STATE SENATE CANDIDATES

22 years

Retired, Non-profit executive

Twenty two years ago I came to Oklahoma as a journalist. For ten years I served as managing editor of newspapers in Owasso, Collinsville, Catoosa and Skiatook before serving as managing editor of The Claremore Daily Progress.

I understand how local governments should serve the people not special interests. Many times, they didn’t and I spoke out through editorials and led investigative journalists to bring sunlight to the behind the curtain politics of Rogers County. I’ll work for transparency and hold our elected officials accountable at the state capitol.

For the past eleven years I served as the Executive Director of Owasso Community Resources a basic needs non-profit providing food, emergency utility and rent assistance to more than 1,000 people a week. I retired in September 2025.

I believe it’s time District 2 had a state senator who truly listens to our community when it comes to education, healthcare, domestic violence and will respect voters’ opinions when voting on state issues. I will bring a common sense approach to the political arena.

1. Financial stability for every household. Families are having to choose between putting fuel in their car or putting food on the table, paying their electric bills rather than buying their prescriptions. Paying their rent rather than buying their children new shoes. Individuals are living in their cars. Reduce families who live in poverty. I will work to fund summer feeding programs for students, encourage developers to provide more affordable housing, support legislation that provides tax breaks for farmers, and mandate emergency food pantries in every school.

2. Teachers and students first. Pay teachers like professionals. Never add new mandated tasks unless something is taken away. Protect the limited time they have in the classroom.   TRUST OUR TEACHERS rather than special out-of-state programs and groups. I will work to increase funding for teachers and support staff salaries. Introduce income caps on who can receive the Private School Tax Credit, as well as end future tax dollars from annually funding it. Require private and charter schools that receive the tax credit to meet the same testing standards that are required of public schools. I have a goal of raising our state’s education level to 30th within four years.

3. Oklahoma is the WORST Nationally in DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Almost 50 percent of Oklahoma women and 40 percent of men experience domestic violence in their lifetime. We rank THIRD in the nation for the number of women killed by men in single-victim, single offender homicides. I will enhance sentencing for offenders, provide more training for frontline officers, strengthen protections for victims and their children and families, allow 6–12 months of free or subsidized family counseling for victims, and expand access to more confidential shelters for victims of domestic violence.

1. Poverty. Forty-five percent of Rogers County residents (almost half of our community members) struggle to pay for housing, child care, food, transportation and healthcare. Of those 16 percent are below the Federal poverty line. They are considered Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.   Families who earn more than the federal poverty level but not enough to afford basic necessities. In Oklahoma in 1 in 5 children go to bed hungry.

Fund summer feeding programs for students, encourage developers to provide more affordable housing, support legislation that provides tax breaks for farmers to provide crop overages to food banks, and mandate emergency food pantries in every school.

Address housing affordability by expanding rental assistance programs and incentivizing local developers to build affordable housing stock — the 52% of low-income children in housing-stressed homes deserve stability.

2. Healthcare. In Rogers County 19.6 percent of residents are covered by Medicaid/Sooner Care.  Forty-one percent of those are children. Removing Medicaid from the protections of the state constitution would put those families and children’s healthcare at risk. Vote no on the state question on November to put Medicare in the hands of legislators. If it is removed, I will fight to stop cuts. Expand Medicaid access and rural healthcare so families aren’t one illness away from financial ruin — medical debt is the number one driver of bankruptcy in Oklahoma.

3. Domestic Violence. Almost 50 percent of Oklahoma women and 40 percent of men experience domestic violence in their lifetime. We rank third in the nation for the number of women killed by men in single-victim, single offender homicides. I will enhance sentencing for offenders, provide more training for frontline officers, strengthen protections for victims and their children and families, allow 6–12 months of free or subsidized family counseling for victims, and expand access to more confidential shelters for victims of domestic violence.

5 years in October, nearly 3 decades in the Tulsa area.

Chief Human Resources Officer

I have been involved in politics for a decade, during which time have held many different positions County, Congressional district and state wide.

In my professional roles in HR, I have balanced the needs and requests of employees with what management needed for business. They don’t always align, so to be able guide them to compromise is often the best way. Working in the legislature will be much of the same in regards to reaching across the isle to get things done.

I want to help the people of Oklahoma, ALL people of Oklahoma, to include marginalized, and under-represented, not special interest groups or the wealthy.

Affordable living & housing, Accessible & Affordable Healthcare, and Quality Education for our Kids!

In the southern part of the district in East Tulsa, I believe there are concerns with infrastructure, so I would want to ensure that subsidies are provided evenly and fairly across the district. We should not be able to tell our wealthy neighborhoods from our less wealthy ones by the roads.

While education is a concern state-wide, I feel that in my district with the area crossing into two separate school districts, attention should be particularly high and efforts should be made to allocate funds to classrooms, and to ensure teachers and support staff are paid a fair wage, and to ensure teachers have the support they need so they’re not faced with having to be a teacher, case manager and therapist all at once.

Then, while these issues are not in any particular order, it would be important to ensure affordable housing state-wide. Part of my district includes some of the most diverse in the area, and so it is of particular concern. This could be done with subsidies for construction of additional affordable housing, or rehabilitating existing buildings. Tenants should also have higher protections from predatory landlords.

5 years

Retired/Disabled

I spent most of my career in broadcasting.

Because this district, this state deserves a real plan for the future.

Education, Infrastructure, and Economic Development.

The three previous issues listed are critical to the entire state including the 36th District. Truth is that Oklahoma is an “Extraction State”, meaning the milk and honey of Oklahoma is running down the chins of folks in Dallas and Houston. Money needed for investment is leaving, and the Republican Party is responsible. This must end. We need to seriously overhaul our state tax code, including both income and property tax and stop giving deference to out of state business entities.