Tulsa City Hall: October 2006 Archives

Lest you think Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor's attendance at a New York City conference of pro-gun-control mayors was an aberration, the McCarville Report finds a news story that puts Taylor at yet another meeting of the group, this time in Chicago, and now the group has a name:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Milwaukee Mayor Thomas Barrett had harsh words Wednesday for the Bush administration and the gun lobby's influence on Congress.

"When Washington makes bad decisions to protect criminals rather than the public, we suffer the consequences," Bloomberg said at a news conference outlining the agenda for Thursday's Midwestern summit of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group Bloomberg founded with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino....

Daley, Bloomberg, and Barrett - accompanied by counterparts from a number of smaller cities - all complained that inaction by the federal executive branch and the influence of the gun lobby, particularly the National Rifle Association, on Congress have left local officials to combat the problem of illegal weapons....

The mayors - including Tulsa, Okla. Mayor Kathy Taylor and Rockford, Ill. Mayor Lawrence Morrisey - spoke at Chicago Police Headquarters from behind a table loaded with illegal firearms seized by police in recent months. Most were rapid-fire automatic pistols, but there also were automatic shotguns, military-style assault rifles and even a Prohibition-style Thompson submachine gun.

The Midwestern mayors were to meet in an all-day conference Thursday to discuss legal and technological strategies. Bloomberg said Menino would hold a similar conference in Boston Nov. 9 and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin would hold one in her city Nov. 30.

The NRA's response is that the laws are there, ready to be enforced if these mayors will only apply the necessary resources. These are illegal weapons, and added burdens on law-abiding gun owners isn't going to stop criminals who are already violating the law. Taylor is allying herself with mayors who have sought to use lawsuits to put gun and ammunition manufacturers out of business. That's like suing the head of Black and Decker for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

McCarville notes that Taylor's involvement in this group hasn't received much attention in the local media. Whatever your opinions on gun laws, surely everyone can agree that we ought to know what alliances and causes she is joining in her official capacity, in the name of the City of Tulsa. And the City Council ought to ask her to come before them to explain her involvement.

I wonder: If Taylor's leanings on this issue had been known, would it have cost her the election?

MeeCiteeWurkor will be on 1170 KFAQ with Michael DelGiorno tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 6:10 a.m. to talk about his investigation into the use of illegal labor by a city subcontractor.

Here are links to each of the articles in his series:

• Introduction: What's an American to do?
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Ethics Hotline Report Filed
• Public comments on this series

Be sure to tune in, or click here for information on how to listen to the Michael DelGiorno show online.

This was originally posted on October 7, 2006. I've bumped it to the top since it was a topic of conversation during my weekly visit with Michael DelGiorno on KFAQ this morning. On a related note, KFAQ is sponsoring a special showing of the film Border War tonight at 7 (by invitation only) and paid screenings at 9 tonight and tomorrow night at 7 and 9 (October 17 and 18) at the Starworld cineplex in Bixby.

MeeCiteeWurkor has begun a series of posts about the hiring practices of contractors and subcontractors to the City of Tulsa. In this first post, he is reporting on a specific instance of a city subcontractor employing people who cannot work legally in the U.S. One of the illegal workers was driving a truck carrying city property, despite the fact that he had been arrested on a DUI charge.

On August 17th of this year, between approximately 7am and 8am, I observed one of Don Shope’s “Mexicans” driving a blue and white Ford F-150 truck with an Oklahoma license plate of 396-ZMH....

I was told that the worker driving the truck had recently received a DUI and had his license suspended. I approached the gentleman, who I believe goes by the name “George”. I hollered at the guy in the truck and confronted him. There was an exchange in which I asked the supposed illegal worker why he was driving if his license was suspended, and especially after getting arrested for DUI. The contractor’s worker admitted to being arrested and not having a driver’s license, but soon realized what was happening and began to speak in Spanish and saying that he didn’t understand English.

There is audio (actually a darkened video) and a transcript of a confrontation with the Mexican worker's boss about this situation.

In the introduction to this series, MeeCiteeWurkor explains why he is posting this information, and he also explains the relationship between the City of Tulsa, the companies that contract with the City, and the subcontractors that are hired by the contractos to do the actual work.

As Dan Paden wrote: "Mee's risking his livelihood to bring this to your attention. Go and have a look. I don't think it's putting it too strongly to say that the citizens of Tulsa owe that to him."

Found on the web:

Mayor Taylor was selected as one of 60 applicants — out of a field of 400 — to participate in a Joint Civilian Orientation Conference. During her trip, she will be attending briefings with senior defense officials to discuss national defense matters from a strategic perspective, and then travel to the Middle East to observe activities and operations of each branch of the military.

During her trip, she will send back regular reports of her experience.

And this helps address budget shortfalls, economic development, and violent crime in Tulsa how, exactly?