Republicans square off in District 3 race
The race to succeed Ray Vaughn as District 3 commissioner in Oklahoma County is between Vaughn’s chief deputy, Rick Buchanan of Edmond, and state Rep. Kevin Calvey of Oklahoma City.
Both men are Republicans and are the only candidates on the ballot. The winner of Tuesday’s primary will take office when Vaughn’s term ends in January.
Buchanan has worked in the District 3 office since 2007. Before that he served as press secretary for Gov. Frank Keating, worked on political campaigns, and had a career in television.
Calvey was elected to the state House of Representatives from Del City in 1998 and served eight years. He lost bids for Congress, the second in 2010 to James Lankford, now a U.S. senator.
Calvey was elected again to the House in 2014 and re-elected in 2016 from Oklahoma City. He could not seek re-election this year because of term limits.
After the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City, Buchanan served on a committee that worked on communications plans for the federal government in the event of a chemical or biological terrorist attack.
Calvey, a George town educated lawyer, served in Iraq as a military attorney, earning a Bronze Star. He owns and manages a real estate investment firm.
Both candidates singled out the county jail and criminal justice reform as issues in need of attention.
“The jail is our biggest issue and has been our biggest issue since it opened,” Buchanan said in announcing his candidacy last year.
“We have a lot of positive momentum in that direction,” he said, “and we certainly don’t want to see it ground to a halt.”
In announcing his candidacy, Calvey said, “We owe it to the taxpayers to be both tough on crime and smart on crime.”
He said jail was “not a cost-effective method of punishing many nonviolent offenses, or of collecting debts from many fines and fees.”
Calvey said last week he would prioritize transparency and accountability, and favor quicker road repairs “where possible.”
Calvey and his wife have six children. They attend St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond.
Buchanan is a graduate of Baylor University. He and his wife attend Life Church and have four adult children.