By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Okarche town politics is heating up to a boil as the election looms next Tuesday.
For years rumors have been overheard in gas stations, at church suppers and backyard barbeques that residents want change in their town government and candidates have stepped up to the platform in every office available.
Town Board Ward 1 could see incumbent Mike Mendel, a 20-year veteran on the board, unseated by challenger Matt Blackwood.
Mendel believes experience matters and is hopeful his track record will speak for itself.
As residents decry a town that lacks common convenience like a website for utility payments and city codes, Mendel said what he heard from voters was to “mostly maintain what we’ve got.”
During his time on the board, the town has received numerous transportation grants for road rehabilitation. A new police station, a park, remodeled tennis courts and the new nitrate removal system for the water were among several milestones he has helped guide.
Blackwood, a former Okarche police officer who resigned for private sector work, said he is ready to give citizens what they have been asking for the last several years. He pointed out that being a police officer gave him an up-close look at how town government is operated.
“I already know for the most part how the town government runs,” Blackwood told the Okarche Warrior two weeks ago. “I’ve seen it firsthand for almost 12 years. I’ve seen how things can and should be run.”
Blackwood said he would make it his mission to repair the broken relationship between the town government and the public it governs.
“If we can turn the relationship around with the town and the public, it will open up opportunities to grow. They’re (residents) hesitant to sell because they haven’t gotten along with town government for so long. People would be more open to selling and helping the town grow if they had a better relationship with town officials,” Blackwood said.
WARD 3 SEAT
Change and transparency has been a popular theme for Joe Frisby and James Nance who seek the Town Board Ward 3 seat.
Frisby told the Okarche Warrior in February that he favors a town website and shared Blackwood’s concerns about rumors which could be dispelled with more communication between the town board and residents.
“Basically, to give a little more accountability to the board and accountability of the employees to the board,” Frisby said. “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.”
Nance shared Frisby’s views on bringing technology to town government and both men have business experience. Frisby is vice president of Samco Enterprises and Nance is a small business advisor for AT&T.
Frisby said he’s concerned that Okarche could turn into Piedmont, and businesses, with their sales tax revenue, could move entirely north toward Kingfisher and out of Okarche’s city limits.
Nance expressed a concern regarding a lack of affordable housing for teachers and other wage earners in addition to the need for baseball fields which could host tournaments and pull in revenue for the city.
TOWN CLERK
Money is not a quiet subject for the office of town clerk as voters will have to decide to keep incumbent Dana Reese or take a chance on her opponent Stacey Morgan.
Reese is an accountant with 26 years of experience and Morgan works for a dentist in Kingfisher and as a waitress at Eischen’s Bar.
Reese is in charge of payroll, utility payments, accounts receivable and payable for all city business, records retention, permits and more.
Though Reese has no vote on the town board, she has said publicly that she would support town board decisions for any modernization and improvements it deemed progressive for the city.
Reese has already started modernizing her department.
“I have been able to help streamline our local services and have been involved in the implementation of credit card processing and automated meter reading system for the convenience of our citizens as well as payroll direct deposit for the convenience of our employees,” she said in a prepared statement. “I have actively worked to bring up-to-date delinquent utility accounts and traffic citations. This is not a job I take lightly, nor should anyone else.”
Morgan has not responded to at least a dozen phone calls, emails and text messages for an interview with the Okarche Warrior. It’s unclear if Morgan has specific issues she wants to address if elected.
