Tag: Governor

Stitt gets more authority

March 21, 2019

Passage of five reorganizational bills will give Gov. Kevin Stitt and future governors more authority to hire and fire agency leaders for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (SB 456), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (SB 457), Oklahoma Department of Corrections (HB 2480), Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (HB 2479), and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance…

Bill expands governor’s powers

March 14, 2019

The Oklahoma Senate overwhelmingly passed two government accountability measures that are a part of a larger deal to give the governor the ability to hire the heads of five of the largest state agencies. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s bills would give the governor the ability to hire and fire the head of the…

Stitt adjusts his cabinet structure

February 7, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued four new executive orders that focus on increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in state government. “My commitment is to get to the bottom of every dollar spent by state government and ensure every hard-earned tax dollar matches the mission and values of Oklahomans,” said Stitt. “These executive orders will help…

Editorial: Stitt fulfills campaign promises

February 7, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt hit the ground running in his first month in office and like President Trump, Stitt seems committed to keeping his campaign promises. Stitt has ordered the state plane used by former governors to be sold. That will save a cool million a year. If he needs to go somewhere, there are military…

Gov.-elect Stitt names transition team

November 22, 2018

Governor-elect Kevin Stitt announced formation of Oklahoma’s Turnaround, the transition team for the Stitt administration. The transition team will work with Governor-elect Stitt to recruit Oklahomans to serve in a Stitt administration and to build out Oklahoma’s Turnaround transition team to include issue-centered advisory committees on the following seven topics: education, economic growth, government efficiency,…

Stitt elected governor

November 8, 2018

In the race for governor, Republican Kevin Stitt defeated Democrat Drew Edmondson and Libertarian Chris Powell. Stitt, a highly successful businessman, had never run for public office before. Edmondson, part of a Democrat family involved in state politics for decades, was a former state attorney general. In the First Congressional District, political newcomer Kevin Hern,…

Pence stumps for Kevin Stitt in Tulsa

October 25, 2018

Part of Kevin Stitt’s campaign is to portray himself as a successful businessman – not a career politician – that can do for Oklahoma what President Donald Trump is doing for America. That theme was reinforced October 18 when Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd of more than 4,000 Stitt supporters at the…

Retaining Judges?

September 27, 2018

Oklahoma voters could make history on November 6 if they reject any of the statewide judges who will be on the ballot for retention votes. No judge has ever not been retained on these votes. The governor appoints Oklahoma Supreme Court justices. Three of the sitting justices were picked by Republican governors Frank Keating (one)…

Editorial: New leadership for Oklahomans

September 27, 2018

Oklahoma has just come through 16 years of sorry leadership from the governor’s mansion. Democrat Brad Henry and Republican Mary Fallin raised taxes, introduced casino gambling, increased the state debt by hundreds of millions of dollars and defeated legislation to stop abortion in Oklahoma. Their legacies are shameful. Now Oklahoma has a chance to take…

5 state questions tackle elections, education, glasses, etc.

September 20, 2018

On November 6, Oklahoma voters will decide the fate of five state questions that cover issues that could affect everyone in the state. If passed, the questions would alter how public schools spend their building funds, expand retail sales of eyeglasses, grow the rights of victims of crimes, make candidates for governor and lieutenant governor…