Gas Tax Increase – How Your No Vote Fixed the Problem
Frequent readers of these articles will recall the series of updates I have written about the significant progress the state is making in regards to…
Local Government
Tax Reduction, Workers Comp, Welfare Reform and No Bonds
This is a big week in the Legislature. It is a key deadline week. By this Thursday another set of proposals will fail to advance…
Update from Commissioner District 1
In 2006 the state legislature passed a law creating the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges (CIRB) program. The purpose for the program was to…
Funding for County Roads
This past week, I witnessed one of the most significant county road funding policy success since taking office as State Representative.
Logan County District 2 Update: Clogged Culverts
Over the last few years, phenomenal growth has occurred in Logan County. This population expansion is beneficial to the county and we encourage it. However,…
City looking to fill city council vacant seat
With the recent announcement of Sheri Mueller resigning her post as a Ward 3 councilmember, the City of Guthrie is now accepting applications to fill her…
Visualizing TWO BILLION DOLLARS of State Debt Email
You may have seen recent news reports detailing how Britain’s national debt now equals 90% of its entire economy. The Daily Mail published a graph…
Charter Oak bridge and road update
Progress continues on construction of a new 103′ bridge on Charter Oak Rd. west of Santa Fe. Rain slowed the process this week but workers…
Senator Coburn pays Guthrie a visit with town hall meeting
United States Senator Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, was in Guthrie Wednesday morning for his third and final day of scheduled town hall meetings in Oklahoma for…
Continued opposition to the federal healthcare proposal
Oklahoma legislators have become rather accustomed to receiving emails and calls from those who are intensely worried about ongoing federal overreach. Many of these contacts…
Prepared to explain the vote
Consider the following statement one might hear if they stay around the capitol very long: “If there is one consistent thing about that legislator, it…
Oklahoma IT modernization effort featured in national publication
Oklahoma’s modernization reform efforts have drawn national attention following the publication of a cover story about the consolidation of Oklahoma’s information technology infrastructure in the…
Two elected officials who are not playing the game
In 2010, the state electorate gave a vote of confidence to a new wave of state-level office holders. Nearly all of these candidates ran on…
Decrease the pay of legislators
State Rep. Jason Murphey today announced his mid-March tradition of a yearly donation of $8,241.92 from his legislative salary to the Guthrie-based Crossroads Clinic. Oklahoma legislators…
Aggressive government modernization plans approved by House
Oklahoma residents are set to benefit from a package of modernization initiatives designed to cut the cost of state government, add transparency to government activities…
Absentee ballot deadline approaching for Municipal General Election
Voters in Logan County who want to have absentee ballots mailed to them for the April 2, Regular Municipal General Election and Annual School Runoff…
The key to legislative success
Aside from the last week of the legislative session, this is probably the busiest week in the legislative year. Bills authored by those who serve…
Retiring a bunch of the ABCs
Last Thursday was the deadline for House committees to approve bills. Any bills not approved by committee before or on that day must wait a…
Wood acknowledged by Freedom of Information Oklahoma
Current council member John Wood was accepted by the Freedom of Information Oklahoma and his Open Government Pledge.
The May 23rd vote that changed everything, Part 2
Last week I wrote about the decade of debt during which Oklahoma lawmakers went on a debt-fueled spending spree which increased the average state debt…