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1946 Tulsa County precincts

Newspapers.com has some amazing content that can help to locate long-lost rural places around Tulsa. I was searching for information about Bethel Union School, later known as Paul Revere School (which I wrote about in conjunction with the centennial of Southern Hills Baptist Church), and I found a legal notice...

Posted by Michael Bates on July 6, 2021 11:40 PM

Josh Turley for Tulsa County Commissioner, District 2

The only contested Tulsa County office on the ballot is a rematch for Tulsa County Commissioner, District 2. Republican Josh Turley seeks to defeat 12-year incumbent Democrat Commissioner Karen Keith. Dr. Turley, whose doctorate is in organizational leadership, had a distinguished 24-year career at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office,...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 30, 2020 12:05 AM

2018 Tulsa district judge elections

Here are the nuts and bolts of how we elect judges in Tulsa and Pawnee counties.

Posted by Michael Bates on June 11, 2018 6:22 PM

John Wright for Tulsa County Assessor

To shake my political writer's block, I'm starting my 2018 Oklahoma primary coverage with those candidates whom I wholeheartedly support. First on the list is John Wright. No one is better prepared than John Wright, in both temperament and professional experience, to serve as our County Assessor.

Posted by Michael Bates on June 10, 2018 11:46 PM

David McLain for Tulsa County GOP Chairman

If you haven't already, please read my little essay about the purpose of a political party. Grounded in the view that a political party ought to stand on principle above personality, tomorrow at the 2017 Tulsa County Republican Convention I'll be voting for David McLain for Tulsa County GOP...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 24, 2017 11:48 PM

Oklahoma runoff election day 2014

Happy Election Day! Polls open across Oklahoma at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Results should start rolling in soon after 7 p.m. The Oklahoma State Election Board website will update results as they are received from the county election boards. Although results are posted on each precinct door...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 26, 2014 7:00 PM

Pro-life group: Fred Jordan led defeat of key bill

In a state as strongly pro-life as Oklahoma, legislation to protect the unborn and pregnant women normally sails through to passage. But sometimes that legislation is stymied by judges. Although appeals court judges and supreme court justices are subject to a periodic retention vote of the people, I can't recall...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 22, 2014 11:58 AM

Fred Jordan's ineligibility: Rebutting Terry Simonson

Terry Simonson was on 1170 KFAQ with Pat Campbell this morning, arguing the case for State Rep. Fred Jordan's eligibility to be elected District Attorney. Simonson's LinkedIn profile indicates that he is the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office and the President/Owner of Pathways Consulting &...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 17, 2014 6:30 PM

Ken Yazel for Tulsa County Assessor

Several important elections will be settled in the June 24, 2014, Republican primary. Between now and then, I will be posting endorsements, starting with an enthusiastic recommendation that I can make without hesitation. Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel is one of those rare elected officials who has remained true to...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 13, 2014 1:34 AM

Pat Key, who puts obstacles in the way of public access to public information, is tired of budget transparency talk

Tulsa County Clerk Pat Key says she is tired of Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel's annual push for budget transparency. Yazel has repeatedly voted against the county's budget, saying it does not provide a complete accounting of all county revenues and expenditures. He made the same argument Monday, and again,...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 12, 2014 2:04 AM

Neither Crain nor Jordan are eligible for District Attorney

Article 5, Section 23, of the Oklahoma Constitution: No member of the Legislature shall, during the term for which he was elected, be appointed or elected to any office or commission in the State, which shall have been created, or the emoluments of which shall have been increased, during his...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 25, 2014 4:10 PM

Happy birthday, Ken Yazel!

Today is the birthday of Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel, and it seems as good a time as any to salute him for his hard work on behalf of Tulsa's taxpayers these past 12 years. Ken is running for re-election to a fourth four-year term, and I encourage you to...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 27, 2014 8:30 AM

John Wright for county competitive bidding, transparency

Realtor Darryl Baskin has interviewed all four Republican candidates for Tulsa County Commissioner District 3, and you can see the interviews on his TulsaLiveEvents.com LiveStream channel. Baskin asked insightful questions of each of the candidates and elicited thoughtful responses. I was particularly impressed with the answers from John Wright, which...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 9, 2013 1:28 AM

Ronda Vuillemont-Smith withdraws from Tulsa County Commissioner race

Citing the last-minute entry of former State Rep. John Wright into the Tulsa County Commission District 3 special election, Ronda Vuillemont-Smith has announced her withdrawal from the race. Vuillemont-Smith heads the Tulsa 9.12 Project, a Tea Party organization, and led last year's defeat of the Vision2 county sales tax. TULSA,...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 13, 2013 9:58 AM

HB 1986: Brumbaugh's county budget reform bill

While putting together the previous entry, I came across a spreadsheet of newly-filed legislation for the 54th Oklahoma Legislature (on the home page of thehouseandsenate.com), and found yet another reform worthy of notice and support. State Representative David Brumbaugh, a Broken Arrow Republican, has filed legislation to increase county budget...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 14, 2013 11:08 PM

Fred Perry to resign

Tulsa County District 3 Commissioner Fred Perry announced today that he will resign effective July 8, 2013, about 18 months before the expiration of his second term as a commissioner. (Read the press release at TheOkie.com.) The announcement comes three months after Perry, age 72, underwent a heart procedure; Perry...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 11, 2013 10:08 PM

Keep the Fairgrounds in the city limits

In a recent issue of Urban Tulsa Weekly, Terry Simonson, who left his position as Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr's chief of staff under an ethical cloud, makes a very weak case for de-annexing the Tulsa County Fairgrounds (aka Expo Square) from the City of Tulsa. Over the history of the...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 14, 2012 11:05 PM

Vision2: Juvenile justice double-dip

NOTE: I'll be on the Pat Campbell Show on KFAQ AM 1170 this morning to talk about Vision2. It's not right for government to use the same project to sell two different taxes to the voters seven years apart. It's double-dipping. But that's exactly what Tulsa County's commissioners appear to...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 25, 2012 11:20 PM

Tulsa County GOP opposes Vision2, censures Smaligo, Perry

TULSA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY PRESS RELEASE Members of the Tulsa County Republican Party County Committee met on Saturday, August 18, 2012 and adopted a resolution calling for the defeat of the Vision2 county sales tax propositions on the November ballot and opposing any use of Vision 2025 funds to...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 20, 2012 11:59 PM

Tulsa County Commissioners put Vision2 (ObamaVision) on November ballot

The Tulsa County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday morning, to the disappointment of many and the surprise of none, to put a 13-year sales tax extension on the ballot this coming November, more than four years before the tax is scheduled to expire. The package is being called Vision2...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 14, 2012 12:14 AM