Tulsa is not a business

I’ve heard Dewy Bartlett Jr make several different versions of the following comment with regard to the job of Tulsa's Mayor, “It's a big, big job and if you give it to a person that is expected to have on the job training, we made a huge mistake.” My first reaction is to ask, “Ohh so you’ve been mayor before? Which city was it?” Of course his obvious implication is that he has run a big business, he praises Kathy Taylor for, and endorsed her twice for Mayor, because she has business experience. He believes and wants you to believe that Tulsa should be run like a business.

If you think about it though that is really absurd. Tulsa is not a business, it is a government. Yeah, they both have employees, assets, capital expenses, operating expense, and budgets. On the surface it is tempting to think that one could run Tulsa like a business, but it just does not work that way.

Companies have CEOs and executive boards who create plans behind closed doors and carry out their will and vision without question; they take risk and reap the reward for profit. Companies can decide to incur a temporary budget deficit, and if things do not workout, they can file bankruptcy and re-structure.

Tulsa is NOT a business. Its purpose is not profit. Tulsa is a government for the people and by the people whose, sole purpose is to provide services that the people could not otherwise provide for themselves, I.E. running water, sewer, streets, police, fire…etc. Tulsa runs on the people’s tax dollars. The fiduciary duty of a government to its stake holders is the opposite of a for-profit business. Tax payers don’t want risks being taken with their money, they want the tax dollars to be spent with prudence and with care.

Tulsa is NOT a business. The Mayor’s power is balanced by the council. They are elected to their position the same as the mayor and are due respect. We have seen what happens when the Mayor pretends to be the CEO of the city. Kathy Taylor rules in a way that keeps the council in the dark; forcing their hand without adequate time to weigh an issue. We have seen this with the 7.1 million dollar pay out to BOK to settle the Great Planes Airlines issue and with the Ball Park assessment district. She expects, much the way a CEO might, that when she sets a course everyone will fall in line without question. Presumably since Bartlett seems to be in love with Kathy Taylor’s style, and thinks that the City should be run like a corporation, he will rule in much the same way.

Tulsa is NOT a business. All citizens have an equal voice. It is not dependant on how many shares of stock they own. There are no stock holders in a republic! For far too long we have been beholden to the whims of the elite in downtown and midtown who think they know best because of their large campaign donations to politicians or because of their gifts with strings attached. We need a mayor that will represent the entire electorate equally. Someone who understands that Tulsa is 56th Street North to E 122 St South, and from 33rd West Ave to 273rd East Ave.

We need a Mayor for all of Tulsa. We don’t need another CEO, we don’t need another Kathy Taylor, and we don’t need Dewey Bartlett Jr. We need Chris Medlock. His administration will be honest, and open; based on proven conservative principles. Chris has the experience necessary for this job. As a two term city councilor, he understands the budget process; he has had to deal with the problems with a city in economic turmoil, with furloughs, and budget problems. As a talk show host on the radio, Chris’s job was to listen to, and understand our needs and feelings. The Chris Medlock show was an opportunity for us to partner with him to keep the politicians at Tulsa City Hall accountable for their actions. He gave us a voice, and he wants to do it again as Tulsa’s Mayor. That is why I’m voting for Chris Medlock.