House race features divergent candidates
Even in a year of crowded primaries, state House District 82 in Oklahoma County stands out. It's the state's 2018 political scene on steroids.
Twelve Republicans and one Democrat filed for the state House seat being vacated by Rep. Kevin Calvey because of term limits. The candidates include lawyers, teachers, business owners and a college student battling it out in a heavily Republican area that includes parts of Oklahoma City, Edmond and Deer Creek.
Daren Ward, who is chairman of the Oklahoma County Republican Party and lives in the district, said even he hasn't met all the candidates, though some have knocked on his door, left flyers and sent mailers.
"There's a high percentage of people who are paying attention to state and local
government,” Ward said of the many candidates in the race.
Candidate filing in April proved that teachers were among those paying attention.
Parents of school kids are, too.
Erin Brewer, whose children go to Deer Creek schools, helped organize the Deer Creek Parent Legislative Action Committee recently. The group is holding a forum on Monday to hear from the 11 House District 82 candidates who agreed to appear.
Brewer said some in the district didn’t consider Calvey especially friendly to public education, and she noted that his kids are homeschooled. Calvey, a Republican who voted against the $474 million tax bill to fund a teacher pay raise, told people that House District 82 didn’t support tax hikes.
In voting against the tax bill, Calvey was in the minority of House Republicans. The Republican governor supported and signed the bill.
Ward, the chairman of the county GOP, said he believes Calvey’s vote did reflect the district. Ward said he has received “a lot of phone calls” about the legislation and that the majority opinion was that not enough waste had been cut from state government.
The dozen Republicans running to replace Calvey will test that conviction. They are divided on the tax package.
Of the seven GOP candidates who returned a survey from The Oklahoman, five said they would have voted for House Bill 1010xx, which raised taxes on cigarettes, motor fuels and some oil and gas production.
“I believe I would have,” said candidate and store owner Robert Jernigan, 44, of Edmond. “I am a small government, low tax guy, but not at the expense of a broken state.”
Two teachers in the GOP race, Casey Satterlee, 40, of Edmond, and Greg Mills, 51, of Edmond, said they would have voted for it, as did attorney Brent Nyberg and drill bit salesman Brad Schmitt.
“I would have ultimately supported HB1010xx,” Nyberg, 41, of Edmond, said.
“My preference would have been for the original Step Up Oklahoma plan as — in addition to revenue measures, which were relatively broad-based — it included needed structural reforms for Oklahoma government that would have brought longterm savings.”
Insurance company president Brad Martin, 41, of Edmond, and college student Cobi Ceron, 20, of Edmond, said they would have opposed the bill.
“Estimates for the next fiscal year are that Oklahoma will have a half a billion dollar surplus in funds without the tax increase,” Ceron said. “A significant amount of this is coming from economic development, particularly in the oil and gas industry.”
Martin said, “It is clear after knocking thousands of doors in District 82 that the people of this district didn’t support House Bill 1010xx.”
The primaries are June 26.
Ward said a runoff primary will “absolutely” be necessary to decide the nominee. The runoffs are scheduled for Aug. 28.
Education a priority
House District 82 runs as far south as Lake Hefner and as far north as NW 220 Street; it runs west to Rockwell and east to Western. It includes such neighborhoods as Gaillardia and The Greens.
Ward said population has grown dramatically since the district was drawn in 2011, with much of the growth north of Memorial Road in areas like Valencia and River Oaks.
Voter registration numbers for the district show 18,000 Republicans, about 8,000 Democrats and 5,000 independents.
After serving 12 years in the House, in two different stints, Calvey is leaving because of term limits and running for Oklahoma County commissioner.
Asked why he was running for the seat, Satterlee, an algebra teacher at Putnam City North High School, said, “I participated in the walkout. I spoke to my legislator and was shut down with hateful emails. I’m tired of money not funding my classroom unless it is my own. My wife is also a teacher and again, she funds her classroom for many things. I’m tired of being ignored, I’m tired of people not being able to work together.”
Brewer, who is organizing Monday’s forum for the Deer Creek Parent Legislative Action Committee, said she doesn’t want a state House full of teachers but that she is glad so many are running for legislative seats.
“I think it’s wonderful,’’ Brewer said. “I think a lot of teachers got educated on the legislative system.”
Mills, a biology teacher, said he was running “to add a face to the voice of Oklahoma educators.”
Even some of those running for the seat who are not teachers stressed the importance of education.
Schmitt ,40, of Edmond, said, “Common education needs additional funding. There should be further teacher raises. Oklahoma needs to increase teacher pay to at least the regional average, with additional pay for performance or need. Exceptional teachers and teachers working in subject or geographic areas that are harder to fill should be given additional pay.”
The seven Republicans who returned the survey from The Oklahoman were divided on the issue of constitutional carry: whether a person 21 or over should be able to carry a handgun without training or a license. Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed constitutional carry legislation last month.
Ceron, Schmitt and Mills favored the legislation, while Satterlee and Martin expressed opposition and Nyberg and Jernigan said they would need more information.
Brewer said the forum, set for 6 p.m. at the Deer Creek Performing Arts and Athletic Center, should help people sort through the views of the many candidates. It is difficult enough, she said, for the average voter to get educated on just two or three candidates.
The five Edmond candidates who did return The Oklahoman survey are: Nicole Miller, 48; Noel Tucker, 55; Denara Manning, 36; Travis Hays, 33; and Kip Baird, 41.
There is no primary on the Democratic side, where Oraynab Jwayyed, 47, of Edmond, is the lone candidate.