Commenting on the "new upscale housing downtown" - "Loft out" article. How does it feel to discover you have funded the playground for the "Upper Crust" and that you the "working man" aren't welcome in their exclusive world. See the pattern? Why would you then write them a $100M check?

Sorry but your choice for treasurer is wrong. I for one don't want a good old boy Dan Keating... who was removed from Valley National Banks Board for good old action with his brother Frank when he was number 2 at DOJ. You will only go aginst your 'just say no to good old boys' slogan. So think it over vote for the one that plays by the rules. Keating come from the same family that called Tulsans stupid.

Unless your pick for OID Commissioner, Mr. Tahl Willard, has completely renovated his personal and professional lifestyle, you're most definitely riding the wrong dead horse. What he calls a smear campaign and rumors surrounding his campaign and past personal issues happen to be mostly true. A little bit of digging would prove that out.

For instance, do some research about his employment history in Des Moines and ask with specificity the exact reason he was terminated. Ten bucks says he flushes and runs. Then ask him why he's been unemployed for the past two years as well as the two years prior to that period. In his words, he's been "focusing on his mortgaging and financial skills" all while renovating a house that is perhaps 1700 sq ft.? That's some extreme makeover cowboy and his story doesn't hold water. Not a drop. Let's see... he has a foreclosure, a fresh bankruptcy, no insurance license, no job, and little, if any credibility which is hardly the model we need to establish as being qualified to run for Insurance Commissioner.

Oh yeah, one last thing, ask him who convinced him to run for an elected office without doing some severe pre-emptive housecleaning. Was it perhaps the person he refers to as his "Uncle" Carol? From a firsthand perspective I've witnesssed this guy put on public displays of socially embarassing, sexually insensitive, highly offensive, sometimes illegal, and mostly bizarre behavior. Now ask yourself why? That answer is riding right on the surface if you'll just ask the right question. What normally makes a person act in such a way? Come on, think.

Is this the type of person we really want representing us? Take the lesser of two evils, folks and cast a write in vote for Snoopy. You'll get a better man for the job.

My qualifications for the position of Insurance Commissioner are very clear. I grew up in an insurance family. I am an active-duty war-time veteran in the Army. I was licensed in 1991 until 2004 for Life, Accident, Health and Variable Universal Life products. Out of the 28,000 insurance agents I am one of only 500 that have obtained their CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter). When you add my ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) and my LUTCF (Life Underwriters Training Council Fellowship) designations I am one of only a few in the state that has this level of insurance education. I have a Business Degree from Oklahoma State University in Business Economics. I also have over a year and a half working for the Department of Insurance as the Regional Director for Eastern Oklahoma and managed the Tulsa Office. I left the Department to go back into the private insurance sector. I also have my Series 7 (General Stock Brokers License) and Series 65 (Registered Investment Advisor) licenses. I also held a mortgage broker’s license and a loan officer license.

I want to make it clear that no one talked me into running for the position of Insurance Commissioner. A Tulsa County Commissioner did ask why I didn't run for that office when they learned of my education, training and experience. I filed to run for office because I felt that I could do a better job than the two people that we had running for the office. I felt like I could help the people of Oklahoma by giving back my education, training and experience. On the Republican ballot on the 25th you can either have a term-limited professional politician or a financial services professional. Who do you think is better suited to run the Insurance Department?

As it relates to my work history in Des Moines I do not know what Mr. Taylor is talking about. I was never "terminated". I left Principal Financial Group, where I worked as a marketing consultant and field trainer, to take a better job as a marketing manager with another insurance company. I was recruited by that company due to the success I had working at the Principal Financial Group. Within 6 months of me taking that position, the company was purchased by ING and then AXA. I was given a choice of moving to another state with the new owners or take a nice compensation package for being laid off. I took the compensation and moved back to Tulsa. Iowa was a nice place to live but it was way too cold for me, and I did not want to move to New York where my department was being moved.

I went into business with Mr. Taylor at his business Sunbelt Capital Mortgage. I was the only person that was writing mortgages and bringing in income for the company. Mr. Taylor did not pay me or anyone else that worked there. When I left his company he owed me well over $30,000 and then tried to steal my mortgage software licenses (Caylx Point). In fact, he withheld taxes from his employees and then did not send them into the IRS or Oklahoma State Tax Commission. He also sent out false 1099 reports to the other people that worked there as independent contractors.

Due to Mr. Taylor's actions two employees were sued by the IRS. Mr. Taylor also had several people take him to the Department of Labor about him not paying them. He lost all of those cases and I know he still has liens against his home from their judgments from the Department of Labor. To my knowledge he has still not paid everyone that he owed money to. I do know that Larry Oliver, a well-respected attorney in Tulsa, represented one of these employees and anyone can call him to ask about Mr. Taylor as an attorney and a businessman.

Mr. Taylor is the primary reason that I had to file bankruptcy. I would like to say that I could have written off more creditors than I did, against the advice of my attorney. Since filing I have paid off every debt except for one on which I am current. I am sure I was not the only person in the state of Oklahoma that filed bankruptcy, and I do understand how hard it is to do. Sometimes in life you have to make hard decisions for the benefit of your family.

Mr. Taylor said "From a firsthand perspective I've witnessed this guy put on public displays of socially embarrassing, sexually insensitive, highly offensive, sometimes illegal, and mostly bizarre behavior". Who he was talking about was himself. And if you notice he has no proof of anything he says here. He just wants to make up stuff to be spiteful.

I did not want to bring up what has happened to me in the past couple of years as it relates to employment. I have had three unfortunate accidents: I fell and had a compressed neck fracture, I tore my shoulder and had to have surgery, and I was also burned with 1st and 2nd degree burns over 28% of my body. During this period we also had two members of our family that passed away. I was able to help my wife's grandmother and mother and I could not have done what I did for them if I had had a full-time employer.

As it relates to my home renovations, that is true. I can show you pictures of before and after. The home I live in with my wife and family had over 1,000 sq. feet of unfinished renovations. I am a craftsman and have done extensive work to my house to make it a very nice place to live now. Our house is 2,499 square feet, and it now has very nice trim work, custom-made plantation shutters, custom closets, a very large wooden deck and landscaping, all of which I have done myself or with the help of my wife. It took some time to finish all of the projects, but we now have a nice home.