Dan Hicks for Oklahoma House District 79

My second endorsement this year is another easy call. I have known Dan Hicks for close to 20 years as a tireless volunteer for conservative candidates and causes. This year, Hicks has put his own name on the ballot for State Representative for District 79, an open seat because incumbent Weldon Watson is term-limited.

We need Dan Hicks and many more like him in the Oklahoma Legislature. Mention Dan Hicks and the words that spring to mind are principled, persistent, hard-working, and humble. As a campaign volunteer, he has offered his time only to those candidates who share his commitment to limited and efficient government and the protection of unborn human life. Once committed to a cause, Dan throws himself into it with his whole heart, willing to do whatever job needs to be done, without looking for credit or honor. But plenty of elected officials have honored Dan because of his hard work on their behalf. Former District Attorney Tim Harris, outgoing Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel, State Rep. George Faught, former State Rep. John Wright and former State Rep. Pam Peterson, who served in Republican House leadership, have all endorsed Hicks, as did State Rep. David Brumbaugh before his untimely death last year.

Dan and his wife are committed Bible-believing Christians, members of Journey Bible Church, teaching children's classes there as they did previously at Tulsa Bible Church for over 30 years.

Dan Hicks is lead designer at a Tulsa architectural firm. His work includes public school facilities such as the Robson Performing Arts Center at Claremore High School and Broken Arrow's Centennial Middle School, as well as private school and church facilities such as the Monte Cassino Childhood Center and South Tulsa Baptist Church. I'm not aware of anyone else with Hicks's professional background who has served in the Oklahoma Legislature. Given the amount of money spent on buildings by state agencies, colleges, CareerTech centers, and public schools, it would be a great asset to Oklahoma taxpayers to have someone like Dan Hicks in the legislature who understands the tradeoffs between cost, functionality, and appearance, someone who has a sense of how much a building should cost and what tends to drive costs higher.

I've written about how Republican candidates often "go native" when they become legislators. They forget the voters who elected them and begin to identify with the legislators, lobbyists, and staffers at the Capitol. To keep that from happening, we have to elect legislators who understand that dynamic and are prepared to resist it. I know that Dan Hicks has felt disappointment and betrayal in some of the candidates he worked tirelessly to elect. Because of that, I am confident that Dan Hicks will stay true to his principles and faithful to the voters who elected him and that he will arrive at the State Capitol immune to the blandishments of the Capitol crowd.

House District 79 is in southeast Tulsa, entirely within the city limits, extending from 41st Street to 81st Street, Yale Ave to Garnett Rd. Dan has been as hard-working on his own campaign as he has on his friends' campaigns, and you see the evidence in campaign signs supporting him in front of homes and businesses across the district.

Hicks faces two opponents in the June 26, 2018, primary: Tulsa city councilor Karen Gilbert and Matthew Lee. Ethics reports show that Gilbert is backed by the usual chambercrats who want to raise your taxes and boost their cronies at your expense. By contrast, Dan Hicks's campaign funds come from friends and family, as well as his own funds. There will be an August runoff if no one receives 50% of the vote in the primary. The winner will face the Democrat nominee and independent Teresa Marler in November.

I hope all my Republican friends in District 79 will turn out on June 26 to vote for my friend Dan Hicks, a stalwart, hard-working conservative.