Primary election preview, part 2, and a call to action
UPDATE 3/6/2006: It's almost election day! This entry has links to all my Urban Tulsa Weekly writings on the election, plus my endorsements, and phone numbers so you can call and offer your help to these good candidates. They will still need election day help, so if you have an hour or two, give them a call!
The latest Urban Tulsa Weekly is online and has the second installment of the primary election preview, with stories on the primaries in Districts 1, 2, and 5 through 9. The story on each race includes candidate names, addresses, websites, and phone numbers, so you can get in touch, ask tough questions, and offer your help. (Note that, due to a snafu -- I submitted them, but they were overlooked -- the District 1 and 2 stories didn't make it to print, but they've been added on to the end of the online version of this week's piece.)
Last week's issue had the first installment of the primary election preview, including an overview of what's at stake, the questionnaire we sent to city candidates, a preview of the charter amendment on the March 7th primary ballot (Independents can vote, too!), and stories on the District 3 Democrat primary, and the Democratic and Republican primaries in District 4.
UTW also published the full text of the questionnaire and the candidate responses online.
My op-ed this week was actually two pieces that were joined by the editor into a single story containing my analysis and endorsements in the Democrat and Republican primaries for Mayor. I detail how Bill LaFortune frittered away all the goodwill and political capital he enjoyed at the beginning of the term. I try to explain why Bill LaFortune needs to be fired, and why the Republicans need to do the job themselves. I go on to outline Chris Medlock's vision for Tulsa and take a look back at some of his legislative successes.
Terry Simonson issues a call to the undecideds, telling them that the first step is to realize we need a change at the top:
First of all, decide if you think things are going so well that you want more of what we have had. Are you one of the people who can't imagine that anyone else can do or would do a better job than the incumbent? That's wrong-headed thinking and you have to get over it.If you have traveled at all, or read about other cities, you know that we are not anywhere near where great cities in this new century should be and it’s because of our leadership. If all cities face the same national and social problems, why are some cities doing so much better than Tulsa? The answer is leadership quality.
He goes on to identify a lack of mayoral leadership as the cause of City Hall strife. Simonson has endorsed Chris Medlock for Mayor.
Once again, my endorsements for their respective nominations (please note that this does not guarantee an endorsement in the general election):
Mayor Republican: Chris Medlock
Mayor Democrat: Don McCorkell
District 1 Democrat: Jack Henderson
District 2 Republican: Rick Westcott
District 3 Democrat: Roscoe Turner
District 4 Republican: Kent Morlan -- with an honorable mention to Rick Brinkley
District 4 Democrat: Maria Barnes
District 5 Republican: no endorsement; Greg Madden is worth a further look
District 5 Democrat: Al Nichols
District 6 Republican: Jim Mautino
District 7 Republican: John Eagleton
District 8 Republican: Cliff Magee
District 9 Republican: Cason Carter
Proposition 1 (zoning protest charter change): YES
See last week's column for the reasons why in each race.
Your call to action again this weekend is to volunteer for a candidate and offer your help. At the same time, call your friends and neighbors, tell them who you're voting for and why.
Here are some candidates who, in my humble opinion, need and deserve your help these last three days:
Chris Medlock for Mayor, 269 - 2822, or stop by HQ at 69th and Canton (north of 71st and Yale QuikTrip)
Rick Westcott, District 2 Republican, 639-8542, e-mail rick@rickwestcott.org. Rick is asking volunteers to gather 10 a.m. Saturday at his office at 1743 E. 71st Street.
Roscoe Turner, District 3 Democrat, 834-7580
Maria Barnes, District 4 Democrat, 510-5725
Al Nichols, District 5 Democrat, 663-9432
Jim Mautino, District 6 Republican, 437-2642
John Eagleton, District 7 Republican, 496-0706/584-2002, or meet at 62nd and Irvington at 9:00 a.m. Saturday
Cliff Magee, District 8 Republican, 747-1747
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The question about Kathy Taylor voting once in Florida and once in Tulsa has turned into a game like "Clue".
Now there is another Cathy Taylor (that seemed to be an obvious possibility but why did this Cathy wait so long to come forward since she also just happens to have blonde hair or colored blonde hair -- spelled "Cathy" not "Kathy" and different middle initial that thinks she possibly might be the one that signed for Kathy Taylor in the same precinct where Kathy Taylor's name appears.
The drama of it all is if both women graduated from law school their ability for recall and memory should be terrific. Does Kathy Taylor's husband have a current license in Oklahoma and a driver's license in Florida?
Cathy Taylor claims according to the Tulsa World) during the 2000 presidential election she was sent to several polling places to find her name in the polling books until election board officials were contacted (what were the names of the election board officials that were contacted -- Cathy should remember).
Have the people that were working with sign-in at the time as "Cathy" signed remember "C" Cathy?
Cathy signed her name but Cathy did not notice she was signing for "k" Katherine and she voted in a place she had never voted before?
Normally the people that work the election bring attention to the name to make sure there is no error in this part of signing so "C" Cathy Taylor should have been enlightened to know she was signing for Katherine and the middle initial different.
I wonder what Don McCorkell thinks of this and his thoughts on the necessity of current address with picture voter i.d.