world-class education.

Fowler concludes, “So goes Tulsa Public Schools, so goes the city. We must get this right.”

Oklahoma Auditor & Inspector Cyndy Byrd is running for Lt. Governor and spoke about her audit of TPS in Tulsa July 15, 2025:

Byrd’s personal takeaway from auditing Oklahoma’s two largest school districts is that attempts to fix education with “more programs, more services, more counselors, more technology” have not improved academic outcomes but have only added to rising costs.

The State Department of Education (SDE) has a $20 million operating budget, serving as a “highly legislated pass-through” for funds (0.26% of education dollars), suggesting that fraud, waste, and abuse are most likely found at the local level within the 546 schools.

• Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) Audit: Under Superintendent Dr. Gist, TPS contracted out $29 million on consultants and $37 million on vendors, totaling $66 million not directly benefiting teachers or students.

Audit teams reviewed hundreds of lengthy contracts containing vague, non-tangible concepts like $5.2 million for “system-level alignment to strategic priorities,” $1.2 million for “multi-tier wraparound services,” and $6 million for “behavior management.”

Byrd questions how taxpayers can know where their money is going if even auditors cannot comprehend what is being purchased. Due to the vague invoices and contracts, auditors reviewed emails and purchased materials to justify payments, revealing funds went to private companies, NGOs, nonprofits, and consultants for TPS restructuring.

To read the Tulsa School District Official Election Proclamation, click here: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1765838179/tulsaschoolsorg/lvupvx1scuy0bp2gjimk/ElectionProclamationTPS2026Final.pdf

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest local news and opinion. Arnett is identified nationally as a “Veteran Oklahoma Political Journalist.”

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Hasenbeck addressed a range of issues facing education in Oklahoma including fiscal accountability, student rights, teacher conduct, standardized testing, and administrative reform, consistently emphasizing her experience as both a veteran educator and a state legislator. She holds a bachelor’s degree from OSU and earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Cameron University. She has three children with two (Vivienne and William) graduates of OSU and Henlea currently a junior at Elgin High School.

Personal Background and Educational Philosophy

Hasenbeck opened her remarks by grounding her leadership philosophy in her personal history. Growing up on a farm outside Stillwater, Oklahoma, she recounted moving cattle through a harsh “haygrazer” patch.

“Once, at nine years, I was afoot and dad was on his horse. We had this two- mile section to move cattle through. If you don’t know what haygrazer is, it dries out, and it has little serrated edges that will cut your skin to ribbons. And cattle were big to me at the time. And as you know, cattle leave byproducts of animal nutrition everywhere they go. So, as I pushed these cattle out of this haygrazer patch, my skin was cut to ribbons and I was covered in byproducts,” Hasenbeck said.

“I remember that day thinking that it was going to prepare me for something and then, after teaching seventh grade for about ten years, I realized I was ready for the House of Representatives. Getting cut to ribbons and covered in byproduct may best describe working at the state capitol,” she added.

Hasenbeck’s educational philosophy is deeply intertwined with her commitment to constitutional rights.

“I graduated from Oklahoma State University had a degree in fine arts. It was during the dark days when we had some trouble with the National Endowment of the Arts. And so that was a constant discussion point in my class. So, the First Amendment and our rights are really important to me,” Hasenbeck said.

Legislative Achievements and Core Principles

Throughout her eight years in the Oklahoma Legislature, Hasenbeck said she has focused on bills that align with her conservative principles. She proudly identified herself as the primary House author of the “Saving Women’s Sports Bill,” legislation designed to maintain what she termed “biological reality and biblical truth” by preventing biological males from participating in women’s sports. She extended this effort by authoring the “Women’s Bill of Rights,” which defines “woman” and “man” in statute, asserting that these definitions matter to 82% of Americans.

Her legislative record also includes measures focused on privacy and safety. She championed a privacy bill ensuring women are not forced into unsafe spaces—such as changing rooms, bathrooms, or prisons—with biological males.

Hasenbeck highlighted a significant legislative victory regarding child safety: a bill mandating immediate reporting to DHS and the police if a school employee is suspected of a sexual crime against a child. This legislation introduced severe penalties, including a $300,000 fine and three years in the penitentiary for administrators who fail to report such crimes, aiming to end the practice of “passing the trash” (moving abusive teachers to different districts).

While she noted her only failed committee bill was an attempt to establish uniform school board elections, she supported a measure to limit school elections to five specific days per year to improve voter participation.

Stances on School Governance and Fiscal Accountability

A significant portion of the Q&A session addressed the mismanagement of education funds and the structure of school districts. Hasenbeck expressed skepticism about how current state dollars are utilized, suggesting that districts often spend money with little oversight. To combat this, she proposed a shift toward a reimbursement model for state funding, like federal programs. Under this system, districts would spend the money first and provide a paper trail to receive reimbursement, ensuring accountability, specifically citing new legislation regarding the “science of reading” as a candidate for this model.

Hasenbeck was particularly critical of large urban districts like Tulsa and Oklahoma City, noting that while smaller rural districts often perform better due to lower administrative bloat, the “mega districts” suffer from excessive layers of management.

Hasenbeck boldly suggested that breaking up these large districts might be necessary to uncover true solutions. Despite her criticisms, she expressed optimism about the current leadership in Oklahoma City Public Schools under Dr. Jamie Pope. Furthermore, she identified school board elections as the “single most important election in our country,” arguing that low voter turnout allows small groups (e.g., 312 people in a city of 50,000) to dictate tax increases and bond issues, a system she is eager to reform.

Positions on Student and Teacher Welfare

Hasenbeck engaged with the audience on several complex issues regarding student conduct and teacher quality. Addressing student walkouts, she maintained that while students have a constitutional right to protest, they do not have the right to be truant. She supported schools that enforce consequences for students who miss class for activism, suggesting that true commitment would be demonstrated by protesting outside of school hours (e.g., Saturday mornings).

On the topic of testing, Hasenbeck defended the necessity of standardized assessments, arguing that testing is a reality of the workforce and a critical tool for measuring literacy and competency. She expressed frustration with the “don’t test our babies” mentality, comparing a lack of testing to a doctor refusing to diagnose a sick patient. For her, testing is essential to identify students reading below grade level so interventions can be made.

Finally, she voiced strong opposition to the “community schools” model where schools provide non-academic services like medical care. She argued this distracts from the school’s primary mission of education and is often driven by vendors seeking to profit from government money. Her focus remains strictly on academic outcomes and teacher quality, which she cited as the number one factor in student success.

Candidate Differentiation and Closing Argument

In her closing remarks, Hasenbeck distinguished herself from her opponents by highlighting her dual experience: 20 years in the classroom and eight years in the legislature. She argued that this combination makes her uniquely qualified to manage the state education budget effectively. Unlike candidates who might try to “bully” the legislature, she emphasized the importance of collaboration to ensure dollars reach the classroom.

She positioned herself as a fighter who is not afraid to go “toe-to-toe” with the Governor or Attorney General when necessary. She referenced her history of legislative battles, including the anti-OEA (Oklahoma Education Association) teacher union bill, as evidence of her willingness to stand alone for her principles.

Ultimately, Toni Hasenbeck pitched herself as the candidate who has “actually done the work,” moving beyond talking points to concrete legislative action.

For more information click here https://votetoni.com/index.html

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest local news and opinion.

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

“I am the only candidate in the Republican primary that’s ever been in an Oklahoma courtroom. I’ve tried numerous cases on the criminal defense side, and some family law but what separates me: I am the only one in this race that has ever started a business with their own money at their own risk out of the Republican and Democrat field, Echols said.

Echols started his first business in college, noting, “at my own risk with my own money on the line, or bank loan on the line, to work a business inside the legal system. Uniquely, I bring experience as a practicing attorney with courtroom experience.”

He served the citizens of Oklahoma House District 90 as their representative for 12 years and after just 4 years in office, Echols was named House Majority Floor leader. His administrative experience directed the flow of legislation and staunch defense of the Constitution, law enforcement, religious liberty, 2nd Amendment, and Right to Life.

Echols created the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, which found millions in waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money. Experience which should serve him well in managing the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office – the largest law organization in the State.

“If Oklahomans want an attorney general that understands that the courtroom and the attorney general’s office should exist to seek justice, then I am your person. I did not come from wealth or power. I’m a lifelong South Oklahoma City kid from the working side of the city,” Echols said.

“Oklahomans have seen the best and the worst of what the legal system has to offer, and they need someone who can stand up to big moneyed special interests that so often control what happens inside our legal system. Where those with the most money and the smartest lawyers get the good end of the stick, but the Southsiders that I represent are average everyday people. I will fight for them as attorney general and seek justice for both the meek and the mighty,” Echols declared.

“Oklahoma needs a legal champion. I’ve pushed the legislature for things like extrajudicial scrutiny which we finally passed after four years to establish a review board with teeth in holding judges accountable. I also support cameras inside courtrooms. I think those absolutely make sense,” Echols said.

As regular readers know, this writer is not a fan of the Oklahoma Court System and believe attorneys, in majority, are a self-selecting group who seek certification to harvest significant cash flow that empowers them as predators over the rest of humanity as prey.

Question: So how may the public, which pays all costs, be assured that there is even a dusting of justice within the system so named for it?

We discussed the possibilities of a county justice review committee, a county court ombudsman, and reform of the Oklahoma BAR Association - ideas Echols welcomed.

Echols said, “At the end of the day, What I think Oklahoma really needs is an attorney general like me that’s been on both sides of the fence and isn’t beholden to big moneyed special interests, corporate or bureaucratic. That’s not where I came from.

“I am proud to be the Law enforcement candidate. I’ve been endorsed by the FOP. We just picked up our fifty-sixth sheriff endorsement literally today, and more endorsements are coming. Law enforcement has overwhelmingly said this is the guy. This is the guy to root out corruption. This is the guy to have our back. David, I don’t just talk about it. I did it,” Echols said.

“When I was in the legislature, I created LOFT, the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency. That took me three years. I am sick of those that use this state government as a good old boy system. I’ve got a history in the legislature as somebody who fought the good old boy system and won.

“Loft was the ultimate don’t-go-along-to-get-along. We figured out the Swadley scandal. We figured out the P Card Scandal where state employees were violating the Competitive Bid Act. As Oklahoma’s next attorney general, I am going to be who I have always been, a bulldog fighting corruption. That’s exactly what I am going to do,” Echols declared.

Question: How did Oklahoma Senator Mark Lepak’s bill to begin reform of the Judicial Nominating Committee fail?

“I don’t know. It stalled in the House and I am sorry it did. As House Floor Leader, I put it on the floor and I voted for it. I knew the bill did not have the votes to pass. I knew when I put it on the floor, but I still wanted to put it on the record because I think people deserve a public vote with their elected representatives’ votes recorded on the issue. I voted for it and am still for it and hope it continues to be introduced until it passes,” Echols declared.

Question: How much of a threat is Muslim Radicalization, in your opinion, to Oklahoma?

Echols said, “A massive threat. It is time to call the Muslim Brotherhood what they are, a terrorist organization. President Trump has called them that. They’re also an unindicted coconspirator, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, in terrorism activities. In my district, a terrorist planned a terror attack. In House District Ninety.”

“I was on the Your Vote Counts television show for eight years in the Oklahoma City market, a Sunday morning newscast. The benefit of that is name recognition. The bad news is there are eight years’ worth of tape. If you want to know what I think; I’ve said it in front of a camera. I was the joyful conservative warrior arguing conservative messages.

“The radicalization of Islam is absolutely occurring inside Oklahoma. The liberals lose their mind because I am not talking about peaceful practice of the religion, but it is a real problem here in this state. To my knowledge, I am the only one running for attorney general that sent people to listen to the citizens of Broken Arrow as they debated a proposed Mosque.

“They were talking about the mosque and where that money came from. And ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. That’s a problem. And I’ve been on TV talking about it,” Echols added.

Question: Is there a path where we can return to Oklahoma’s promise that the white man and the Indian Nations would resolve differences and work together?

Echols said, “I think there is a path. Anyone that tells you that the Supreme Court will reverse McGirt is pandering to you. Nine Supreme Court justices, most of which couldn’t find Oklahoma on a map, made this decision, and caused all this chaos. Now the question is, what do we do to create working relationships? As you said, to fulfill Oklahoma’s promise that we are one Oklahoma and that we are all going to work together.

“In one sentence, my McGirt view is more compacts and less lawsuits. We need a hard reset with our tribal partners to sit back down at the negotiating table realizing we are one Oklahoma. From a place of mutual respect, we must find something that works for everyone.

“Now, if we can’t do that, I know where the courthouse is. I know how to file lawsuits. Again, I am the only one in this primary that’s ever set foot in an Oklahoma courtroom, and I’ve been in them lots of times, but I will tell you, that’s not going to be my go-to move.

“I want to be the guy that is going to deliver justice for victims of crime because, at the end of the day, That’s what matters. Are crime victims getting justice, and do businesses, and homeowners, and property owners have certainty and confidence in the equal application of the law,” Echols added.

Question: It’s hard not to laugh at this question, but given that at least one of our U.S. Supreme Court Justices is confused, can you tell a man from a woman?

“My family owns a land-run farm in Okemah that my great, great, great grandfather staked in the 1893 Cherokee Outlet. You can’t take a farm kid and tell him there is no difference between a man and a woman. He’s like, nope, I know whether it’s a bull or a cow. I know when they’re born whether it’s a bull or a cow. No confusion there.

“You should have heard it when I was on TV and said that. You should have seen how my social media went nuts,” Echols said, “People called me a bigot. I am numb to it, which is the advantage of public policy experience today.

“You must speak truth, no matter what truth is. That’s the only answer in my mind. You just tell the truth, and you find people who have stood on that truth. And who have lived that truth and have not been afraid to stand in the gap,” Echols declared.

Question: What is Shelter Oklahoma Schools and why did you create it?

Echols said, “That charity I established immediately after the May-third tornado that devastated many schools and in which some of my area kids died. Many people were saying government needs to fix it. Government didn’t fix it but talked about it.

“I founded a charity called Shelter Oklahoma Schools that used private donations and went and built storm shelters in twenty different schools with private money and some of the school money. While government kept talking about the problem, we fixed it. The only people that did anything was Shelter Oklahoma Schools in the private sector. So that’s where the magic happens when private and public work together.

Question: Should children be disrupting schools for demonstrations against lawful national policy? No ICE raids have been conducted in schools. It appears that teacher ideologs and media have ratcheted up crisis for partisan purposes. Would it help to put cameras in classrooms in Oklahoma?

Echols said, “No issue with cameras in classrooms whatsoever. None. I think that would help on multiple levels including with student disciplinary problems. My wife got her degree in elementary education. I think our teachers have an incredibly important and an incredibly difficult job. Anything that supports them is – I am in full support especially to help deal with discipline issues, which they are constantly struggling with inside our classrooms.

“My team is going to keep working hard. We are all over the state of Oklahoma. People can watch what we’re doing on our social media on Facebook, X and Instagram. And we’ll keep sending our messages of safer, freer, and stronger for Oklahoma,” Echols concluded.

The Oklahoma Attorney General election primary is June 16^th and the general election is November 3, 2026. Click here to reach Jon Echols website.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest news and opinion.

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Host Jon M. McGrath introduced fifty-four attendees including special quests from industry, civic groups, tribal governments, state and local elected officials, candidates, and invited media. The audience included former-Interim President of the Pawnee Nation Business Council, Charles Lone Chief as a most honored guest.

Drummond emphasized building state-tribal partnerships, combating organized crime in illegal marijuana operations, improving education, workforce development (especially trades), and prosecuting corruption.

Drummond was raised in Osage County; oldest of his generation among 65 cousins; his family has lived in Oklahoma since 1892, originally in the Osage Nation. He attended Harmony High School, Oklahoma State University and served as a fighter pilot in the Gulf War.

His entrepreneurial efforts in banking, law, ranching, wireless retail, title and abstract companies, and a retreat center supported 900 private-sector employees prior to election to public office.

His public career launched after his six children were all out of college and married. He is proud of his seven grandchildren and suggested, with a smile, that “likely five more in the near future.” He is 62 years old.

Drummond spoke about State and Tribal relations.

• Current landscape and issues

  • Oklahoma has 39 sovereign tribal governments; the state has been fighting with tribes for seven years [much longer, if other administrations are counted], which Drummond believes should turn into uniting and partnering.

  • If considered as corporations, tribal entities would equate to several Fortune 500/1000 scale operations.

  • Drummond has built bridges in Native American criminal justice—his current lane—and envisions broader economic collaboration as governor.

• Proposed criminal justice and healthcare partnership framework

  • First-quarter plan: Partner with tribes—e.g., Cherokee Nation—to let the State of Oklahoma prosecute Cherokee citizens in the name of the Cherokee Nation using state courts, prosecutors, and public defenders, operating fee-for-service.

  • Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw) own three major hospitals in the Southwest region; partnership would allow broader access, with tribes providing healthcare while the state provides criminal justice services.

  • Goal to improve healthcare deliverables, mental health outcomes, and education where Oklahoma currently ranks near the bottom.

• Tribal economic capacity and vision

  • Cherokee Nation reported net of $4.3 billion and operates companies in seven states.

  • Drummond questions why the state isn’t partnering more deeply with tribes in ventures (referencing “chicken sauce, the chocolate”), advocating joint development and respect-based collaboration.

• Challenges with specific tribal jurisdictions

  • Muscogee (Creek) jurisdiction is described as the most difficult regarding prosecution referral and transparency; Cherokee and Choctaw/Chickasaw are noted as better but still needing improvement.

  • Emphasizes trust-building and compacts led by the governor; legislature can override governors (e.g., tobacco compacts) but effective compacts require an engaged governor.

Since 2023, AG Drummond’s organized crime task force has shut down about 1,000 illegal grow facilities, reduced licensed facilities to around 2,500, and recently led multi-state arrests of a large, syndicated crime organization.

He discussed law enforcement operations and complex settlements with major poultry integrators to reduce watershed pollution. He detailed actions involving the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) pending a February audit. Questions from the audience delved into many current controversies.

One attendee asked, “How long will it take the largest law organization in Oklahoma to bring charges against the Tulsa Public School District and their vendors or consultants for defrauding [by around $66 million] our students and teachers? We know you’re investigating, but when will you be finished?”

Drummond said, “I ordered my audit from Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd and I now have the data. I know the statute of limitations is quickly approaching. I’ve put [the facts] to my multi-county grand jury. I’m not going to speak in detail, but you can anticipate charges before the statute of limitations expires in June.”

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Another questioned, “How can Oklahoma stop illegal Chinese drug operations in our state?”

Drummond answered, “Here’s the break down. I’ve been Attorney General during the Biden and the Trump administration. The first two years as Attorney General under Biden, we would go to Grove, for example, and detain 18 to 20 Chinese, but not the guys in charge. These guys are just working in the marijuana industry but not owning it, they’re not breaking the law. We would detain them. We would call ICE, and say, hey, we’ve got these 18 guys in Yale, Oklahoma. Can you tell us where to deliver them? We’ll do that. They said, no. Give them a card. Tell them to go to Kansas City or Dallas to process within the next week.

“Well, the next week, we’d be 10 miles down the road and see the same guys, week after week after week. I knew them by first name. It was so frustrating.

“Trump comes in, like him or not, I don’t care. He came in and said, shut the border down. So now we deport those 20 and they’re not coming back in. We are having great success. It’s great to have a federal partnership and an administration that empowers us to get the bad guys out,” Drummond added.

A follow-up question dug deeper, “How are they banking their money and who is a part of that in Oklahoma?”

AG Drummond said, “It is convoluted and sophisticated. Our tribal partners were money laundering for the first couple years of our administration. They didn’t realize that Chinese guys would go into a casino with a lot of cash and play a couple of games, but they were really just exchanging cash for the tokens. Then they walk out with the tokens, and transfer those out of the state.

“Our partners in the casino now understand this and are giving us a heads up. We get a call and they say, ‘we got Ben Lee with $20,000 in cash, and we anticipate him exiting the casino in the next 15 minutes,’ Drummond declared. “My men will be there. They’re laundering money through any source that they can.

“The banks that do marijuana banking, and I do that. My bank does that, and here’s why: For honest mom-and-pop operations in Oklahoma.

“I’ve been criticized by one of the candidates that said, oh, Drummond’s a money-laundering guy. Let me explain. The State of Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana in 2018. I’ve never spoken about it, but the people of Oklahoma legalized it. We were sold a bill of goods, but it doesn’t matter. It’s now our law.

“Mom-and-pop, who are doing it right, have a competitive disadvantage because of the illegals who are doing it at a much lower cost. But both were keeping their cash in cinder block buildings and just paying for everything with cash.

“[As a result] the State of Oklahoma decided that banks should handle the money to be able to document it. Only about 1 of every 15 applicants to my bank qualify to have a deposit account. We use the FBI and we’d check everything. We go visit the sites and make sure these are legit. It’s about $25 million in deposits. And there’s another dozen banks that do that.

“Banks, that do understand the law, know we’ve got to have an honest way for that money to get into the community to help all of us. I’m an economist by training. Cash in your pocket is money-one. The [local] bank is money-two because it gets circulated through [local communities]. And money-three is food, retail, and restaurants like this that are serving us today. We need that cash [to circulate locally],” Attorney General Gentner Drummond added.

Another questioned if Drummond will continue Governor Stitt’s program of taking illegal big-rig commercial drivers in 80,000 pound trucks going 80 mph just feet away from Oklahoma families off the road?

“California keeps issuing drivers licenses to damn near anybody. We have a problem with that interstate traffic so [Gov. Kevin Stitt] got that right and we are going to continue the inspections. If drivers are illegal, they should drive around, not through, Oklahoma,” Drummond declared.

The talk closed with Attorney General Drummond’s commitment to provide transparent, principled leadership as the next Oklahoma Governor.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest news and opinion.

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Serving nearly a year, Van Norman resigned last week and, surprise, it became a social media frenzy with many fountains of ignorance and self-aggrandizement displayed. Exclusively here are more complete interviews.

Question: So why did you resign as Vice Chair of the Tulsa County Republican Party?

“David, it’s probably good to go back and provide a little bit of history,” VanNorman began.

“At the last GOP Convention, there were two slates running for party offices. One was Melissa Myers’s slate that was put together pretty much by the grassroots. The other was Charity Marcus’ slate. Both asked me to be on their slate.

“I declined both, respectfully. I appreciated that they’d asked me, but I didn’t run on a slate. And I was effectively running unopposed, other than Ken Molloy who came in and decided to run for vice chair so he could give a speech at the convention.

“The primary motivation that I shared in the campaign speech was that I was hoping to unify the party. I realized there were factions, as I said at the convention. I’ve got friends on both sides that I value and appreciate so I wanted to unify the party to the extent that’s possible.

“Now that may have been a very naive position in hindsight. But still, that was my goal and my primary objective. I had that vision of trying to unify the party. Melissa had a slightly different vision. Her support came from the grassroots group, and I think her view is we can build the grassroots group strong enough that Republicans can start winning elections in Tulsa.

“Obviously, at the county level, we do quite well, as evidenced by our three county commissioners. But in the City of Tulsa, we don’t do so well,” VanNorman added.

For the record, Tulsa Municipal elections are the same kind of “jungle primaries” that have destroyed California and Alaska and every other government where they have been implemented. This evil disingenuous contrivance is a popular format for wealthy elitists because it favors big money candidates and destroys grassroots candidates and issues. This is what State Question 836 will do statewide. It will destroy primaries, not open them.

VanNorman said, “I think Melissa’s goal was, let’s get that fired up as much as we can. And I don’t disagree with that. I mean, I love the grassroots groups. Like I said at the convention, I made many friends. They supported me, big time, for mayor. Conservative Journalist Karen Hardin was critically important in raising money. I have great affinity with grassroots people. I just don’t think [our party] can be exclusively grassroots.

“Melissa has made great progress in precinct training. I think there’s been probably more of that than I recall having ever seen. Now, my tenure here [in Tulsa] is short, so I don’t have the long view, but I think that there’s been a good job done in precinct training.

“Several folks like Jared Buswell have been involved in that and I think they’re doing a fantastic job. I know that there’s a candidate support group now that has scheduled interviews with all the gubernatorial candidates. They’re going to interview them, and survey, and they’re going to publish where each of them stand, which I think is fantastic. So, I applaud all of that.

“But there were a few things that went against the goal I had of unifying the party. You’re probably aware of the lawsuit that was filed against some of the former county GOP officers. I was not in favor of filing that lawsuit. Now, I understand why it was filed, because the prior administration, some of them, had not been very cooperative in turning information over that, in my opinion, they were required to turn over,” VanNorman said.

Several Attorneys reviewing the case agree that the previous administration has a legal obligation to return all material they hold after their term ends. In this case, there are web site(s) and a mobile payment account allegedly due that has not been returned. The lawsuit was withdrawn in the hope of issues being resolved. They are not yet resolved, and the lawsuit is under consideration for refiling.

“Fast forward we have the situation where the state committee voted to disavow the Tulsa Republican Club. And then. Melissa, at the last county committee meeting, had it on the agenda for the county, GOP, to disavow the Tulsa Republican Club as well. I understand that there were things done when that club started that probably weren’t ideal. And I understand why Melissa got upset about it. Some of that, I think, was inadvertent, like when they created their website, they copied some material over. from the Tulsa County GOP website because Charity Marcus had been the webmaster. She viewed that content as content she had created, so she felt she had the right to use it,” VanNorman said.

Charity Marcus had received credit for her work on the web site she built for the Tulsa GOP which is normally considered in-kind payment. However, the same day Marcus was defeated in her race to win the chair position, she pulled the entire web site offline.

VanNorman continued, “Recently, Melissa crafts a press releases in opposition to the data centers and encourages Republicans to show up [at a public meeting] to oppose the data center. It is my view of the Tulsa County Republican Party that, overall, we’re not an advocacy group. Our goal is to help republicans get elected. Not necessarily taking positions on issues.

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“Now, there’s some issues we need to take positions on. For example, state question 836. No problem with us taking a position on that. I think all good Republicans agree that’s a bad thing and we need to oppose it. But on the data center issue, for example, there are people on both sides of that issue that are Republicans. Once that email went out, my phone’s ringing off the hook from several elected officials saying, Brent, are you supportive of this?

“I was not. I had to admit. I saw it when it went out in email. I didn’t vet it. It was not part of a conversation. And so, again, I’m trying to unify things. This, I think, is much more of a grassroots position. There are other Republicans that are in favor of data centers, including Governor Stitt.

“And that is the underlying reason why I just felt, OK, probably time for me to exit stage right as a party official. I’m still supportive of the party. I’m still supportive of what they’re doing. I still will be a part; I just won’t be an official part of it. But I can tell you, I’m still working with Melissa. Melissa and I get along fine,” VanNorman said.

This then appears to be VanNorman’s core complaint. He loves everyone, but he is not the one in charge. The authority for managing the party lies with the Chair, not the Vice Chair.

Question: How did the news get on Facebook seemly critical of Melissa’s leadership?

“Just so you know, I had no contact with E’lena Ashley [Facebook poster] on the issue. So I’m not sure exactly, I mean, grapevine goes crazy after something happens. Friday was a Tulsa Republican Club meeting. I did text Charity Marcus and I told her I had resigned. And I told her I wanted to let her know so she didn’t announce me. Because she always recognizes me at her club meetings. So I did let her know in advance. And I don’t know what happened beyond that.

“And David, let me be clear. I don’t agree with the way the [leadership] transition [in party administration] occurred. And I’ve let Charity Marcus know. I didn’t think she should have taken the website down. On the day of the convention, I believed that the material that was on the website was owned by the Tulsa County GOP, not Marcus personally. That was my view. I’ve shared that view.

“I was adamant with Ronda [former chair] that information needed to be turned over and was working to get that information turned over. I will say that Bob Jack turned information in his possession over very quickly. But there was other information that people had that didn’t get turned over very quickly. And under the party rules, it was supposed to be turned over. I worked diligently to try to get that information so that we could reconcile the books,” VanNorman concluded.

Tulsa County Chairman Melissa Myers said, “Brent and I worked well together, and I believe that will continue as the party moves forward. In the eleven months he served as Vice Chair of the Tulsa County Republican Party, he helped in many ways, and I respect and appreciate his efforts. We disagreed on some points, but that simply demonstrates the ‘big tent’ our party of common sense has become. We have procedures for replacing leadership and we will continue to follow those procedures.

“I want to be an avenue for information on issues, we invite people to participate in public policy discussions. People love it when we communicate,” Myers added.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this writer has long been active in the Republican Party and campaigned unsuccessfully for County Chair in 2022. After that party convention, the elected Vice Chair almost immediately disappeared, did not return calls or email, and has not been seen at party events since. There were no “questions” or complaints on social media from that abandonment. A published review of that convention by this writer was posted on Substack under the title, “GOP Turmoil in Tulsa; Invalid Leadership Vote?” in July of 2022. The current dispute is comparatively calm and polite.

To be clear, the top two roles of the county party are to grow membership and raise money. As of this writing, Chairman Melissa Myers has built grassroots participation, planned and executed the most successful Tulsa State Fair outreach in party history, raised over $30,000.00 with more fund-raising events planned, and led on public issues important to the County.

Are Republicans an advocacy group? If so, does that limit fund-raising opportunity or run-off prospective members? Apparently not during Chairman Myers’ term to date. Former-vice chair Brent VanNorman, the record shows, did not raise money and membership gains cannot be attributed directly to his efforts, but he remains a respected voice and leader of the Tulsa County Republican Party.

About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest news and opinion.

Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.

Analysis: Former state legislator Mike Reynolds has brought a case before the Oklahoma Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Contingency Review Board (CRB), a small state body composed of the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate President Pro Tempore. Though seldom discussed publicly, the CRB has for decades exercised authority to approve certain financial decisions outside the normal legislative process.

Reynolds argues that this arrangement violates the Oklahoma Constitution’s separation of powers.

Specifically, Article IV, Section 1 provides:

“The powers of the government of the State of Oklahoma shall be divided into three separate departments… and neither shall exercise the powers properly belonging to either of the others.”
Okla. Const. art. IV, § 1.

The Legislature is the branch empowered to make appropriations, and not merely in principle. Oklahoma has 149 legislators for a reason — to deliberate publicly, vote publicly, and be accountable publicly. Yet the CRB has long made budgetary adjustments without the participation of the full Legislature, without committee hearings, and without floor debate. In effect, three officials exercise the budgetary authority of the entire Legislature.

This is not just a procedural shortcut. It is a structural transfer of power.

A Familiar Pattern: Institutions Protect Themselves

In a recent Malloy’s Crucible essay, The Tilted Scales: Parents’ Rights vs. Institutional Stability in Oklahoma Schools, I analyzed the same dynamic was examined in a different context: that institutions tend to protect their own stability first, often at the expense of the citizens they are meant to serve.

That earlier analysis observed that when parents seek redress in schools, they frequently find themselves confronting systems designed to preserve organizational order rather than protect individuals. The result is a quiet but persistent tilting of the scales — where citizens must exert extraordinary effort simply to have their concerns acknowledged.

A similar imbalance recently appeared in a small district east of Oklahoma City, where a citizen who challenged the legality of a school bond issuance on Constitutional grounds, was ultimately ordered to pay over $22,000 in the attorney fees to the school district. The message was unmistakable: when ordinary Oklahomans attempt to test constitutional limits, the system can respond in ways that discourage citizens from ever trying again.

The Reynolds case shows that this same pattern appears at the level of state government.
The CRB centralizes decision-making and places practical power in the hands of a few, while ordinary citizens — and even rank-and-file legislators — are left on the outside looking in.

When Power Moves Out of Public View

When financial authority is shifted into private discussions among three leaders, citizens lose more than transparency:

• They lose the ability to see the reasoning behind public spending.

• They lose the ability to hold individual lawmakers accountable for decisions made.

• They lose the ability to correct government behavior through elections.

This is the constitutional concern at the heart of Reynolds’ filing. Government relies on traceability of decisions. If people cannot see how choices are made, they cannot meaningfully govern those who make them.

Not a Partisan Dispute

The CRB has operated during Republican and Democratic leadership alike. It benefits whoever holds power. But the long-term cost is the same:

Citizens lose their seat at the table.

Reynolds brings this case as a private citizen, not as a party operative or officeholder. He has nothing material to gain. His action is a reminder that constitutional structure does not defend itself. Citizens must defend it.

The Stakes Before the Court

If the Court upholds the CRB’s current authority, the Legislature could legally shift even more core functions away from open deliberation and into leadership-controlled processes. The Legislature, piece by piece, could cede its constitutional identity, leaving representative democracy in form but not in function.

If the Court rules the CRB unconstitutional, the Legislature retains the full ability to act — but must do so in public, through votes, as the Constitution requires.

This case is not about policy: Should the state spend monies to supplement the SNAP (food stamps)? It is about who governs and whether government remains anchored to public consent.

The Larger Question for Oklahoma

Whether in school boardrooms or state budget committees, the question is the same: Will institutions serve the people, or will people be expected to navigate systems that primarily serve themselves?

The CRB case is one moment — but it exposes a broader reality:

• When power consolidates, the scales tilt.

• When citizens insist on transparency and accountability, the scales rebalance.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court will decide the legal question.

But the civic question — whether Oklahomans will accept government that acts beyond public view — remains in the hands of the citizens.

About the author: Ken Malloy is a retired energy policy lawyer and former federal regulatory strategist who has spent the last several years working to improve K–12 education governance in Oklahoma. He writes on civic accountability, institutional reform, and the responsibilities of self-government. He can be reached at ken@caem.org.

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Quinn, a Republican from Claremore, served 8 years in the OK Senate (SD2) and 4 years in the OK House (HD9). He has worked for 40 years in the insurance industry with Shelter Insurance Company. He later owned an independent agency, which sold on January 2, 2024.

“This is the most volatile time that I’ve ever seen in the insurance industry. If you've got two companies, those are your only choices. They charge what they want. If you've got a lot of companies out there fighting to serve customers, the prices trend lower.

“What we don’t want to see is what is happening in California with government interference in the market driving companies to abandon the state,” Quinn said.

“My case (for election) is that there won't be anybody else in the room that will have more experience to deal with the insurance rules and regulations and statutes. It doesn't mean I have all [knowledge], but extensive experience is extremely important in this job. I look at myself as a scale. You have corporations on one side with consumers on the other. You've got the legal system in the middle. It's a balancing act,” Quinn added.

Quinn promised that if elected, every policy decision will be measured by its impact on consumers, while simultaneously ensuring a financial environment where corporations can make sufficient profit to fulfill their obligations. He emphasizes that without consumers, there are no corporations.

Elevated claim costs have resulted in substantial financial losses for insurance companies. Quinn noted that in 2023, for every $100 in premiums collected, companies paid out approximately $127 in claims. In contrast, in 2020 for every $100 in premiums collected, companies paid out $97 in claims.

“In the Oklahoma Market nearly 100 companies are licensed, but only about 50 actively compete in the market,” Quinn said adding, “even major global reinsurers (e.g., Swiss Reinsurance, Lloyd's of London) are expressing reluctance to back homeowners' policies, indicating a widespread difficulty in the insurance market.”

When elected, Quinn said he will work to expand the number of active insurance companies in Oklahoma to foster a more competitive environment. He foresees a transition from flat-rate deductibles to percentage-based deductibles (likely 2% or 3%).

He also notes that some companies are introducing policies where depreciable items, such as roofs, are considered new for a set period (e.g., the first 10 years) before their value is depreciated for claims.

Quinn discussed the evolution of “Guaranteed Replacement” Coverage which became common around 1982 when insurers could invest premiums in high-yield, low-risk, Certificates of Deposit (CDs) offering rates as high as 16%. This allowed them to generate significant returns and offer more generous coverage, such as paying $18,000 for a roof that cost $2,000 in 1982, regardless of its age.

With current lower interest rates, companies can no longer rely on such investment returns to subsidize generous coverage. Consequently, they are reassessing policies for depreciable items, leading to changes in coverage areas.

Quinn was long a Deacon at the Blue Star Church of Christ in Claremore, Marty is married to Kelley Quin and they have two children. If elected, Quinn would succeed current Insurance Commissioner, Glen Mulready who is term limited. Mulready’s predecessor John Doak attended the breakfast and spoke in strong support of Marty Quinn’s campaign for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner.

For more information, click here, https://www.facebook.com/quinn4OK/

“Combining my law enforcement and legislative service with my business experience will allow me to be an effective Lieutenant governor working to address the pressing problems facing Oklahomans,” Weaver said.

Weaver has a long career in public service, having served seven years in the Oklahoma Senate and as head of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN). Several law enforcement, court, and elected officials at the event have worked with him.

Weaver and his wife have deep roots in southwest Oklahoma. He was raised in Comanche in Stephens County and his wife is from Duncan.

He credits his mother, an LPN who managed a local nursing home, for instilling a strong sense of service. Weaver began his 28-plus year law enforcement career in 1987, starting in Lawton, then Ardmore, and later as a supervisor focusing on drug enforcement and intelligence related to high-intensity drug trafficking, including cartels in Oklahoma.

Weaver became the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) Director in 2006 after the untimely death by heart attack of the previous director. He set 21 specific goals and objectives for the agency, including expanding OBN’s reach beyond metro areas and improving agency facilities. He oversaw the construction of two new agency buildings, moving out of inadequate facilities at the Lincoln Plaza building (which were so bad that snakes were kept as pets to control the rat population). Weaver’s tenure as director lasted over nine years, making him the longest-sitting director in OBN history. Weaver is an inductee of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Hall of Fame, a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute for Police.

During Weaver’s tenure at OBN Major Initiatives and Achievements include:

• Opioid Crisis Response: Launched a statewide prescription drug take-back program to safely dispose of unused and unwanted medications from home cabinets, now with over 250 locations, designed to allow disposal without investigation.

• Human Trafficking Legislation: In 2012, he led research and legislative efforts, leveraging the Bureau's covert undercover experience, to address human trafficking in Oklahoma, resulting in new state laws signed by Governor Fallin.

• Drug-Endangered Children: Developed programs to protect children affected by drug-related crimes, recognizing them as "collateral damage" during search warrants when parents are arrested.

• Community Impact: Shared a personal story of meeting a mother whose daughter was rescued from a trafficking operation on Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City, highlighting the real-world impact of OBN’s work.

After leaving OBN in 2015, Weaver became CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma for about a year and a half, motivated by the statistic that children of incarcerated parents are seven times more likely to be incarcerated themselves.

He entered the Oklahoma Senate in 2018, ran unopposed in 2022, and is currently in his second term, choosing not to run for re-election despite being eligible for one more term. Weaver and his wife,Kim, an OB-GYN who retired from delivery, started a chain of five health clinics in rural Oklahoma (Chickasha, Ardmore, Lawton, Duncan, and Norman), focusing on natural health, weight loss, and hormone therapy, while still providing prescriptions.

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Priorities to Move Oklahoma Forward

• Aerospace Industry: As a general aviation pilot and Vice Chair of Aerospace and Transportation, Weaver sees aerospace as Oklahoma’s second-largest industry and a key area for economic diversification, advocating for creating airports with sufficient runway space to attract commercial traffic.

• Oil and Gas: Recognizes oil and gas as a $55 billion contributor to Oklahoma's gross product, acknowledging it's unlikely to be replaced soon, but stresses the need to relieve economic pressure by diversifying.

• Rural Health: Advocates for cooperation with tribal partners and rural hospitals to maintain crucial healthcare access in rural areas, warning of quick trouble if these services are lost.

• Judicial Nominating Committee (JNC) Reform: Weaver anticipates reforms are coming, reflecting public dissatisfaction, evidenced by a Supreme Court justice recently being voted off, and believes Oklahomans want judges who interpret the law.

• Oklahoma Data Centers: Acknowledges growing concerns about environmental and community impacts, stating that the state has not studied the issue enough and calls for more research and discussion at the state level, noting more discussion in the House than the Senate.

• Tourism Major Economic Pillar: Citing Oklahoma’s extensive lake shoreline (second most in the United States) and tribal heritage, recalling questions about tribal nations at the FBI National Academy in 1999.

• Notes increasing migration into Oklahoma, especially from Texas, and the importance of creating an environment that retains young people and families, personally wanting his five children and one grandchild to stay in Oklahoma.

• Highlights the positive impact of national sports exposure (e.g., Oklahoma City Thunder and the Devon Tower skyline) on the state’s image, correcting the misconception that Oklahomans still live in teepees and showcasing the state's vibrant economy.

On Facebook after the event, Weaver shared in part, “I was honored to speak at the McGrath Breakfast this morning! It was great catching up with our Tulsa friends! We are grateful for Jon McGrath’s support for law enforcement & public safety!

Nearly 75 percent of students across any grade you might pick in Oklahoma, have not achieved reading proficiency. While taxpayers spend about $15,000.00 per student per year, achievement has continued to fall.

In 1992, Oklahoma students were two grade levels ahead of Mississippi; now, Mississippi students are more than a full grade ahead of Oklahoma. Since 2015, Oklahoma's reading proficiency scores have declined by nearly a full grade (10 points).

This crisis is a non-partisan issue impacting children’s wellbeing, their lifelong ability to succeed, and Oklahoma’s workforce skill base, Small declared.

Small shared that with a fresh accounting degree, he applied and was hired as a budget analyst for the State of Oklahoma, back in the day.

“I got the job and after about two weeks [Democrats] Brad Henry and his staff realized that they had not hired the young up-and-coming Barack Obama. They asked me for my first budget recommendation and I recommended slashing the Department of Commerce's budget. I didn't understand why you would take somebody's money to give it to someone else,” Small said.

Focusing on the 75 percent of students failing reading proficiency Small said, “When I say, ‘not proficient’ that means the student cannot take a book written for their grade level, read it, comprehend it on their own and understand it,” Small emphases.

“Sometimes in government programs, the program becomes more about the adults that are employed in it than who they're supposed to serve. Coming out of the 80s and 90s, there was a group of people, one group had ulterior motives, one group just had the distraction of focusing on who's employed. So you had academics who don't live in the real world. They hear complaints from teachers’ union members. This phonics thing is old and tiring. When you teach phonics, you can't teach as many other fun things that you want to teach because when you teach phonics, that means all day long the teacher and students are individually going through phonics, learning how to sound and decode words. That's boring.

“Also, we find that if we teach students to read well early, it is much more difficult to tell them or their parents what they should be thinking. So, academics come up with a new method called 3Qing, or Whole Language,” Small said.

The Whole Language method relies on associating pictures with words instead of systematic phonics. It has been criticized for hindering children—especially those with dyslexia—from decoding unfamiliar words. Like feeding someone a fish rather than teaching them how to fish to feed themselves for a lifetime. Nevertheless, the Whole Language method was widely adopted in Oklahoma, resulting in dramatic setbacks in reading proficiency scores.

“If you started phonics at age four or five, by the time you were in third grade, you were able to read extremely well. Because you had been taught, this letter says that and it sounds like this. When those two letters are together, they sound like this. Any word could be presented to you and, most likely, you could decode it,” Small said.

Florida, around 2002 under the leadership of Jeb Bush, passed the Reading Sufficiency Act which mandated full commitment to phonics-based instruction. It required teachers to retrain exclusively in phonics and institute regular assessments and prohibited social promotion past third grade for nonproficient readers.

Oklahoma initially adopted a similar act, leading the nation in reading score gains for four years, but repealed it in 2015 under pressure from teachers’ unions Small noted.

“With our reading sufficiency act, Oklahoma leads the nation in reading score games, but a superintendent and several others, led by the teachers union, didn’t like the accountability that was coming to the employees in the system, because in Oklahoma, for a while, if you got to third grade and you couldn't read, we helped you until you learned to read.

“Unfortunately, the legislature blinks and repeals our reading sufficiency act. We did it to ourselves. We did it. We did it to ourselves. We've declined 10 full points, or almost a full grade, since 2015. What is fascinating is that the state of Mississippi [passed] their reading sufficiency act at the same time Oklahoma did, but Mississippi didn't blink. Mississippi stays the course, and now Mississippi, basically over the last decade, has had the largest reading gains out of any state in the country. What will depress you even more is that Mississippi is doing it with more than $2,000 less per pupil to spend,” Small added.

Proposed Solutions and Recommendations

• Recommit Oklahoma’s K–12 system to phonics-based reading instruction.

• Launch teacher retraining programs and standardized, regular phonics-focused assessments.

• Implement a “gate” policy:

  • No student advances past third grade without grade-level reading proficiency.

  • Mississippi maintained this accountability and saw significant reading gains despite lower per-pupil spending, now ranking as the top state in reading sufficiency data.

• Address economic impact by promoting the “success sequence”—completing high school or GED, securing a job, and establishing a stable family—as a pathway out of poverty, noting that 97% of those who follow these steps are not low-income.

  

Impact of Technology and Other Educational Concerns

• Technology Policy:

  • A recent bill to ban cell phone use in schools, though simple and effective in private schools, faced significant opposition from teachers' unions and school associations, passing only for a one-year ban.

  • Private schools maintain strict technology policies and traditional teaching methods (e.g., cursive writing).

• Economic and Political Context:

  • Concerns about proposed out-of-state ballot measures in June 2026:

    • One could raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage from about $10 to over $35 per hour, threatening small businesses and job creation.

    • Another would introduce a California-style top-two election system, potentially eradicating the primary party system and affecting political representation.

• Influence of Educators and Unions:

  • Teachers’ focus has shifted from core academic skills to political objectives, contributing to reading challenges.

  • Other states (e.g., Utah, Mississippi) have succeeded with reforms, such as banning collective bargaining in the teaching profession (Utah).

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Strategies for Engaging Future Political Leaders

• Require every candidate for governor, state superintendent, and other key roles to prioritize reversing the reading decline.

• Promote the narrative:

  • Pre-K to third grade: focus on mastering reading (via phonics).

  • Fourth grade onward: students “read to learn.”

• Highlight successful models from Florida, Mississippi, and private schools to guide reforms.

• Encourage constituent and community engagement with lawmakers to ensure accountability and effective school policies.

Next Steps

• Amend Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act to include enforceable gatekeeping measures, ensuring students are not promoted past third grade unless reading proficiently.

• Eliminate whole language/3Qing methods in K-12 public schools and ensure comprehensive teacher retraining in phonics.

• Implement standardized assessments and monitoring protocols to evaluate early reading outcomes.

• Advocate for and hold accountable candidates for governor, state superintendent, and relevant offices, requiring them to prioritize the reading proficiency crisis.

• Strengthening technology restrictions in public schools by passing legislation to ban cell phones and similar technology usage.

• Monitor and counter potential ballot measures in June 2026 regarding drastic minimum wage increases and election model reforms.

“What's exciting is we're not asking the State of Oklahoma to do something that's unproven. We're literally just asking Oklahoma to recommit,” Small declared.

OCPA’s Role and Activities

• Organizational Principles:

  • Committed to free markets, limited government, individual initiative, personal responsibility, and strong families.

• Activities:

  • OCPA, with its 15 full-time employees, actively engages at the Capitol daily to ensure public policy aligns with these principles.

  • Regularly engages in state policymaking through legislative and judicial scorecards, scoring approximately 100 bills per year and providing information on state Supreme Court judges.

  • Focuses on improving public policy outcomes, including advocating for school choice and educational effectiveness.

  • Runs the J Rufus Fears fellowship program, which retrains citizens (ages 18–40) in OCPA's core principles for policy and government roles. To date, over 380 individuals have graduated, with 50 now employed in government and five elected to public office.

“As Oklahoma moves back to what is proven, repeatedly, to work in education, we must be ready for what my family calls weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. When the K-12 school system starts to complain about that first group of third graders that is held back, we need to stay the course just like Mississippi did to go from the bottom to the top in education,” Small concluded.

For more information on OCPA, click here.

About the speaker: Jonathan Small, C.P.A., serves as President of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and joined the staff in December of 2010. Previously, Jonathan served as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma Office of State Finance, as a fiscal policy analyst and research analyst for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and as director of government affairs for the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Small’s work includes co-authoring “Economics 101” with Dr. Arthur Laffer and Dr. Wayne Winegarden, and his policy expertise has been referenced by The Oklahoman, the Tulsa World, National Review, the L.A. Times, The Hill, the Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post. His weekly column “Free Market Friday” is published by the Journal Record and syndicated in 27 markets. A recipient of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s prestigious Private Sector Member of the Year award, Small is nationally recognized for his work to promote free markets, limited government and innovative public policy reforms. Jonathan holds a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Multiple local trade unions, including the Northeast Labor Council, voiced strong support, citing the creation of high-wage jobs and paid apprenticeship programs. For iron workers alone, the project is estimated to represent $1.5 million in wages and nearly $1 million in benefits annually. They wore identifying shirts and caps and jackets.

Everyone was polite until the crowd began to file out.

Several union members passed the young cowboy who was first to speak on topic to the commissioners and they acted like they were wiping their ass then rubbed their fingers on his hat. Others rubbed their fingers together as in “we got the money” on the way past.

The mother told the union fool, “It was sick to do that to a 5-year-old child and you are an adult. You are sick.

“Then the lady behind him said, ‘You are a sick parent to raise him for your agenda like this.’

“You are the sick one,” the mother told the lady.

A union official who confirmed the exchange said, “[Then] I put my head down and exited.”

A Republic of free people requires civilization which requires grace even when we may strongly disagree. If civilization is not the goal, then war is the only other path and that is not good for anyone.

If union thugs think they can war against citizens… that may explain why union membership is declining. If they want to bully a child… try that on me.

I have been proudly fired from a job I enjoyed when my direct superior threatened me. Hired as managing editor, the business side of the house tried to tell me how to edit and manage which ended that engagement. Funny thing, ownership wants me to return and the executive who threatened is now gone.

When not reporting, I am active as a Traditional Republican and yet, I have told more than one Republican “leader” where to go, how to get there, how fast they should travel, and suggested what they should take with them. As former-mayor Kathy Taylor (Democrat) once publicly noted, I'm an “equal opportunity aggravator” and I have made that my standard.

Project Clydesdale is expected to have a significant economic impact on the region. Proponents highlighted a $2 to $3 billion capital investment and the creation of up to 200 direct, full-time jobs with an average salary of $71,000, in addition to hundreds of local construction jobs during a five-year build-out. For iron workers alone, the project is estimated to represent $1.5 million in wages and nearly $1 million in benefits annually.

The project is seen as a key part of diversifying Oklahoma's economy beyond oil and gas and is one of 125 active projects, many of them data centers, being solicited and facilitated by the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

Community concerns and opposition assertions as well as project specifications and mitigation measures continue below.

The shorter story posted on Tulsa Today, but that version ends here. I thank God for Substack readers who are more patient to read longer work. In total, this public meeting was four hours of complaints, answers, outrage, and patronizing.

I did joke afterwords, there were several other things I wanted to do this fine day.

Community Concerns

Numerous residents voiced strong opposition, raising concerns about transparency, resource consumption, and environmental and health impacts.

• Transparency and Community Engagement: Residents disputed claims of extensive outreach, stating they were unaware of the project until recently. They expressed distrust in the information provided, as all subject matter experts were affiliated with the project. A formal request was made to table the vote to allow for an independent, third-party review of the project's impacts. The use of a code name and the anonymity of the end-user company were also criticized.

• Resource Consumption: Significant concerns were raised about the project's projected use of 7.5 million gallons of water per day and the cumulative impact on the regional water supply, especially with other data centers planned. Residents detailed a history of water pressure fluctuations in Rural Water District #3. The project's strain on the electrical grid, particularly during summer heatwaves, was another key issue.

• Environmental and Health Risks: Citizens expressed fears about potential long-term health effects from plant toxicity and high levels of Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF) from new power lines. Concerns were also raised about noise and light pollution, CO2 emissions, and potential water runoff affecting local farms.

• Local Benefit and Jobs: Some questioned the true local benefit, noting that an initial land-clearing contract went to a Stillwater based company. Concerns were raised that a potential tax abatement would prevent tax dollars from immediately benefiting schools.

Project Specifications and Mitigation Measures

Project representatives and public officials addressed the concerns with specific details about the site plan, infrastructure, and regulatory oversight.

• Site Plan and Buffers: The 506-acre site plan includes significant setbacks (815 feet on the west, 300 feet on the east/north) and preserves approximately 100 acres of the Bird Creek floodplain under agricultural zoning. Building heights are limited to 50 feet. The developer will plant thousands of new trees to supplement existing vegetation and create a dense visual buffer.

• Noise and Light Control: The Planned Unit Development (PUD) will enforce stricter limits than standard industrial zoning. Noise is limited to 65 decibels at the property line (comparable to a normal conversation), and all lighting will be focused internally with a zero candle-foot limit at the boundary to prevent light spillage.

• Water and Wastewater: The City of Tulsa confirmed it has adequate water capacity to serve the project without impacting existing customers. Officials cited a new 48-inch water line built to support regional growth. The data center's water will come directly from the City of Tulsa, not Rural Water District #3. Wastewater will be pre-treated on-site as required by an industrial user permit, then piped to the City of Tulsa's Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant for full treatment before discharge, with all compliance data publicly available through the ODEQ. Tulsa officials added when asked by this reporter that any discharge infrastructure (pipes or lift stations), will be installed at the customer's expense, not that of citizen rate payers.

• Power Supply: PSO supports the project and will build a new substation and three miles of transmission lines, paid for by the developer, which will enhance grid reliability for the entire region. PSO's long-term planning accounts for the new load.

• Environmental Compliance: The project is in compliance with all relevant federal and state laws, including the Endangered Species Act. A wetlands delineation has been completed and incorporated into the design. All stormwaters will be managed on-site via regulated detention ponds.

Institutional Support and Final Decision

The project received letters of strong support from Governor Stitt, the Cherokee Nation, the Tulsa Regional Chamber, the City of Owasso, and local school districts. The Tulsa County Building Inspections office praised the developer for their professionalism and for proposing solutions that go "above and beyond" minimum code requirements.

Commissioners stated their decision must be based on the facts presented by licensed professional engineers and that the hearing was for a zoning application, which is a property rights issue.

After public comments concluded, the commission voted unanimously to approve the zoning application.

This story should serve as a warning that the planning and development process in Oklahoma is a train wreck. The public is not greatly aware of projects until they are near final approval. What public notifications required are not sufficient for rural developments of size. In Northeastern Oklahoma the multi-county Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) coordinates planning and development, but hide behind county planning boards or the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) all of which are greatly influenced by this shadow governance.

While talented and honorable staff with elected and appointed officials comprise these organizations, they like to fly “under the radar.” The problem is that when projects surprise citizens, you get packed meetings of angry people picking on children.

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The story resonated throughout Oklahoma, based on reader response, and further information is provided for those with water usage questions throughout the state.

Online research returns a wide range of perspectives on Data Center water usage and the 500 acre Tulsa County project suffers from nondisclosure agreements which limit details the community should know. County Commissioner Stan Sallee (Dist. 1) asserts that additional information will be delivered in a public meeting this coming Wednesday July 16th, and this writer will continue coverage on the development on the local news platform TulsaToday.com.

The “Data Center Water Usage: A Comprehensive Guide” is maintained online by Dgtl Infra at this link and begins:

Data centers are significant consumers of natural resources, and while carbon emissions and electricity consumption often capture most attention, water usage is also gaining increased recognition. Water is essential in data center cooling systems to control the heat produced by these massive facilities, ensuring their internal servers run uninterrupted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Data centers use large amounts of water for their cooling systems, which include cooling towers, chillers, pumps, pipes, heat exchangers, condensers, and computer room air handler (CRAH) units. Additionally, data centers need water for their humidification systems and facility maintenance.

Globally, data centers are located in all different types of countries and climates, including many data center facilities in water-stressed regions prone to droughts. According to the United Nations, by 2025, 50% of the world’s population is projected to live in water-stressed areas, making data center water usage a key environmental area to prioritize change.

Dgtl Infra provides a comprehensive analysis of data center water usage, detailing their annual consumption and specific water-related metrics. Furthermore, we offer a thorough examination of water sustainability initiatives undertaken by leading global data center operators, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Google, Facebook (now Meta Platforms), and Apple.

To read the full story, click here.