Cabinet tour makes stop in Woodward
WOODWARD — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday kicked off at our to introduce himself and members of his cabinet to Oklahomans across the state.
Stitt and several of his cabinet members spoke to about 200 Oklahomans and one well-behaved dog about his first six months as governor and what's to come.
At the High Plains Technology Center in Woodward, Stitt spoke for about 15 minutes, highlighting the work of his first legislative session and and outlined his vision to make Oklahoma a top 10 state in the country.
Then members of hi s cabinet took over, with a few of them giving brief presentations of what they hope to accomplish as part of Stitt's administration.
Budget Secretary Mike Mazzei presented a brief overview of t he budget that went into effect on July 1. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who also serves as St it t' s Secretary of Tourism and Branding, talked about his effort to create a cohesive brand for Oklahoma and boost tourism in the state.
Secretary of Digital Transformation David O st rowe talked about Oklahoma's need for more broadband, noting that the state is 47th in the country in broadband connectivity. O st rowe said he' s working to create a position for a broadband czar so Oklahoma has someone to coordinate efforts across the state.
St it t' s Secretary of Health and Mental Health Jerome Lo ugh ridge and Secretary of Science and Innovation Kayse Shrum talked about their plans to improve Oklahoma' s health outcomes. By 2022 — the end of Stitt's first term — they aim to reduce childhood obesity by 4%, r educe opioid overdose deaths by 10% and create 200 additional medical residency slots and 1,200 nursing positions, with a chunk of those jobs being in rural areas.
“In order to provide quality health care, you need physicians from the community,” said Shrum, who is a doctor.
If Oklahomans interested in medicine are able to start here and train here, they're more likely to stay in Oklahoma, she said.
Lo ugh ridge also said the goal is for Oklahoma to create and fund a uniform health information system for health records so a patient's medical history will easily follow them from doctor to doctor.
“Your providers are going to be able to talk to each other so no one falls through the cracks,” Loughridge said.
As Stitt and high-level members of his team talked about their goals, another Oklahoma governor was listening.
Corey S hi rey, governor of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, dropped by to hear Stitt's vision for the state. Oklahoma' s elected officials seemed more interested in cutting rather than investing until Stitt entered office, said Shirey, 24.
A senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Woodward, Shirey said he' s hopeful St it twill improve Oklahoma's reputation and work harder to keep young people from leaving after they graduate school.
When asked how Stitt can do that, Shirey offered a few suggestions.
“Make Oklahoma somewhere that somebody wants to live ,” he said. “Don't make it someplace where public education is getting cut, businesses are leaving and the only thing you hear about is oil.”
After the town hall meeting, Stitt and his cabinet members split off into groups to tour various sites in and near Woodward including a correctional facility and the Woodward Arts Center.
Stitt co-opted the idea of the cabinet tour from Gov. Larry Hogan, of Maryland, who holds similar events.
The governor plans to take his cabinet on three more tour stops before the end of the year. The locations for the other stops have not yet been set, but a Stitt spokeswoman said she anticipates the governor will visit each quadrant of the state.
Frank Aaron, of Woodward, was impressed with what he heard from Stitt and his top advisers. The retired podiatrist said Stitt brings a new and improved direction to the state.
“Before the plan was just to survive, now the plan is to move forward,” he said.