Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Coming Soon!

I apologize for the lack of posts lately - busy days at the Muskogee Politico's house! Hopefully, I will be able to get some more posts up soon.

Posts to come:
  • Muskogee mayor John Tyler Hammons' charter changes
  • Additional Second District GOP Candidates, and the District 2 GOP Meeting on June 27th
  • Muskogee Tea Party - July 4th
Until then, you can be reassured that I have not disappeared!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

2nd District GOP Meeting in Muskogee Today

The Second District Republican Party will be holding a district-wide meeting this afternoon in Muskogee, at the Public Library from 1pm to 3:30pm.

Congressional Candidates Howard Houchen and Dan Arnett will be speaking, along with several other people considering jumping in the race.

The Muskogee Public Library is located at 801 W. Okmulgee St. in Muskogee; click here for a map of the location.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Jenny Sanford's Statement and the Repercussions of Mark Sanford's Affair

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who had mysteriously disappeared earlier, admitted today that he had an affair over the past year with a "dear friend" from Argentina. His wife of nearly twenty years, First Lady Jenny Sanford, issued the following incredible statement:
I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage. As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability. I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.

I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged. Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children.

I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband's infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage. We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.

This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure. Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week.

I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.

Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.

This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.

What class and forgiveness, after the excruciatingly painful details of her husband's infidelity were exposed for the whole world to see. I sincerely hope that the Sanford's can, with God's help, restore their wrecked marriage.

On another note, this definitely eliminates any chance of a Sanford candidacy for President in 2012. Sanford had the potential to become a serious candidate, though still behind Huckabee, Palin and Romney.

Unfortunately, foolish choices like those made recently by Sanford and Nevada Senator John Ensign have the chance of ruining the GOP's chances at turning things around in 2010. Again, this just proves that no party has a monopoly on losers.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Barbara Boxer's Arrogance

Brigadier General Michael Walsh was just being polite... but Barbara Boxer didn't like it. Watch the following clip.



Boxer: Well why has it been delayed?
Walsh: Ma'am, the LACPR is...
Boxer: You know, do me a favor; could you say "senator" instead of "ma'am"? It's just a thing. I worked so hard for that title. So I'd appreciate it. Yes, thank you.
Walsh: Yes, senator.

What arrogance! Did she call him "general" while addressing him? Gen. Walsh was being polite, but no, that wasn't good enough. What an ego!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Mayor Hammons: Listening Session on Charter Amendments Tomorrow!

The following is a letter from Muskogee Mayor John Tyler Hammons, notifying Muskogee residents of a listening session tomorrow evening at 6:00pm at the Civic Center.
Dear Muskogee taxpayer:

On Thursday, June 18, I will be hosting a listening session on potential amendments to our City Charter. As the chief legal document for our City, the Charter is essential the Constitution for our City. It governs has the City must conduct business. From our form of government to how tax dollars are allocated, the Charter governs all City operations.

The Charter was adopted in 1973 and has not been subject to a comprehensive review since. No regular review. No attempts to modernize. This is unacceptable. Public officials must regularly inspect our Charter to ensure the current needs and desires of the citizens are being met. We must act now to ensure that the citizens are getting the Charter they want.

Any change to our Charter will require a vote of the people. As such, it is of great importance the the citizen provide direction to City leaders. The Charter is the people's document: it is a contract between the people of Muskogee and the elected leadership.

Please join me at the Civic Center at 6 PM in rooms A and B to share your views with me. Any and all changes will be subject to discussion. I thank you for your valued input. I look forward to sharing this important discussion with the public.

John Tyler Hammons
Mayor of Muskogee
Issues to be discussed include term-limits for city elected officials, and a change to the ward system. Currently, Muskogee is split into eight wards, which are not equivalent in size or population. For some reason, when the charter was adopted, the system meant that voters from all wards voted in all ward elections; therefore, a candidate could lose in his ward, but still be elected that ward's councilmember, due to winning the overall vote from across the city. This needs to be changed.

I encourage Muskogee residents to attend this special meeting. Again, it will be held at the Civic Center (rooms A and B) from 6:00pm.

Muskogee City Council, Public Works Cmte & Finance Cmte Meetings - June 16th

Here is the video from Tuesday's special City Council meeting on the budget, the Public Works Committee meeting, and the Finance Committee meeting.



Kudos to the Council (especially Shawn Raper) for cutting the travel expenses for the Council and Mayor to attend the National League of Cities conference and Conference of Mayors, as well as looking for other cuts, instead of raising fees to balance the budget.

Muskogee Phoenix: Spend $20 on the 20th

From Larry Corvi, publisher of the Muskogee Phoenix (published in today's newspaper):

Dear Muskogee Area Residents:

As we all know the national economy has slowed. Some are calling it “the great recession.” So far Middle America has been spared much of the pain. Housing prices here, for example, are overall holding. Our local and state unemployment rates are up but way below the national average.

But many local businesses have seen sales slow down affecting jobs of their employees and in some cases shaken their future viability.

Additionally, as the news article on this page points out, many dollars leave Muskogee and small towns around us for businesses in Tulsa. In some cases up to 30 percent of the dollars in local business segments are lost because of leakage.

We also spend money with online retailers across the country and around the world. These dollars, too, are lost from our local economy.

A newspaper plays a number of roles in the local community it serves in addition to keeping area residents informed. I take these responsibilities very seriously. One role I believe a local newspaper has is helping our local communities grow and prosper.

With that in mind we at the Phoenix are proposing that on Saturday, June 20, Muskogee and residents in other communities we serve spend $20 on some good or services you had not planned to spend, in our local communities. That $20 purchase will greatly help local merchants, who down the road could improve their business for you. And according to economic experts your $20 will continue to circulate up to seven times locally providing other economic benefits.

The $20 will come back to our towns in more sales tax revenues. Those tax dollars will be spent in improving quality of life issues right here in our communities, for you and your families.

So let's go out on the 20th and spend that $20 locally. Your community will get a lot more back than the good or service you purchased. And you will, too!

LAWRENCE CORVI
President/Publisher
Muskogee Phoenix

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sen. Coburn Releases Stimulus Oversight Report

From U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK):

Dr. Coburn Releases Stimulus Oversight Report
Report Highlights 100 Examples of Stimulus Waste

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D., today released an oversight report 100 Stimulus Projects: A Second Opinion that discloses 100 of the worst examples of waste in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus bill. The projects included in the report – worth $5.5 billion – range from Maine to California, and even two from the state of Oklahoma. Click here to read the entire report.

"The American people have a right to know how their stimulus dollars are being spent. In too many cases stimulus projects are wasting money we don’t have on things we don’t need," Dr. Coburn said.

"Rather than growing our economy, the overall impact of stimulus spending may prove to be harmful to our economy. For example, Washington’s efforts to 'stimulate' the economy are increasing utility costs,
repairing bridges nobody uses, building tunnels for turtles, and renovating extravagant train stations in remote areas while widely-used bridges and roads in poor shape are passed over," Dr. Coburn said.
Click here for the rest of the report.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Todd Lamb Announces for Lt. Governor

State Senator Todd Lamb (R, Edmond) announced the launch of his campaign for Lieutenant Governor. The announcement came at the June 'Family Ice Cream Social' in Edmond put on by the Heartland Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women (OFRW) and the Edmond OFRW.

Former U.S. Senator Don Nickles was named Lamb's campaign chairman in a statement that preempted Lamb's official announcement by two weeks.

Lamb joins State Reps. John Wright and Colby Schwartz as the Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor; State Sen. Kenneth Corn is the only announced Democrat in the race.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

2nd District Congressional Race Update: Dan Arnett and Howard Houchen

In the past week, campaign websites for 2nd Congressional District Republican candidates Howard Houchen of Hugo and Dan Arnett of Henryetta have launched. Per Houchen's Twitter page, he has just finished up a three day, 1100 mile campaign trip, speaking most recently at a meeting of the Delaware County Republican Party, where fellow candidate Dan Arnett was also present.

Both candidates will be speaking at the June 20th Oklahoma Federation of Young Republicans convention in Oklahoma City, as well as the June 27th Second District GOP meeting in Muskogee.

Since my previous post on Dan Arnett, I have found out that he announced in the Henryetta Freelance several days before the OU Daily story came out. My apologies for the confusion; the article is below:
Arnett Announces Candidacy
Thursday, May 21st, Henryetta Freelance

Daniel A. Arnett, a 2003 graduate of Henryetta High School, has announced his candidacy to represent Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District in the 2010 Election cycle.

A lifelong resident of Henryetta, Arnett is currently finishing his Juris Doctor at the Drexal University Earle Mack School of Law in Philadelphia, after receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Oklahoma Christian University.

If elected, Arnett promises to help create transparency and make the government more accountable to the people.

“As soon as those in government are no longer accountable to their constituents, no longer have a backbone to stand up for what is right, and no longer work to keep the government within the confines of the Constitution,” says Arnett, “the people will soon lose their rights."

I will give one word of caution to Second District Republicans - don't pick a candidate yet. Remember the 2004 Senate race, when Kirk Humphreys was the "anointed" candidate, and Tom Coburn announced very late in the race. There is still a lot of time between now and the 2010 primary, so don't get too hasty in choosing a candidate to get behind yet. Seven to eight possible candidates will be speaking at the Second District GOP meeting at the Muskogee Public Library on June 27th, but I am sure that more people will announce than will be speaking at that meeting. So again, take a deep breath, and wait before committing. A lot can happen between now and then.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Anne Frank, Iran, and Psychopathic Murderers

"Just imagine how forgetful I'll be when I'm eighty!"
(Anne Frank, May 11, 1944)

Today would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday, had she survived WWII. After living in hiding in the top floors of a warehouse in Amsterdam with her family and four other Jews for over two years (July 6th, 1942, to August 4th, 1944), they were betrayed by an unknown character. Anne died in March of 1945 from Typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Nazi Germany, a few weeks before the camp was liberated by British troops.

Anne kept a diary throughout their time in hiding, and her father (the only one to survive the war and concentration camps) later published it. It has since been translated into many languages, and is considered to be one of the most important written works of the 20th Century.

I've been reading it the past few days, unaware of the significance of today's date in relation to Anne Frank. It's a very fascinating read, but somewhat of a downer. You find yourself hoping that they all make it through at the end, but the while, you know how it ends. Still, it is very interesting to see the view of World War II from Jews in hiding, and the day-to-day life in the "Secret Annex" where the Franks, Van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer lived.

"Never Again!" was the cry after World War II. And yet, today we can see the rise of another Hitler wannabe: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The last major leader to publicly declare his intent to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth was not taken seriously until it was too late, and millions of innocent people were murdered. The world leaders do not take this man seriously, either (see previous posts on the subject). If Ahmadinejad gets a nuclear weapon, he will use it.

This past week, an elderly man shot and killed a guard (by the name of Stephen Johns) at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The man, who does not deserve to have his name mentioned, was a rabid anti-Semite, anti-government radical, and ran a website dedicated to various neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic conspiracies and views. He was shot by one of the other guards at the museum, and is currently in critical condition.

Like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, this Hitler lover is also a Holocaust denier (his views on the human race coincide with many of the Nazi elite and Darwinist views as well).

Many on the left and in the media constantly refer to this man as 'right-wing'; I disagree. There is a point that one can reach which is neither left-wing or right-wing, but enters the realm of crazy-land.

However, no one of the left or the media sees it that way. To alter one of Anne Frank's quotes, "What one liberal does is his own responsibility, but what one conservative does is thrown back at all conservatives."

Anne Frank, her family, and millions of Jews suffered and died at the hands of maniacal psychopaths. May we not be the generation to allow it to happen again.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Muskogee Voters Pass All Three Sales Tax Props

Muskogee voters passed all three sales tax hike propositions today.

With all 17 precincts in, Proposition 1 passed with 58.5%, Proposition 2 passed with 66.4%, and Proposition 3 passed with 53.3%.

Prop 1 was a 0.25% permanent sales tax, devoted to streets. Prop 2 was a 0.32% five-year sales tax, for the purpose of replacing sewer lines along Coody Creek, in compliance with an order from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Prop 3 was a 0.18% five-year sales tax for other capitol improvements, such as walking trails, improvements to Rotary Park, and a new firefighters training facility.

The current sales tax is now 9.15 cents on the dollar.

Muskogee Businessman Denied Re-Zoning Request

The City of Muskogee Board of Adjustment denied a local small businessman's request to allow towing services under the E-1 Local Commercial zoning classification.

Chris Fulton, owner of Bargain Wrecker Service, purchased a building at 620 South Main Street in Muskogee last November, with the intent to run his towing service out of the facility. The building had previously been used as a storage facility for a concrete company.

But, problems arose when an employee parked his car on the grass outside the building; vehicles must not be parked on the grass, per city ordinance. Someone complained to the city, and Fulton was cited for illegal parking. City Planning Director Gary Garvin then informed Fulton that his facility was not zoned correctly for a towing service. Garvin said that the property would need to be zoned F General Commercial.

For clarification purposes, here are the definitions for E-1 Local Commercial and F General Commercial.

E-1 Local Commercial is defined in the city ordinances as "intend[ing] to provide for the conduct of retail trade and personal service enterprises to meet the regular needs and for the convenience of the people of adjacent residential areas." Some of the 73 examples listed in the city code as falling under the E-1 label include antique shops, appliance stores, laundromats, pawnshops, and used car lots. The ordinance further states that "no article or material shall be kept, stored or displayed outside the confines of the building."

F General Commercial is "intended for the conduct of general business to which the public requires frequent and direct access, but which is not characterized by either constant heavy trucking other than that which is necessary for stocking and delivering of retail goods or by any nuisance factors other than occasioned by the congregating of people and passenger vehicles." Examples include bakeries, blacksmiths, cabinet shops, electrical transmission stations, mini-storage units, and sign shops.

Therefore, under the current E-1 zoning, Fulton would have to park the towed vehicles inside this building, something that he has stated he would do. He estimates that the facility could hold up to 25 cars - more room than he currently uses.

Most of the towing Fulton does is related to road-side assistance/insurance and impounded vehicles. A very small percentage of his work is wrecked vehicles (Fulton stated that 90% of his income was from the road-side assistance and insurance jobs).

Per Gary Garvin's instruction, Fulton and his attorney, Steve Scherer, attempted to have his property rezoned F General Commercial. Most of the area surrounding the building is E-1 Local Commercial, although a few of the nearby businesses are F General Commercial.

The Public Works Committee of the City Council deliberated on the issue on April 7th. Councilors Raper and Ritchey were the most out-spoken opponents of the rezoning. They opposed it on the grounds that rezoning it F General Commercial would open up the possibility of other types of businesses coming in if Fulton sold the property down the road, as well as the fact that F General Commercial doesn't fit into the Future Land Use Map for the area enacted by the city in 2003. Raper said that several citizens, as well as an official with Downtown Muskogee, Inc., had called in opposition to rezoning.

Robert Perkins, David Ragsdale and Bob Luttrull were in favor of rezoning. All three councilors mentioned that the South Main area has changed very little over the past thirty to fourty years - other than vacant, dilapidated buildings being torn down.

Jim Ritchey moved that the rezoning be denied, with Shawn Raper seconding. Ritchey, Raper, James Gulley and Jackie Luckey voted in favor of the motion; while Perkins, Ragsdale, Luttrull and Mayor John Tyler Hammons voted against. Since it ended in a tie, the issue was sent on to the full council meeting on April 13th. Councilor David Jones was absent, causing the tie.

At the city council meeting on the 13th, after another lengthy discussion, James Gulley moved to deny the rezoning request, with David Jones seconding. Councilors Raper, Ritchey, Gulley, Luckeyand Luttrull did not change their vote from the Public Works meeting - Perkins and Hammons flipped, and Ragsdale abstained. Thus, it went from a 4-4 tie to a 7-1 denial.

Failing at the council, Fulton had one other option: appeal to the Muskogee Board of Adjustment for an exception to the E-1 Local Commercial zoning, allowing him to operate his towing service without rezoning.

Fulton didn't have any better luck with the Board of Adjustment this afternoon. Members Janey Boydston, Linda Carter, Carter Bradley and Jim Eby upheld Gary Garvin's ruling that a towing service does not fall under E-1, while Gary Dunlap was the only member to vote in favor of allowing it (Earnie Gilder was not present).

Fulton said that he already spent thousands of dollars cleaning the property up, filling several 10-12 yard dumpsters with trash and debris from the facility.

The tone of the Board of Adjustment meeting was very negative on behalf of the board members. Fulton said many times that he would store the towed vehicles inside the building, which had ample room, but Janey Boydston and Jim Eby continually stated that they did not believe he would. Steve Scherer, Fulton's attorney, had to repeatedly state throughout the meeting that he did not feel, from a legal standpoint, that the Board could deny Fulton's request on the assumption that he would not follow the rules. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

Here, in the midst of a recession, the City of Muskogee is more concerned about how the entrance to the city looks than economic output. South Main is not the main thoroughfare into town, and has always been very tacky. Nothing new has gone into that area for decades, and most of the buildings are in very bad shape.

Rather than allowing a young small businessman to turn a vacant building into something of economic worth, the City Council, and the Board of Adjustment, would rather let the facility rot. And again, Fulton's vehicles would be parked inside the building, rather than outside, eliminating the eyesore potential.

"Now I'm $80,000 in debt, with a building I can't use." Fulton said when I interviewed him. Asked whether he would continue to pursue the matter, Fulton said, "Oh, yeah. I ain't stopping yet. I'm a fighter, man, I don't ever give up."

Coburn Clarifies Tobacco Statement

Statement from U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK):
“Various news reports took statements I recently made on the floor out of context and suggested that I wanted to ban tobacco products. That is not my goal or intent. I was arguing that the bill now being debated by the Senate to place tobacco products under the regulation of the Food and Drug Administration, an agency charged with ensuring the safety of food and medicine, is a clever attempt to stop tobacco use altogether either through government regulation or trial attorney lawsuits. I was suggesting that those who oppose tobacco should simply have the courage to propose a total ban, which is their ultimate goal.”

“We already have several government agencies that are focused on regulating tobacco products and educating the public about the dangers of tobacco use. As a physician, I agree that it is in the best interest of public health that tobacco use be discouraged, prevented, and treated, but I do not believe that new regulations or taxes imposed by the federal government are the answer. I also do not believe that tobacco use by adults should be banned.”
News reports for the past several days have stated that Sen. Coburn called for a ban on tobacco (example: TheHill.com said "
A Republican senator who is also a doctor is calling for a new era of Prohibition — outlawing cigarette smoking and other tobacco use."). That was not the case, as evidenced by Senator Coburn's statement.

Monday, June 08, 2009

HouchenForCongress.com Launches

Howard Houchen, a previously blogged about Republican from Hugo, launched his congressional campaign website today. Here's a video introduction from the site:



Houchen has an impressive bio; he worked for several years in the petroleum industry, traveling extensively throughout southeastern Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. He has a B.A. in Political Science from OU, and a M.A. in National Security Studies from American Military University. He briefly served on the Hugo City Council in the mid-1990's, and currently manages All-American Garage Doors, Inc., in Hugo.

Houchen is one of three publicly announced candidates for the Second Congressional seat held by Democrat Dan Boren. Dan Arnett of Henryetta and Lewis Spring of Hugo are the other two candidates to date.

On June 27th, there will be a Second District GOP meeting in Muskogee, featuring, at latest report, seven people who are looking at running for the seat as well. The meeting will take place at the Muskogee Public Library, and will begin at 1:00pm.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Dan Arnett Announces Run Against Dan Boren

In an exclusive interview with the OU Daily, Okmulgee Henryetta Republican Dan Arnett announced his intention to run against Second District Congressman Dan Boren.
Dan Arnett challenges Congressman Dan Boren

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Republican Dan Arnett announced Wednesday he will run against U.S. Rep. Dan Boren in the 2010 elections for Oklahoma’s second district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Arnett, a law student and legal intern for Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, announced his intention to run exclusively with The Daily.

“I’m a firm believer that if you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself,” Arnett said.

He said Boren is more concerned with maintaining his position than making real change for the people in his district.

“He doesn’t want to rock the boat, and he doesn’t use his vote for real change,” Arnett said. “The most he’s done is author bills naming post offices and supporting resolutions that recognize special groups on holidays.”

He equated Boren’s alleged inaction to “taxation without representation”, and said Boren is a conservative because of convenience.

“He is conservative on two issues- [abortion] and the second amendment,” Arnett said. “On everything else, he aligns himself with President Obama.”

Arnett said his issues go beyond ideological disagreements.

“The most important issue will be the economy,” he said. “I also want to simplify the tax code, make social security benefits inheritable, give the President the power of a line-item veto and present measures that will make representatives more accountable.”

If elected Arnett will be 26-years-old when he takes office. He said his age gives him an opportunity to represent his generation.

“Younger generations are becoming more politically active,” he said. ”The median age for representatives is 50, and if I am elected, my generation will have another voice in Congress.”

Congressman Boren said he is busy doing the job Oklahomans elected him to do last November.

“It is still very early to be considering the next election cycle having recently come off the election in November,” Boren said. “I am certainly approaching my schedule as if I am running, including visiting all 25 counties in the second district by mid-summer.”

He said the economy and jobs will be his top focus this summer.

“I believe that since I have been in elected office for almost 8 years, most of my constituents and many Oklahomans know who I am and the type of service that I will render,” Boren said.

He said he does what is right for Oklahomans regardless of what is right for his party and President Obama.

“I support him when his policies are in line with Oklahoma’s values, and I oppose him when they are not,” Boren said. “I am an Oklahoma Democrat, and there is a big difference [between being a Democrat from Oklahoma and being a Democrat from another state].”

Congressman Boren is OU President David Boren’s son, and will announce his future political plans in December.

Arnett joins Hugo businessman Howard Houchen as the current announced GOP candidates against Boren. The Second District Republican Party will be holding a district-wide quarterly meeting on June 27th in Muskogee; the latest word is that at least six or seven candidates are lined for this meeting.

Arnett must be a newbie to politics - otherwise, he would have
announced his candidacy to a paper located in the Second District, in order to get the most publicity for his campaign.
(UPDATED BELOW)

Both Arnett and Houchen will be launching websites in the near future. Stay posted for updates.

UPDATE (6/14): I have been notified that Arnett did announce in the Henryetta Freelance newspaper on May 21st, several days before the OU Daily interview. See this post for the article, as well as another update.

Kathy Taylor Won't Seek Re-Election as Tulsa Mayor

From Chris Medlock's blog:
KOTV the News On Six is reporting that Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will not seek re-election. The station's website reports that Taylor will be making an official statement in a television spot to begin Friday. In it, she states that she is "a business person not a mayor."

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Taylor was interviewed in Tulsa by representatives of the Obama administration for a position in the Commerce Department. Taylor had served as Oklahoma's Secretary of Commerce in the Brad Henry administration prior to running for mayor. In fact, it is something that I had publicly speculated upon as far back as two years ago, that she might be seeking such a post, should a Democrat win the seat.

Obviously, this takes what was considered to be a tight race with few GOP candidates eager to take on Taylor's money, to a race that could draw several Republicans seeking the nomination.

More on this as facts become known.
This is interesting. What has been viewed as an unwinnable race for Republicans is now suddenly wide open. Kathy Taylor had a formidable war chest, and has been raising money recently, if memory serves me correctly.

The only candidates to have announced so far are Republicans Clay Clark and Robert Gwin, Jr. Several city councilors are rumored to be looking at the office, and surely will now.

In recent weeks, Taylor has denied being wooed for a job in the Obama administration. Of course, this latest move has sparked lots of speculation, including rumors that she may be looking at running for Lt. Governor, some other state-wide office, or even challenging John Sullivan for the First Congressional District in 2010.

But then again, maybe she's moving back to her Florida home.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Coburn to Announce Intentions This Morning

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, M.D., will announce his intentions for the 2010 elections this morning at 10:00am, at the Tulsa Press Club.

From what I've been able to find out, all signs point toward a re-election run; however, nothing is certain until the Doctor speaks.

Stay tuned for the announcement...