David Schuttler has posted the first video clip from the TREC forum. It doesn't include any of the candidate responses, but it has the opening remarks from Brian Hunt, chairman of TREC, the questions that were put to the candidates, and Hunt's closing remarks.
In his opening remarks, Hunt clearly implied that Medlock's exclusion was because TREC feels they already know his answers, and they don't want to hear them. I guess the development lobby are concerned that the four candidates who kowtowed to them weren't strong enough to debate the real Chris Medlock; they could only manage a debate against a straw man, TREC's distorted caricature of Medlock's views.
The decision to exclude Medlock was so politically stupid that I imagine that those responsible will be punished by TREC's puppetmasters for their mistake. Hunt mentioned in his opening remarks that this wasn't intended to be a public event, but it had become newsworthy. Traditionally, the development lobby did its work behind the scenes, and tried to keep issues of development and zoning out of the public debate. Had TREC chosen to invite Medlock to participate, the debate probably would have remained under the public's radar. As it is, Tulsa's voters now know there is a powerful special interest group at work in this election, a group that doesn't want Tulsa to have a Mayor who stands up for Tulsa's best interests.
Comments (4)
Kathy Taylor and Don McCorkell (democrats) would have welcomed CHRIS MEDLOCK in the debate. What does that say for the people putting on this debate where MEDLOCK a leading candidate was left out?
Kathy Taylor does seem to be married to a very
capable businessman (Bill Lobeck)(guess she likes her Taylor name so well she kept it too) Bill Lobeck insisted on relocating Vanguard to Tulsa. Thanks to some help from wife, Kathy Taylor, Oklahoma Dept. of Commerce and others -- Oklahoma incentives with tax (again help from Kathy Taylor and people at the Capitol -- remember all the "tax" help our state senators and Governor Brad Henry was a state senator at the time the Great Plains Airlines financial & tax dealings were approved. TAX DEALS APPROVED ...STILL GREAT PLAINS AIRLINES WENT BANKRUPT. Istook should be able to win Governor ...he already has some pretty good poll numbers and he hasn't even started campaigning!
Look how far Brad Henry came to win Governor when he was practically an "UNKNOWN" to the citizens in Oklahoma!
Maybe Kathy Taylor's husband, Bill Lobeck, could buy a few more bankrupt companies
and put the corporate offices in Tulsa. Downtown still looks like a ghost town with all that empty office space across from back of the PAC as well as lots of run down buildings still around downtown. That's one reason you see Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck all the time in all the social scenes magazines.
It's called .......FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL
CONNECTIONS! She is also a friend of David Boren and with all of his "connections" got the political backing and financial political donations to get his son, Dan Boren, elected to Congress! Who in the world knew who Dan Boren was.......well I guess if he can come all the way from Seminole where connections got him that position and David Boren just happened to get a library in his name at that small little Oklahoma college....there is definitely a possibility the democrats will vote for Kathy Taylor!
With all that said, the majority of Tulsans still have no idea who Kathy Taylor is. I am sorry Kathy, but the majority of Tulsa does not have a membership at Southern Hills or hang out with the Lortons to get that positive publicity for Kathy Taylor. Mike Case(TU big DONOR guy who has his name all over TULSA REAL ESTATE PROPERTY......what can I say....he's on the list of donors Michael had below and the Tulsa World who gave through the OKC post office mail box are also on the list. The Lorton's (Tulsa World) also own Tulsa real estate. Their son lives by Philbrook, right? Just a little benefit provided by the daddy Lorton and the Tulsa World. How much can a 30 something Lorton make in his new position to drive the expensive car he drives and live in the Philbrook neighborhood? And Bill Lobeck (VANGUARD) thought
those executives he got rid of in Florida were way overpaid!
Tulsa World's newspaper subscribers has been dwindling ....people are getting sick and tired of their one-sided opinions by Ken Neal and others and only leaving out so many good news stories, so it would be
interesting to find out all of the real estate
the Lorton's own. With the VISION passed you can
see the new relocation of the Tulsa World (or it sure looked like a relocation effort last time I was down there) by the hotel which will also benefit from the Arena so that explains donationas from that hotel and any other hotel in downtown. All real estate moves and the price of real estate went up with the Vision package passing. With the vision passing, now they have the money to build towards the better part of downtown.
You can see why all those people on the list to
change the Tulsa City Council are supporters of their real estate investments!!!!!!!!!
Posted by susan | February 7, 2006 1:33 PM
Posted on February 7, 2006 13:33
Brad Henry has some of the highest approval ratings of any governor in the country. Good luck getting anyone to beat him. That GPA tax association on him is a stretch.
Posted by Joseph Wallis | February 8, 2006 7:05 AM
Posted on February 8, 2006 07:05
Joseph, you're right about those approval ratings for the Boy Governor, although it is almost beyond belief how that could be. Have that many people never heard him attempt to give a speech? He sounds like a high school student in speech class.
Approval rating north of 70%, when his major accomplishments, by his own admission, are lottery, the exponential growth of Indian gambling enterprises, and a steady growth for the largest employer in Oklahoma, none other than state government. Incredible.
Posted by Mike | February 8, 2006 9:52 AM
Posted on February 8, 2006 09:52
I do think Istook can beat Brad Henry. Largent had overwhelming lead poll numbers and was a front runner a long time until the Democrats used
cock fighting and other pitiful SMEAR tactics to get
Brad Henry, an unknown even though he served in the state senate his name was not a popular one at all and he did not win by that much either.
Posted by susan | February 8, 2006 12:26 PM
Posted on February 8, 2006 12:26