By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
The Okarche Town Board could soon see new faces as an election nears and Joe Frisby hopes to be one of them.
Candidate for Town Board Ward 3, Frisby said he hopes to bring fresh ideas and a business perspective to the local government. He will face James Nance during the April 2 election.
Nance did not publish contact information on his candidate filing forms and attempts to reach him have not been successful.
Frisby, an Okarche resident for the last 27 years, is vice president of Samco Enterprises in Oklahoma City. The family owned business repairs compressor valves. He is married to Kim Mueggenborg and the couple have two children in college. His wife was a teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School for 26 years.
Frisby said he could bring the perspective of a business owner to the board.
“It seems like we’re stuck in neutral, not that I’m the most successful guy on the planet. I’m not, but I have a way of getting things done and thinking outside the box,” he said. “A lot of that comes from being in business for many years and we have not had a business presence on that town board since I’ve lived here. So, I think it’s time for someone with business sense to come in and look at things.”
Frisby has travelled extensively for his own business from Pennsylvania to California and he’s been taking notes.
“I pay attention. I drive through small towns and I see what their infrastructure looks like, what their park looks like. I look at everything. I drive through the town and find the businesses and look for things our town is missing. We have a lot of advantages and good things, but there are some things we could add.”
Frisby’s wish list includes a grocery store, but his ambitions and concerns stretch further into the future.
“I can see the town moving further north,” he said, “further away from the core. If we’re not careful, essentially (we could) turn into Piedmont and we don’t want to do that.”
Piedmont has struggled to accumulate enough sales tax revenue to maintain deteriorating roads and water because businesses locate outside city limits on Northwest Highway where traffic is constant.
Frisby said he entered the election to increase accountability and communication between the town board and employees, but also with the public.
“Basically, to give a little more accountability to the board and accountability of the employees to the board. Because, the bylaws as they are written, the town employees are working for the board. We want to make sure that linear line is followed. I’m a big chain of command guy,” he said. “Accountability is a really important thing and so much of that is due to communication issues. A lot of these misconceptions about what happens in town hall can be cleared up with better communication.”
In a small town where rumors can spread like wildfire, Frisby said he deals in facts.
“People jump to conclusions, but I deal in facts. You always tell the truth because it’s the only thing that does not change. I live my life by that motto.”
Frisby’s ideas to enhance communication between the town and its citizens include a town website.
“One of the ways we can improve communication is a website and to my knowledge the town doesn’t have one. I would like to have the minutes, the readable minutes of the town board posted. There are things you can do to be a little more open,” he said. “Post events happening in town, things the churches are doing.”
In addition to his own ideas, the value of what constituents want is not lost on Frisby.
“I’ve got a lot of ideas but over the next month or so I’m going to be visiting with anyone I can, business owners and find out what they want from the town board, what they expect, what they like and what they don’t like,” he said.
Ultimately Frisby wants to serve on the board to give back to the community.
“This isn’t something I’m doing to feed my ego,” he said. “I want to serve the town. The town’s been very good to me and my family and I want to give back.”
