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The rainbow coalition

I want to apologize for suggesting that the backers of the plan to cut the number of Tulsa city council districts and add at-large districts is not a diverse group. Now that I've seen a list of the steering committee, I see that it includes both people connected with Holland Hall and people connected with Cascia Hall.

Here's the list of names, from today's Tulsa Whirled story:

The group's advisory board comprises [committee treasurer Len] Eaton's wife, Patty Eaton, a former Tulsa water commissioner and current member of the city's water board; Howard Barnett, former Gov. Frank Keating's chief of staff; former Mayor Robert LaFortune; former Mayor Jim Hewgley; Norma Eagleton, a former Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner and former Tulsa Airport Authority member; former Councilor Dewey Bartlett Jr., the president of Keener Oil & Gas Co.; former Street Commissioner Sid Patterson; Paula Marshall-Chapman, the chief executive officer of Bama Cos.; Tom Hughes, the owner of Hughes Lumber; and the lawyers David Riggs, C.S. Lewis III and Ray Feldman and his wife, Nancy Feldman, a former professor at University of Tulsa.

Clearly District 9 is not content with having two councilors already -- they want five.

Comments (5)

susan:

There are a lot of "former" reps. listed here. Remember LEN EATON, husband of Patty Eaton is also a "former". Len Eaton is former top spot with BANK OF OKLAHOMA! He knows exactly how bad loans/high risk loan approval policies work for BANK OF OKLAHOMA. Could he have been involved in helping think up that plan to go to our representatives led by a DEMOCRAT in Oklahoma City then turn around and use that against a loan that BOK would eventually approve?
COULD YOU CHECK IF ANY of these names were behind the purchase shares of GREAT PLAINS AIRLINES? No doubt some of these names are friends of the Lorton's and T.W. newspaper
staff story writers.

Who are the people connected with Holland Hall and Casia Hall?

susan:

Also of interest, Dan Keating, brother of former Governor Frank Keating was also a former Bank of Oklahoma employee.

Jeff Shaw Author Profile Page:

One could connect dots all day long in a city/state this size. Its too easy. I'm not discounting these connections because they appear to be generational. The same families doing the same deals. What I'm concerned about is that what we have here is akin to our own little corrupt third world country. Its worse than that, because they are endeavoring to dilute representation to the point that no one will be able to mount any sort of challenge to anything these guys do. I'm afraid no new money will ever come here with such a weak government system. (I believe in a weak government, but not a weak system where there is no valid representation).

susan:

The city's Economic Development Commission hired a planner from St.Louis and someone representing
economic development in Washington, DC. These two
people said the area tax base needs to be reformed. The planners suggested that the city ought to get more money from property tax or an earnings tax. Property taxes are already extremely high and if you own a home and get to pay that once a year, you defintely know how expensive that is!

The names om the group's advisory board above
would not be feeling the pinch if their property taxes went up because most if you check it out are quite comfortable financially. Why would Tulsa want to add at-large districts? The present has councilors from all parts of Tulsa County and each district SHOULD present their own concerns on raising property taxes to people struggling to make it each month on what they earn and have to live.

We won't see any of those names on the advisory board with homes right in the center of downtown. They all live in very safe nice neighborhoods.

If you have been to St. Louis, the planner might just want to take a look at those exciting St. Louis loop
and road plans if you have travelled from Tulsa and are heading up north. You have to wonder where were are the good planners of their own city? There are many parts of St. Louis that need a great deal of help like our downtown area and other areas of Tulsa County.
Is this advisory board or other group happy that Tulsa paid $100,000.00 to advise
Tulsa on economic development "possibilities"?

susan:

I would like to share with readers about how one
person (my brother-in-law) also has helped in his district/community. He lives in a resort area in a northern state. Why do people love to come to this area? Well Bruce Willis(the actor) does visit one of his kids at an arts school not far from this resort, but it is the clear lake and other places where families find completely relaxing to go to throughout the year. It has an arts year-round school where kids from all over the U.S. love to come to. Many parents have second mortgaged their homes just for their children to have an opportunity to have this education and arts experience.

My brother-in-law was passing by a motel and noticed it was for sale and purchased it. With his loan, he took full responsiblity in the property if it made it he would be the winner, but if the business did not do well, he also was willing to take that responsibility. When you have good business ethics, I think good things will happen to businesses. It certainly did to his.

His motel was a shining point in his little community. All of a sudden all the tourists started coming to his motel. Then the other motels started copying off his ideas by giving their motel a fresh coat a paint. My was asked to be a leader in the Chamber of Commerce. He gave it a new coat of paint, made it curb-appeal friendly. Things continued to go so well for him that a Best Western wanted to team up with him so he tore down his motel and purchased more land and now the community has a brand new motel and it started getting reservations before it was even built because he advertised the one of a kind special features it would offer in this beautiful area! Now my husband just told me his brother was contacted to go and build another brand new motel in his state because they saw how successful he was in turning a sleepy little area and turning it into a prosperous town. He is a builder and a realtor too and has a lot of business experience before going into this type of business.

There are many in Tulsa that are financially blessed that have the time and the finances to take an interest in DOWNTOWN
or an area in your district where you live to buy a run down piece of property that may be for sale with a sign or looks as though it has been abandoned and you could see if you could by it and make Tulsa look better and improve the economy one project at a time.

I don't think any TULSA group needs to go out and spend $100,000.00 on such common advice looking for "possibilities" like what happened with our Tulsa Economic Development Commission. What you need to do is see successes and not allow one group to use the
"bully tactic" of having the "formers" trying to
persuade Tulsa citizens into accepting economic
acceptance of other bank deals that went sour.

Adding at-large tactics might not be in Tulsa's best interest.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on October 27, 2005 5:58 PM.

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