In January, Governor Kevin Stitt called a special election to fill the vacancy of the Creek County Commissioner District Three position following the passing of District Three Commissioner Lane Whitehouse. Six candidates filed in response. Friday, March 26th, five of the six candidates running for Creek County Commissioner District Three came together for a town hall forum at VFW Post 3656. The five candidates present who spoke and answered constituents’ questions include: Danny Gann, Bryan Sherwood, H. Chris Root, Mike Wofford, and Justin Speers. The sixth candidate, Jarrod Whitehouse, did not attend. Bristow Mayor Rick Pinson also spoke regarding the proposed separate half-cent taxes for the hospital and parks and recreation. Because the forum was dedicated to showcasing the District Three Commissioner candidates, no questions were presented for Mayor Pinson.
The forum began by allowing each of the five candidates the opportunity to introduce themselves and explain why they chose to run for the District Three Commissioner vacancy. Each of the candidates discussed his family prior to disclosing his reasons for seeking office and proposed actions if elected.
Chris Root described his accounting, auditing, and management background. He stated, “If I’m elected, I will perform an audit and analysis of 2022 budget to ensure compliance and meet needs of citizens.” Mr. Root noted that areas of importance on which he planned to focus include the states of roads and bridges, infrastructure, and the work ethics of the department. He led by addressing the budget as the most important aspect he planned to address if elected.
Next, Bryan Sherwood summarized his employment history and volunteer endeavors, including having been president of a Sapulpa area school board and projects to which he contributed as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Sapulpa. He stated that he is running for District 3 Commissioner because he loves the county and community, he has family throughout the county, and he lives in the county as well. Mr. Sherwood disclosed that transparency of the office proved of paramount importance to him and declared that if elected, he planned to be always accessible and transparent through email, social media, by phone, and in office.
Following Mr. Sherwood, Justin Speers recounted his employment background as a District One highway employee, inspector for Oklahoma Natural Gas, and business owner of a fencing company. Mr. Speers also discussed his membership to local clubs and his devotion to God. Mr. Speers said he felt like God called him to run for the office of District Three Commissioner. He stated that he enjoys talking to and helping people; although he is young, he declared his willingness to learn. As for the areas he feels the county can improve, Mr. Speers articulated his desire to make better use of machinery and equipment and to address the roads and bridges throughout the district.
As Mr. Speers concluded his introduction, Mike Wofford began and disclosed that though he was raised in Sand Springs, he has been doing business in Bristow since 1997. Mr. Wofford introduced himself as a grant savvy contractor who has built bridges and roads—as well as patching and repairing them—across the state. Mr. Wofford repeatedly stressed the need to acquire grants to succeed in repairing the county’s roads and bridges as well as other projects. He declared his experience in grant related tasks as a benefit of electing him. Mr. Wofford expressed his intention to improve ditching and crowning of county roads to keep water from pooling and cited his work experience as a reason to invest in him as District Three Commissioner. Finally, Mr. Wofford stated that leadership and organization must be introduced and maintained in the county and declared that he will bring those qualities to the office if elected.
Wrapping up, Danny Gann presented a summarization of his qualifications based upon his work as District Three Commissioner from 2011 to 2014 and as co-owner of his aircraft shop business. Mr. Gann talked about grants being an important piece to completing necessary work projects within the county but stated how difficult they can be to acquire. Mr. Gann did note that during his tenure as District Three Commissioner, county crews completed construction of six bridges, four of them made possible through grants. He also noted that under his leadership, the county renovated the county barn and bought new equipment. He stated, “I’m proud of what we done [sic] when I was county commissioner, and I’m ready to do it again.”
Following introductions, the public asked questions of the candidates. More than 100 people attended the event. Six people asked questions, and two attendees gave lengthy statements or demands of candidates. After the first question, Randy Wood of the Creek County Planning Commission gave a brief clarification for attendees and candidates alike that any violations of zone or code within the county are misdemeanors and residents may be charged by the District Attorney’s office for those violations. Attendees’ questions centered on a few topics: industrial zoning, road maintenance, traffic weight and size as well as code enforcement, and funding sources. Questions could be asked of specific candidates or all candidates.
The forum was videoed for athome viewing and contains crosstalk but is mostly audible. For anyone interested, video of the forum remains available for viewing on the VFW Post 3656 Wake Island Memorial Facebook page. For those without Facebook accounts, the video is viewable at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/BristowVFW/videos/539298453716 577/.