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« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2012, 02:40:33 pm » |
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Few District 71 voters aware of Feb. 14 special election
DAVID HOUSH / Tulsa World
By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
Published: 1/22/2012
An unexpected election is sneaking up on voters in Tulsa's House District 71.
The Feb. 14 special election primary, coinciding with area school board elections, will choose Republican and Democratic nominees in the Brookside district, which runs from 21st Street to 81st Street between Lewis Avenue and the Arkansas River, except for a notch in the district's northeast corner. The only change to the district boundaries since the last election is the addition at the south tip of a single precinct formerly in House District 69.
Two Democrats and five Republicans will be on the ballot to succeed Republican Dan Sullivan, who resigned Dec. 1 to become chief executive officer of the Grand River Dam Authority. All seven seem to agree they're having a hard time finding voters who are aware of the upcoming election. "Let me see, can I think of anyone who knew about it?" joked Democrat Dan Arthrell.
"That's the biggest problem," said Republican Katie Henke, "trying to get the word out as much as possible." A historically Republican district whose previous representatives include First District Congressman John Sullivan, District 71 has trended more Democratic in recent years but should still favor the winner of the GOP primary. Arthrell and Henke were definitely the early leaders in yard signs and may also have the most name recognition.
Henke, 31, and her husband Frasier both come from families with long connections to the Tulsa Republican Party. A teacher at Riverdale School, Henke said education is a particular interest for her. "Because I've lived here all my life, my concerns are the concerns of the people in this district," she said.
Arthrell, 65, has been director of public policy and intergovernmental relations for the Community Services Council for nearly 20 years and part of the organization's staff since 1978. He said this has given him more experience with state government than any other candidate. "No one, as far as I know, has any experience working with state government," he said.
Over the years, Arthrell said, he has been involved in many initiatives involving childhood development and elder care. Henke said she believes the state's education system is at a "pivotal point." "We need big changes to move forward," she said. Those changes include review of state testing standards and a more creative approach to teaching. "What happens a lot is that teachers are teaching to the test," Henke said. "That's not the best way to learn."
Arthrell is opposed by Robert Walpole, 57, a Tulsa attorney who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 1994. Walpole said he "believes in government doing what it's supposed to do." Other Republicans on the ballot are librarian Evelyn Rogers, 59; state director of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council Lydia D'Ross, 48; attorney Gerald Lovoi, 51; and neighborhood activist Bonnie Huffines, 60. Huffines is active in the Brookside Neighborhood Association and Victory Christian Center and said she would bring "biblical principles" to the Legislature. "I want to see God brought back into government," she said. "Christian voices have been stilled for too long. We need to rise up and get back what belongs to us."
Lovoi, previously an unsuccessful candidate for City Council, said Tulsa is not getting its fair share of state spending. He said Tulsa has supported such things as passenger rail service and museums for Oklahoma City and received little in return. "It's like Lucy holding the football, then pulling it back when Charlie Brown gets ready to kick it," he said. "The No. 1 thing should be economic development. Oklahoma should emphasize its strengths, not its weaknesses."
D'Ross is new to District 71, although her residence has not changed. She happens to live in the single precinct moved from District 69. D'Ross serves on the Tulsa Area Hispanic Affairs Council and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council board of directors. The council is an evangelical organization with connections to Oral Roberts University. Rogers, a librarian at Tulsa Community College, said an injury has limited her campaigning, but she "wants people to have a voice. I want to see education go in a positive direction ... and to have good roads and bridges." Walpole said he would bring "sensibility" to state government and attacked Republican plans to eliminate the state income tax. "We have this constant lowering of the tax rate without any thoughts to the needs of the state," he said.
Walpole pointed to overcrowded prisons and a recent Department of Human Services settlement that requires additional funding as examples of those needs. "I personally don't understand this drive to constantly lower the state income taxes," he said.
Three other legislative special elections are on the Feb. 14 ballot: House District 1 in the state's southeastern corner, Senate District 20 in north-central Oklahoma and Senate District 46 in central Oklahoma City.
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