As he prepares to cap his two-term tenure, Gov. Kevin Stitt visited the Rotary Club of Tulsa Wednesday during his 77-county tour to discuss the state of business, education and legislative hopes.
Stitt has repeatedly echoed his mission of making Oklahoma the most “business-friendly state” and a top 10 state in general. He says he’s already accomplished the former after cutting taxes and reducing barriers for aspiring businesses.
“People know Oklahoma is the most business-friendly state,” he said, though U.S. News & World Report ranked it 29th last year.
Stitt said 2025 was Oklahoma’s “greatest year” with $14 billion in new investments. He highlighted the Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum Company agreement to build the country’s first new primary aluminum production plant since 1980 in Inola.
He also pointed to other measures he’s supporting, including the “BUILD Act”, which he said will allow developers to create their own infrastructure on property they buy in neighborhoods without drawing on taxpayer funds.
However, he did express concern about the “$4 billion” in savings he has amassed.
“I’m really, really worried that the next governor is going to blow through my savings,” he said. “I’ve already constitutionally maxed out our savings account. I can’t put another dollar in our rainy day fund.”
Reflections on education
During his time as governor, Oklahoma’s education system garnered national attention. Controversy surrounded former State Superintendent Ryan Walters. A lawsuit involving a religious charter school reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Oklahoma came in 50th in WalletHub’s rankings of education systems, earning a statewide reaction.
Moving forward, Stitt said he wants the governor to have a bigger hand in the education system, by having the authority to appoint the state superintendent.
“I don’t believe politics should be involved in our education system,” Stitt said. “I want the next governor (to have) the authority to hire the superintendent of education. I got my first appointment after we had a resignation from one that was elected, and I appointed Lindel Fields and the culture is changing.”
Stitt appointed Walters to serve as the state secretary of education in 2020 and later backed him in his run for superintendent in 2022. He has also appointed several members to serve on the state board of education. Walters stepped down in September to become the CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance.
Troubled mental health system
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is currently undergoing several budget deficiencies and has since made an effort to cut services deemed repetitive or unnecessary.
“We should just have the Health Care Authority handle all Medicaid dollars, instead of just kind of passing it back and forth,” Stitt said. “I think that’s what they’re talking about, is, let’s get more efficient. Let’s make sure that we are getting dollars to the people that need it, to the nonprofits in Tulsa and in Oklahoma City and around the state, and not wasting on bureaucracy.”
State audits have revealed patterns of overspending at the department. Despite receiving emergency funds, agency officials have said they still don’t have enough to cover their budget shortfalls this year.
Will he seek another office?
Stitt appointed Tulsa energy executive Alan Armstrong on Tuesday to serve the remainder of Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s term. Mullin resigned Monday after being confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Stitt dispelled any rumors that he might run for senator once both his and Armstrong’s term ends in January.
As governor, Stitt said, “you’re supposed to be working for the betterment of Oklahomans, not trying to run for another office.”
“Using the fact that I’m governor now, and everybody knows my name around the state, to stair step that into another political career, I don’t think our Founding Fathers wanted politics to be a profession like that,” he said.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
