Roemerman on Record

Union Bond Vote Tomorrow

2010-02-08T15:25:00.004-06:00

If you live in the Union Public School District, you need to vote on whether or not to pass the latest bond issue. This year it is a 22.5 million dollar bond, a bit more than last year...(I see a re-occurring theme)...

Here are the last several bond amounts.
2009: $20,000,000
2008: $19,400,000
2007: $17,000,000
2006: $15,200,000
2005: $13,000,000*
2004: $17,000,000*
2003: $16,000,000*
*Remember that Union school bonds are on a 5 year cycle. The new one coming on with the oldest one dropping off.

Here is the list of things the money is being used for this year.

UCA High School Wing - Phase 1**	12,000,000
Grove Remodel - Phase 2**	4,500,000
Textbooks/Media Books**	810,000
Site Allocations**	730,000
8th Grade Cooling Tower**	150,000
Tuttle Field - Remove Crown $ Returf**	1,200,000
Fine Arts Instruments/Equipment**	180,000
Athletics/Epirit Equipment/Uniforms/Pool Upgrade**	200,000
Technology Hardware/Software/Cameras**	820,000
Maintenance/Operations Equipment**	165,000
Buses/Transportation Equipment ***	945,000
Contingency and Fees**	800,000
Total	$22,500,000

**Proposition 1
***Proposition 2

The only thing in this list that gave me pause is the $1.2 mill for the football field. It seemed a little exsisve to me so I called Superintendent Dr. Cathy Burden to get more information.

She told me that Tuttle Field had two problems that they were looking to solve with this item.

1. The turf is in bad shape. I asked why it couldn't just be repaired to which she replied that it had been in fact repaired, many times. Dr Burden told me that there were over 300 "holes" in the field where there the turf had been patched. It is Union's opinion that the field has been repaired as much as it can be and that it's time for it to be replaced entirely.

2. The field has a crown or dome...aka it is not a flat field. When the field was built the district was talked into the crown on the promise that it would ease draining problems. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Burden, the crown actually causes draining problems. Also I'm told that the field cannot be used for soccer. I guess you need a flat field for soccer. Trying to kick the ball in a straight line on a field with a crown is difficult I guess.

The idea behind this item is to kill two birds with one stone. Dr. Burden also pointed out that Tuttle Field is in use at least 300 days out of the year, and with this change it could get even more use(I'm guessing that means they will be able to play soccer after this?)

I have to admit that I still think $1.2 million seems excessive, but at least I understand the reason behind the item. I would have preferred that the returf be placed in it's own proposition, nevertheless tomorrow I'll be voting yes on both proposition.

I should have pointed out somewhere in this post but never did...until just now...that the passage of this bond will not cause a net change in any one persons taxes. As it is a sunset tax that is being renewed, technically this is an increase in tax but that is only if you are being really strict. If this passes no one's property tax will be higher as a result.

Democrat Kathy Taylor 4 Anna America

2010-02-05T22:23:00.000-06:00

I was just forwarded this interesting note from the Tulsa Chamber. If you read it without any subtext it seems harmless enough...
"Hey, Tulsa Chamber here...if you haven't donated to the candidate for your choice for TPS school board, now is the time."

But if you read it the way I read it it's a little more interesting...
"Hey Tulsa Chamber here. We don't like to endorse candidates but...Kathy Taylor is backing Anna America for TPS school board. You should to, in fact why don't you go ahead and donate to her so that we can get Anna on the board so she can do KT's good work....ohh yeah, you can donate to Bobbie Gray too...I guess."

I know some of you have written checks to the candidates for the Tulsa School Board. But if you have just forgotten to do so, there is still time. We got a call this morning from former Mayor Kathy Taylor, who is trying to secure final funds for Anna America. I know they are trying to get their last direct mail piece out. The election is Tuesday, February 9, so haste is important.

Budget and Workforce Update From Mayor Bartlett

2010-01-21T18:04:00.000-06:00

I was forwarded this note from one of my sources who is a City Of Tulsa Employee.

Dear City of Tulsa employees,

Members of the AFSCME union polled Wednesday chose workforce reductions as opposed to across the board pay reductions of five percent for all non-sworn employees.

We will honor that decision. It will apply to all departments, except sworn police and fire personnel.

We also gave the police and fire unions a choice between workforce reductions and salary/incentive reductions. The original proposed plans from the departments included layoffs. I did not believe the numbers of layoffs proposed for the front lines of the departments were acceptable, and I asked the police and fire chiefs to present plans that included reorganizations that would help them save money and save jobs on the front lines.

I also offered an alternative proposal to the fire and police unions that included a salary reduction and other cuts to incentive pay and benefits. I left the decision to them. The fire and police union leaders have not submitted the salary reduction proposal to their membership for a vote, nor have they reached an agreement on any of the concession items on the table.

The police and fire unions are still in discussions with my management team regarding any and all alternative expense reduction proposals made to date, whether from my office, the unions or the department leadership. We have informed the departments and union leadership that they must reach an agreement to either accept the proposed plan for salary reductions or an alternative by noon Friday, January 22, in order to avoid layoffs in those departments. We will keep you informed via e-mail and management if there are any new developments.

Today, Fire Chief LaCroix and Police Chief Palmer are scheduling meetings with employees that would be affected by the workforce reductions in order to prepare for layoffs and initiate the seven-day notification period.

Department directors are beginning to schedule meetings with affected employees. Human Resources will provide all the information needed to make decisions with respect to other positions in the department and applications for openings within the City of Tulsa, bumping processes and severance pay. The workforce reductions will be effective Feb. 1. Eligible, non-probationary employees will receive two weeks of compensation.

Employees with seniority who are eligible to take other positions in their department will be given the right to “bump” employees with less seniority.

This e-mail should be considered as a seven-day notification to employees who could be affected by the bumping process.

Please contact your manager, or department head with your questions so they may forward them to the appropriate Human Resources representative; or submit your questions to Human Resources at 596-7427 or jobs@cityoftulsa.org to be forwarded to a Human Resources representative.

Regards,

Mayor Dewey Bartlett

Be Prepared for Broken Water Lines

2010-01-07T11:52:00.000-06:00

This is from the City of Tulsa E-news. I thought there was some good info in here so I yanked the whole thing for a blog post.

Single-digit temperatures are forecast for Tulsa within the next few days.

That means home and business owners should be prepared to deal with frozen water pipes in and around their structures and with interruptions in water service.

Expansion and contraction of soils as the earth freezes and thaws often breaks water lines. The City has waterline repair crews on duty and on call around-the-clock. The repair crews try to restore service as quickly as possible to minimize inconvenience to customers, but some interruptions are unavoidable.

Residents can fill clean containers to store water for a few days when extremely cold temperatures are expected locally.

In some homes, especially older homes and those built on raised foundations instead of slabs it may be wise to take measures to protect pipes from freezing. Caution should also be used with additional heat sources used for warming pipes. Fires are caused each winter by improperly used electrical space heaters or open-flame heating devices.

Anyone noticing water bubbling up from the ground or running down the streets in spots that are not normally wet can report suspected water line breaks by calling the City of Tulsa's Water Emergency Line at 596-9488. You can also complete an online form to alert the Mayor's Action Center about the location of the water line break.

Switching to Windstream Fail

2010-01-04T18:18:00.002-06:00

I tried and failed o switch to Windstream for my telephone/internet service on Saturday. I twittered my frustrations and was surprised to find that Windstream was monitoring Twitter. We have a few back and forth tweets which ultimately culminated into an email from me to Windstream.

Here is some more info regarding our Twitter conversation.

http://twitter.com/sroemerm/status/7314219216
http://twitter.com/windstream/status/7368056213
http://twitter.com/sroemerm/status/7369485082
http://twitter.com/sroemerm/status/7369521208
http://twitter.com/windstream/status/7370192612

I live at 74** S ***th East Ave Tulsa Ok, 74133. ph # 918-***-****
(This address is about 2 blocks from Broken Arrow.)

When I called I was told that Windstream does not service Tulsa...twice.

Exhibit 1. I know for a fact that there are Windstream cables in my yard because I called to have my back yard marked before I planted a tree.
Exhibit 2. You guys have been sending me ad mailers for well over a year.
Exhibit 3. When I go to your website, it recognizes my number as one that is in the Windstream service area, although it thinks it is a Broken Arrow phone number. I suspect that Windstream has a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the boundaries of Tulsa vs. Broken Arrow.

Your sales agent actually suggested that I find a neighbor that has Windstream so that I could prove I was in the service area and/or call customer service business hours.

Conclusion 1. Windstream is not competent to handle my telephony needs.
Conclusion 2. You do not have 24/7 customer service.
Conclusion 3. I have learned that the beginning of a business relationship is a good indicator for how the rest of the relationship will function. My very first interaction with Windstream has been so disappointing that I will probably not be chaining my service.

Regards,
Steven H Roemerman Sr

I'd ask if anyone else in Tulsa has had a good or bad experience with Windstream but since according to Windstream no one in Tulsa has Windstream service, I'll ask my Broken Arrow neighbors how they feel about Windstream. What say you BA? Should I give them another chance?

[UPDATE]

Mr. Roemerman -

I was able to confirm we do service your area. If you would like to give us a 2nd chance I can have someone from our Install group call you to place the Installation order. Just let me know the best number and time of day to reach you.

Thank you again for letting me know what happened.

Mollie

Cables Cables Cables and More

2009-12-26T11:20:00.003-06:00

I hope this posts isn't too late. I meant to get this posted before Christmas. For those of you who have received gifts that require cables, and especially for those of you who received a new HDTV from Santa, for the love of God, please don’t buy those cables from Best Buy or Radio Shack!!

Be it HDMI, USB, firewire, component, s-video, whatever, you can get really great deals from Monoprice.com. I’ve purchased 6 foot HDMI cables from Monoprice for less that 5 bucks; I also purchased a digital coax to optical converter for less than 10 bucks(looks like the price has gone up a buck). Just the other day I needed a car charger for my phone. I could have spent $45 bucks, but instead I got a 6 foot USB cable, and a USB car charger, with priority shipping for less than 8 bucks.

When I shop at Monoprice I know I’m getting the best deal possible coupled with quality and service I can trust. So, whenever I need any kind of cable, I always think Monoprice first. I’ve also heard that Blue Jeans Cables is also good…I can’t vouch for them, but they have to be better than Best Buy or Radio Shack, and their ridiculously priced Monster Cable.

So I hope this post reaches you in time, if not, maybe Best Buy will give you store credit? Good luck!

Ohh yea, Monoprice sells a lot more than just cables, they sell all kinds of switches, adaptors, converters, etc….seriously, check them out…

Time to turn on the Net Nanny

2009-12-23T07:46:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago my oldest (the seven-year-old) started using the computer to view baby web sites and stuff for the simplest of children. At that time, even though I wasn't really worried about needing content filtering; I knew that someday I would be interested, so I started trying to find a comprehensive web filtering solution that was: easy to set up, difficult to bypass, and cheep. I found all three in K9 Web Protection. It is very easy to set up, I still cant figure out how to turn it off with out the password, and it's free....and it works!

I locked that knowledge away, recommending it to friends when they complained of needing it, but mostly I was watching my children and waiting for when I'd need to install it on my own computers. Well, the time has come. A few days I go I caught the seven-year-old using Google to find a website she learned about at school, something called fun brain. She was searching "funbrain" and clicking on the first result without reading what it was!!!! AHHHHHH! Fortunately this was exactly what she wanted. The first hit was Funbrain, an approved web site; but it could have just as easily been something much worse.

All I could think was, "When did she learn how to use Google?" Until now she had only known how to use the shortcuts I had set up so she could use the pre-approved websites I had chosen. (she is my daughter, I guess what I should have been thinking before now is, "Why cant she figure out how to use Google?") Regardless, it was time to install K9 web protection and so I did.

I'll point out that we do not have a computer in the kid's room. The family computer is out in the open so we can see what they are doing. This is how I knew I needed to take action....If you let your children have their own computer it's something to think about.

Cutting the Cable

2009-12-22T13:36:00.000-06:00

One of the things I’ve been doing instead of blogging is learning how to live without cable television. It occurred to me that every show I watch can be found online on Netflix, Hulu, or on the website of a major network. I decided that the 80 or so bucks a month I spent on cable Television was an unnecessary expense so about 4 weeks ago, I canceled it.

I went to the store and purchased an expensive indoor/outdoor amplified antenna, plugged it in and turned on my TV. Unfortunately I only got 6-7 channels. No matter what I did or under what configuration I placed the antenna (indoor or outdoors), I still only received just a handful of the available channel.

One of the things I’ve learned in my years of working with computers is that sometimes it’s easier to find a problem by eliminating the suspected causes one-by-one. I grabbed my daughter’s $9 antenna and automatically got over 20 channels. The reception wasn’t great on some of the channels, but it certainly performed better than the fancy antenna I purchased. So I took it back and bought another. I found that it performed about as well as the $9 antenna I already had. I could receive almost every channel that is available in the Tulsa area but the reception wasn’t that great.

What I figured I needed was more antenna surface area, but I really did not want a larger antenna. It occurred to me that I had two cheap antennas and a cable splitter, so I connected the two antennas to the “output” side of the splitter, and the TV to the “input” side. In a sense I used the splitter and a combiner. And voilà, perfect, crystal-clear, free HD reception! Apparently this is not an original idea, what I had stumbled upon is something called antenna diversity.

I’ve discovered a few things after ditching cable.
1. There are a lot of great channels that are available over the air. (24 hour children’s programming, weather, movies, religious, educational, documentaries, network programming, etc)
2. I have not missed a single show that I want to watch. (see Hulu, Netflix, etc)
3. I spend a lot less time watching TV surfing several hundred channels trying to find something on. As a result I spend a lot less time watching TV. (it doesn’t take long to surf 20-30 channels)

I must say I do not regret cutting the cable, if you think you can live without it, I recommend giving it a try.

Inappropriate and Obscene Content on KJRH

2009-12-04T12:14:00.001-06:00

Mr. Vrabac,

Parks and Recreation, Season 2 ep. 11, which aired on the third of December and was rated TV-PG, contained a scene that I thought was completely inappropriate for the standards of Tulsa Oklahoma, especially with the rating of TV-PG and at 7:30 pm.

There was a scene where the characters were in a strip club, there were actual topless women in the background whose breasts were blurred out. My kids were not yet in bed and the parental control, which I do have setup, would not have blocked this show. I’m deeply offended and very upset. I have filed a complaint with the FCC.

Steven H Roemerman Sr.

[UPDATE]
Mr. Vrabac's response.

Mr. Roemerman, appreciate your response. I will pass it along to NBC affiliate relations.

Mike Vrabac

My response to Mr. Vrabac.

Mr Vrabac,

With respect, in exchange for obtaining a valuable license to operate a broadcast station using the public airwaves, KJRH is required by law to operate in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” This means that KJRH, not NBC, must air programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community of license.

I expect that NBC will, more often than not, violate the contemporary community standards of Tulsa Oklahoma. I look to you to ensure that those standards are not violated.

While I certainly appreciate your forwarding this matter onto NBC, I expect more from KJRH. I expect the slogan "Channel 2 works for you" to mean more than hard hitting local journalism. I expect that it also means that Channel 2 will strive to meet its responsibility to the community by protecting the standards that make Tulsa such a great place to raise a family.

Regards,

Steven H Roemerman Sr.

It's the Tag Number Dummy!

2009-12-01T12:11:00.001-06:00

An update to yesterday's post about the plan to scan bar codes on OK license plates in an effort to catch uninsured motorists

Public Safety Commissioner Kevin Ward said, "I don’t know of technology that can actually read a bar code from that far away, I am aware of technology that can actually read the car (tag’s) characters. It would be able to decipher those and make a check through the system.”

Duhh!

Ok, now, now that everyone agrees that scanning bar codes is stupid I can be indignant over the Orwellian nature of this plan to put cameras all over the state.

I HATE this idea. Here are some questions I'd like answered:

Who controls the images collected?
How long will these images be stored?
Who has access to these images?
For what other purposes will these images be used?
Who will have access to the data stored in the insurance database?
What information is in this database?
How much money will the vendor who runs the cameras rake in (because you know it will be administered privately)?
What metric will be used to gauge the success of this project? Amount of money received, or some indicator of a reduction in uninsured motorists?
If there is a drastic reduction in uninsured motorists, how will the project be funded?
Is the company that is likely to get the contract to run these cameras an out of state company?
Who is handing out the tickets?
Under what jurisdiction will the tickets be handed out?
Will the people that get these tickets be able to go to court?
Will the people that get these tickets be required to go to court?

This morning, on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley, Rep. Mike Reynolds talked about this issue. He said that the problem of un-insured drivers could be solved if enforcement were to be stepped up by law enforcement officials. Reynolds suggested that in several cases, uninsured motorists are allowed to drive away after an accident. He wants the police to run the plates of motorists who have been puled over or have been involved in an accident against that database. If you are shown to not have insurance and can't prove otherwise, Reynolds said your car should be towed, no exceptions. Reynolds suggests that if there were to be a concerted effort to "crack down" on uninsured motorists, there would be no need for these cameras, and I would tend to agree.

OK License Plate Bar codes?

2009-11-30T19:31:00.003-06:00

Much ado has been made about a plan to set up some 200 cameras around the state whose purpose will be to scan the bar codes at the bottom of our new Oklahoma licenses plates in search of people who are not listed as having auto insurance.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, said "That’s a horrible idea, It’s Big Brother at its finest.”

While I agree with Rep Reynolds that it is a horrible idea, I agree for reasons that are altogether different. I won't go into the big brother issues, I'm sure that other bloggers, radio talk show folks, the public, and our good legislators will do an excellent job going over those issues.

No, this is a really stupid idea for several technical reasons.

1. Most of the time the bar code will be completely covered up by folks with OSU, OU, NRA and other various vanity license plate covers. Or in my case, the bumper of my truck covers the infamous bar code.

The location of this bar code is such that any attempt to capture it electronically with an acceptable rate of success is doomed to failure.

2. The bar code is so small I honestly doubt the ability of any camera to capture a clear image of it. I took this image of my parked car from about 5 feet away.

If only there were some other way that we could take a picture of a license plate and somehow match that plate to the owner of the car. Surely there must be some other identifying mark other than the bar code that we could use....OHHH WAIT THERE IS!!!!!! IT'S THE STUPID PLATE NUMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sheer stupidity of this plan is so astounding to me that I really can't get past it so that I can get angry about the Orwellian nature of it.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving yall! I've been enjoying the week doing nothing except lounging around. It's been pretty great. Today, more lounging around is on the the menu as is turkey and all the trimmings.

I've got plenty to be thankful for: a wonderful family, great friends, a good job, and all the comforts I need. I love my church, I love my city, and I'm well represented by my city councilor, senators and congressman.

I hope the rest of you are as blessed as I am. Enjoy your Thanksgiving day!

Reaction

2009-11-11T06:49:00.001-06:00

Overall I'm pleased with the results of last night's election.

Mayor Elect Bartlett has my prayers. I'm hopeful that he will do a good job for all of Tulsa. I'll be watching intently.

I'm excited about Preston Doerflinger's win of the auditor's office. We desperately need the approach that he promised during the campaign.

The O.G Roscoe Turner is back! How awesome is that? He is joined by Mautino, the East Side O.G! I'm very very excited about this.

I'm glad to see G.T Bynum has won. I haven't always agreed with the votes he made during his freshman term, but I've found him to be thoughtful and fair.

I'm very upset that prop 2. I place the blame squarely on the Council who made the decision to put this on the ballot. I spoke with one of the councilors who passed this on to the voters and this is what he said to me, "I don’t really think this is a good idea. But, I got enough comments about it that I thought it should be on the ballot so that folks could vote on it." I can't say how much that frustrates me.

With this one exception, it was a good night.

Vote Tommorw

2009-11-09T20:56:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to vote tomorrow.

Here are my endorsements and recommendations.

Mayor: No endorsement. (I'm going to vote for Bartlett...begrudgingly. However, I can't say what will actually happen when I step into that "booth")

City Auditor: Preston Doerflinger

Council District 3: Roscoe Turner
Council District 4: No endorsement
Council District 6: Jim Mautino
Council District 9: G.T Bynum

Proposition No. 1: No
“Shall the existing charter of the City of Tulsa, as heretofore amended, be further amended to require that any person filing for and holding the office of City Auditor must be a certified public account or certified internal auditor?” (Yes or No)

Proposition No. 2: NO!!!!!! PLEASE VOTE NO!!!
“Shall the charter of the City of Tulsa be amended to provide that City Councilors will serve for three-year terms, which shall be staggered so that no more than 3 council districts will have an election in any one year?” (Yes or No)

Proposition No. 3: Yes
”Shall the charter of the City of Tulsa be amended to require that before any claim or lawsuit where the demand is equal to or greater than $1 million ($1,000,000) may be settled both the Mayor and the City Council must agree to the settlement?” (Yes or No)

RIP Trusty Laptop

2009-11-05T16:21:00.000-06:00

My laptop has finally died. You may remember the lengths at which I went to keep it alive some months ago. Based on the experience in our office, these ThinkPad T42p(s) all eventually succumb to motherboard failure. Our hypothesis is that repeated heat stress causes the ball grid array that connects the graphics chip to the motherboard to fail, not unlike what causes the XBOX 360 Red Ring of Death.

And so I bid you fair laptop adieu, you have been a trusted companion and friend.

For Bartlett?

2009-11-05T15:57:00.001-06:00

Before we go any further let me get this out of the way, I do not endorse Dewey Bartlett Jr. With that said, I think I'm probably going to vote for him despite my overwhelming urge to sit this one out. I have several problems with Dewey, not the least of which is support and love for Kathy Taylor. Also, I'm convinced that he will be the same elite mid-town mindset mayor we have always had, and despite his claims, I do not believe he is a conservative.

I heard Chris Medlock, a man who I deeply admire, give a completely unconvincing argument, as to why we should get behind Dewey. He essentially said that if conservatives don't get behind Dewey then he will have no reason to give us conservatives a place at the table if he is elected. I'm not sure if he meant to say it or not but what I heard him say is that Dewey is not a real conservative. If he was, what difference would it make whether or not we got behind him? Real conservatives are conservatives no matter where the winds are blowing, and a real conservative mayor would have strong conservatives in his cabinet no mater what. Chris cemented my belief that Bartlett is a moderate.

That being said, I've heard Dewey say some things that do give me some hope. He told me he was against at-large councilors, he pledged not to raise taxes, and I've become convinced that he might actually do a better job of getting us through this economic storm than the other candidates.

But truth be told, Tom Adelson scares the crap out of me. I have an interesting theory that Adelson might actually be good for Tulsa, creating the Obama affect that we are seeing on the national scale. It may be that an Adelson administration might finally push us toward the kind of mayoral candidate that I've been hoping for all along. Or at the very least I think that he might be so polarizing with the council that he will accomplish nothing. While it is an interesting theory, it didn't work with Kathy Taylor, and I quite frankly don't want to risk it. This guy thinks Obama is great, and I simply can't stand the possibility that he might become our next mayor.

Dewey Bartlet's wife Victoria cornered me at the KRMG Mayoral Smashup and asked me to get behind Dewey (I'm kind of scared of her by the way). I've thought about it, and I've been thinking about it for several weeks. This might not be the glowing endorsement she was hoping for, but like I said, this isn't really an endorsement so much as it is a blog post for my readers who are interested in how I'm going to vote and what my thought process has been.

It has been along road for me, starting out as the guy who categorically rejected the idea that he would ever vote for Bartlett, to the the guy who has finally decided that he would. Alas, I don't think the road is long enough to take me to the place where I could actually endorse him. Charlie Biggs sums up my thoughts on the subject best.

Dewey Bartlett might wind up being the best mayor we’ve ever had. But I have serious doubts. He was cozy with Taylor. Bartlett, who was endorsed in the primary by the liberal Tulsa World, has a history of entertaining tax increases and the expansion of government. Bartlett has pledged that he will not raise taxes as mayor or grow government.

My practice has been to take politicians for their word until I find out different. I am not as trusting as I used to be. Too many politicians say one thing during the heat of the campaign and then govern in the opposite direction.

I will not endorse someone that I am not sure about. Even though I am a registered Republican, I am a Christian, an American and a conservative first.

The people who read this newspaper are smart enough (and spiritual enough) to make their own decisions.

I've gone a step further than Biggs to tell you how I'm actually going to vote, however I suspect that the people who read this blog are smart enough (and spiritual enough) to make their own decisions.

KRMG’s Mayoral Smashup

2009-11-04T13:25:00.001-06:00

If you missed last night’s Mayoral Smashup, then you really missed out. While you can listen to the event online, I suspect that it will be nowhere near what it was like in person. This was by far the best candidate forum/debate I have ever attended or witnessed.

There were not really any rules with regard to time allotted for responses, order of candidates, or allowances for retorts/responses. This is something I think the candidates did not take full advantage of. The debate, by design, was loose on structure, rules, and formality. Only Independent Mark Perkins figured out, about 3/4ths of the way in, that he could pipe up and challenge the response of his opponents, and in part lead the direction of the conversation.

There were not any rules for the folks in the gallery either; but unlike the candidates, we took full advantage of the freedom we were provided. There where cheers, jeers, and tears from the crowd. Not being a supporter of any candidate provided me the freedom to clap and cheer when a candidate said something I liked, as well as the freedom no shout and boo when they said something that made me mad. It was awesome; I had a great time.

Things that made me shout and boo:
During a true/false question, Democrat Tom Adelson said agreed that Obama was a great president. BOOOO!!!

During a true/false question, Perkins would not answer whether Tulsa needed more gun control laws. BOOOOO!!! Someone behind me shouted, “Come on man! This is Oklahoma!”

Again during a true/false question Republican Dewey Bartlett Jr agreed that Taylor had been an exceptional Mayor. BOOO!!!!!!

All three of them when asked if people from mid-town were more Tulsans that Tulsans outside of mid-town they all said no, I shouted, “Tell us what you really think!”

All three said that moving City hall was a good idea, BOOOO!

While it did not make me boo so much as roll my eyes, Bartlett had to bring up is pecan farm AGAIN, UGHHH!! (He is starting to make me not like pecans!)

Things that made me cheer:
The next day, I am having trouble remembering what Adelson said that made me cheer. I know I did once or twice but I did not do it very often. Sorry Tom.

Perkins made me cheer several times, although again, I can’t remember too many instances where I did. When asked to say something nice about the other two candidates he said, I appreciate their PAST service. I cheered at that.

Bartlett, despite saying many things that made me boo, said were several things that I cheered for. I really liked what he had to say about the Mayor’s pay. He said “Why would someone want to take an extremely serious job that's going to consume my entire four years and my family's and not get paid for it?” I have to agree with that. Cheers!

I liked what he had to say about not raising taxes, and what he had to say about finding savings in the budget through the use of performance and energy audits. Cheers!

When asked whether or not he supported diversifying our revenue stream away from sales tax he said no. His made a point that if we could find away, through the aforementioned audits, to live with in our means and find millions of dollars of savings, why would we want to? Cheers!

While I don’t like the volatility of our sales tax stream, I have to say that I’m extremely worried that if Tulsa was ever provided the means to levy both sales tax and property tax, they would use both to their full advantage and our at our expense. As such I am extremely wary of any change to our tax structure so I really liked Dewey Jr’s answer. Cheers!

I also really liked what he had to say about Tulsa cops. He suggested that we could replace fully sworn cops that sit behind a desk with civilians. This would allow those formally desk bound cops to get on the street. He also suggested that we should make greater use of our reserve force. He proposed that we expand the reserve force my making it easier to become a reserve officer. As long as we do not let the riff raff in, I think that is a great idea. Cheers!

Who won?:
While I booed them all frequently and equally, I do think I found myself cheering for Bartlett more than the others, so if I had to call a winner for the Smashup, I think I’d give it to Dewey.

If I were to judge the winner based on the crowd’s reaction I think the prize would have to go to Perkins. The crowd really liked Mark, giving him more cheers that jeers, and certainly more cheers than were given to the other candidates.

I had a really great time, I am glad I decided to head down there to experience it live. Kudos to KRMG and everyone involved in setting this up, I really really enjoyed it.

Worst Bill Ever

2009-11-03T10:56:00.003-06:00

I recently read a Wall Street Journal opinion piece calling Nancy Pelosi's Heath Care bill the Worst Bill Ever.

Mr. Obama rode into office on a wave of "change," but we doubt most voters realized that the change Democrats had in mind was making health care even more expensive and rigid than the status quo. Critics will say we are exaggerating, but we believe it is no stretch to say that Mrs. Pelosi's handiwork ranks with the Smoot-Hawley tariff and FDR's National Industrial Recovery Act as among the worst bills Congress has ever seriously contemplated.

Thanks to Congressman John Sullivan who lugged a copy back from DC, I was able to visit the Hardesty Library and see the bill for myself. (you can also view it at the Downtown Library). Just incase you won't be able to go and see the bill for your self, I made a video.

Thanks again to Congressman Sullivan for letting us see this "Worst bill ever" for ourselves.

Staggered Three-Year Terms #2: Who Benefits?

2009-11-02T08:22:00.000-06:00

On November 10th Tulsa citizens will be asked to vote on a charter change proposal that would modify council terms from two to three years and would stagger those terms so that every year three of the nine councilors would be up for election. Further, for the first three years, the terms for the three sets of three would be 1 year for the first three districts, 2 for the second and 3 for the third.

In my first post we talked about the faulty assertion that this change will protect the continuity of the council. In review, aside from the first council, there has never been a council will all freshmen members. This current council has decades of experience and only 2 freshman councilors. I've yet to see a council with out continuity.

So if the benefit is not the continuity of the council, what is the benefit? Or more precisely who will be the beneficiary of this change? The most important beneficiary of any change in government should be the people. Unfortunately this charger change doesn't benefit you, it benefits professional campaign managers, and it benefits crummy councilors that need to be voted out of office.

We have already established that the supposed benefit to the electorate of a council with continuity is bunk. But even it it wasn't, this charter change presupposes that it is in your best interest to have continuity in the council. What if it was the will of all nine districts to get rid of a particularly crummy council? Under this change it would take Tulsans up to 3 years to get rid of them all. But again, this has never happened so what is the point of the change?

With two-year-terms there is a 50/50 chance that controversial issues decided by the council will fall on an election year. Should they want to get re-elected, the council must keep their constituency in mind when deciding issues that might anger them. Under this proposed change, there would be only a 1 in 3 chance that any one councilor would be in danger of feeling the wrath of an enraged electorate. This change could emboldened the council to act on issues that run contrary to the wishes their district. Councilors that anger their district have everything to gain from this change. If they happen to upset constituents the first year of their term, they will now have 2 long years to hope their actions are forgotten. All the councilors, crummy or not, will benefit as they will no longer have to run for re-election every other year. This benefit should not be understated; having two whole years to prepare for re-election is an amazing gift.

Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of this change are the few professional campaign managers who focus on local elections. These guys will now have the certainty of a job every year. There is a certain kind of candidate that pairs particularity well with some of Tulsa's "finest" campaign managers. (The kind with deep pockets and mid-town way of thinking) This change make it easier for these parings to happen, and provide these managers not only the chance of more business, but a council election job every year, instead of every other year.

Do you really want every year to be an city council election year? Do you really want to provide the council cover and protection from re-election? Do you really want give the guys behind some of the more negative ads you've seen this election year more busness?

I didn't think so. Don't forget to vote against this charter change. On November 10th, vote NO on staggered three-year council terms

Undercurrent Against Taylor?

2009-10-31T11:27:00.001-05:00

This morning, my wife and daughter ran the 2K Tulsa Fun run. Just before the race, my wife reported to me that Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor spoke to the crowd. Surrounded by other parents, teachers, and fun run participants, my wife heard several people say some negative things about the Mayor. One person lamented the layoff of 21 police officers, another person was upset about the mounted police, there was a complaint that Taylor would now be in a position of power over the State's education, there was even a boo. Finally another person in the crowd said, we don't have to agree with her or even like her to be polite...

What I find interesting about this report, is this the undercurrent of animosity toward Mayor Taylor in such a diverse crowd. I've heard several apologists for Taylor trying to spin her into the responsible mayor who is doing everything possible to fix this horrible budget problem in Tulsa, but it appears that most people aren't buying it.

The real question is how long will this animosity last? If and when Taylor makes a move for another elected office, how will that lingering animosity affect her chances of a win? My bet is that she won't win another election if Tulsans have anything to do with the outcome.

Friday Happenings

2009-10-30T18:05:00.001-05:00

Two things of note today.

1. A few people gathered in front of Kathy Taylor's mansion to protest the layoff of 21 Tulsa Police Officers. I was there to take some pictures.

2. Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith is attempting to remove District 2 Appointee Elizabeth Wright from the TMAPC. (full agenda here.)

AGENDA
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Monday, November 2, 2009
Tulsa County Administration Building
500 S. Denver, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Room 119, 9:30 A.M.

...

VI. NEW BUSINESS

...

D. Request for Public Hearing - (Board of County Commissioners) - to Consider the Removal of Elizabeth Wright as the District 2 Appointee, from the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, to be held

11/23/09 at 9:30 a.m.

Over at the Tulsa Now Forum Michael Bates had this to say.

Karen Keith has been lobbying Wright to resign, claiming that she wants to appoint someone for geographic balance. Wright has refused; her term expires in January 2011. Now, evidently, Keith is going to try to remove Wright for cause.

I have heard that developers don't like Wright because she asks questions they'd rather not answer.

Geographic balance is important, but I would hate to lose a planning commissioner who brings a neighborhood perspective to the table, understands zoning, and is able to stand up under pressure.

For Kent

2009-10-27T18:21:00.002-05:00

Was Bartlett a Member of Tulsans for Better Government?

2009-10-25T23:36:00.003-05:00

The short answer, technically he was not actually an active member of the group. The long answer is much more complicated.

One of the primary reasons I have been so opposed to Dewey Bartlett Jr. was my belief that he was a member of the Tulsans for Better Government. This is the group that pushed for at-large councilors, and for non-partisan local elections.

I had good reason to think he was a member:
A Tulsa World article (from 2005)
Their website (now archived) (from 2006)
A Batesline article (2005)

Last Sunday, I was a part of a small group who met with Mr. Bartlett to ask him questions (This will be another post). I told Mr. Bartlett that one of my primary concerns regarding his candidacy was his involvement with the Tulsans for Better Government. I told him that I found the idea for at-large councilors extremely concerning. The implication in my statement was that I could not support anyone who wanted to take control of the City Council in a way that would focus power in downtown and midtown, and disenfranchise the other parts of the city.

What he said, shocked and confused me. With regard to his involvement with Tulsans for Better Government, he said that he did not know about the at-large councilor push, that it was tendered without his knowledge. He suggested that he was asked to joined the group years ago but never really had anything to do with them, and certainly had nothing to do with the idea of at-large councilors. I asked him what he thought of at-large councilors and he said the he did not think it was a good idea, and that our form of government should not be changed.

I found that extremely hard to believe. Later I told his campaign manager that I would need a lot more information. A few days later he claimed that Dewey Bartlett was never a member of the Tulsans for Better Government. With seemingly conflicting information out of the Bartlett campaign I had to do some investigative work.

I reached out to some known members of the Tulsans for Better Government. I contacted Steve Schuller and Ted Sherwood directly, and I had indirect information from John Brock.

The story that I've been able to piece together is that Bartlett was contacted by some unknown person within the group asking that he lend his name to their cause, presumably to lend credence to their petition for at-large councilors. Schuller and Sherwood told me that he never had any other interaction with the group, that he was not an active member.

Bartlett claims that he really had no knowledge of the at-large councilor idea, that he thought he was signing up for "one of these kind of good government uhh, let's help somebody get elected" groups.

While it is good that Bartlett is seemingly on the right side of the at-large councilor issue, and while it is good to find out that Bartlett was not really a part of this Tulsans for Better Government group, I'm still rather disturbed my two nagging problems I have with this entire ordeal.

1. Remember that Bartlett was on that very first city council back in 1990. While I wasn't living in Tulsa at the time, I'm told that the push away from the city commissioner form of government toward the form of government we have now was a rather contentious issue. Bartlett was a part of this change, he was there on day one and should be sensitive toward any change to the form of government. Tulsans for Better Government was formed in 2005 for the express purpose of pushing for at-large councilors, so if we assume that since Bartlett claims he didn't know anything about the at-large councilor idea, it means that he let his name be used with out knowing what it was for. I would like to know what he was told, but if it was anything like what Randi Miller was told when she let her name get used, red flags should have gone off in his mind and he should have gotten more information before he let his mid-town buddies use his name.

2. In 2005, when the story about the Tulsans for Better Government and their push for at-large councilors broke, it was a huge deal. Anyone who was paying even just a little bit of attention to local politics knew about this. Bartlett's name was in the paper associated with this change. A huge stink was made, and a rather large group of people from all over the city, from all political ideologies, and from all walks of life rose up and fought this. If he didn't understand what he had lent his name to in the beginning, I find it extraordinarily hard to believe that he didn't figure it out afterward. Why didn't he call for a retraction? Why didn't he ask to have is name removed from the Tulsans for Better Government's website? Dewey Bartlett Jr should have known better but instead he was silent.

Again, this became a major campaign issue in this year's primary, yet as far as I know, Bartlett did nothing to correct the record. His involvement may have at first just been incredibly naive, however, by doing nothing to distance himself from this group in 2005 or earlier this year makes him complicit in my mind. So I'm right back to where I started before I knew that Bartlett really wasn't a part of the Tulsans for Better Government.

I see a man who unwittingly let his name be used in an effort to disenfranchise most of the city, presumably because one of his mid-town buddies suckered him into doing so. I'm not sure if that is not worse than being an unapologetic member of the group.

Did Dewey Bartlett Jr. Support Taylor in 2006?

2009-10-22T12:28:00.002-05:00

There is no doubt that Bartlett backed Taylor in 2009 before she dropped out of the Mayor's race. But did he support her back in 2006? Based on what I thought I remembered, what others were saying, and a 2009 Tulsa World article, I had reported that he did, but after digging a little more, I'm not so sure.

One of my fiends received a communication from the Bartlett campaign categorically denying that he supported her in 2006. Finding that rather shocking, I decided to dig a little deeper.

I looked through the Tulsa World Archives, and I could find no 2006 reference of Bartlet's support of Taylor.

I checked the web archive of Taylor's website from the 2006 election and did not find his name on her site. (http://web.archive.org/web/20060507224121/www.taylorfortulsa.com/supporters.php) (by the way web.archive.org is a great resource for this kind of thing)

I checked several blogs, including my own, for any reference to Bartlett's suport of Taylor, and came up empty.

I thought perhaps he supported her with his money. So I went to the City Clerk's office and asked for all the C1 forms from 2006, but could find no donation to her campaign in his name or from any PAC that he might have been associated with. It allso doesn't look like he donated to LaFortune either.

The only reference I can find, in print, that Bartlett Supported Taylor in 2006 is a 2009 Tulsa Wolrd article about his entrance into the Mayoral Race. (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090626_11_A14_DeweyB599762&archive=yes)

Even though Taylor — who has decided not to seek re-election — is a Democrat, Bartlett backed her 2006 mayoral campaign, and she asked him to co-lead an analysis and gather public input before last fall's Fix the Streets package was assembled. He said he would not have run if she had campaigned for a second term.

If Bartlett supported Taylor in 2006, I can find no hard evidence for it. My guess is that Bartlett must have said something about the race, off the record, to enough people that it must have resonated into the belief that he publicly supported her, or perhaps we are all just wrong.

For some voters it is a moot point as there is no denying that he backed her in 2009. The obvious concern to people that find this upsetting is the concern that a Bartlett administration might mirror the Taylor Administration.

Cash for Appliances?

2009-10-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

From The Oklahoma Department of Commerce:

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce recently submitted a comprehensive plan to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the state’s Energy Star Appliance Rebate program that is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Oklahoma was approved for a $3.5 million federal grant for the ARRA appliance rebate program.

The DOE is expected to notify Commerce if the state's plan has been approved by November 30. The program will likely begin in early spring of 2010.

"This plan is designed to assist Oklahomans in reducing their energy costs," said Natalie Shirley, Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce. "The program will be managed by a third party administrator, which will be selected through the state’s procurement process."

A working group comprised of members from Commerce, Oklahoma Community Action Agencies, and members of state utility companies developed the recommended rebates for Oklahoma. The working group estimated approximately 23,000 rebates for Energy Star appliances could be awarded from the proposed state plan. The proposed appliances and rebates levels are:

Clothes Washers $200
Refrigerators $200
Room Air Conditioners $50
Water Heaters $100
Central Air Conditioners $100
Gas Furnaces $100
Ground Source Heat Pumps $250

Shirley said more details on qualified appliances will be determined following the selection of a third party administrator and that all information is pending DOE approval.

Vaughn Clark, Commerce Director of Community Development, said each state created its own appliance rebate plan. He said the criteria used in writing the plan were energy savings potential and usage in Oklahoma.

"This is an opportunity for Oklahoma families to benefit from the national stimulus funding. Investing in new, energy-saving appliance replacements will help families save money in the long run," Clark said.

Clark said old appliances must be recycled and removed from the property in order to qualify, and rebates will not be available for appliances purchased prior to the program’s spring 2010 start date. He said only Oklahoma residential consumers will be eligible for rebates in Oklahoma, and there is a maximum of one rebate per appliance and two rebates per household.

The estimated annual savings in Oklahoma from the Energy Star appliance program is: 7,665,683 kWh of energy; 34,230,000 gallons of water and 9,985,150 lbs. of CO2

Hold off on your appliance purchases people, Oklahoma has a handout a commin.