Conservative vs. Liberal: Labor Commissioner Race A Classic Contest of Ideals
Oklahoma elections: Costello, Workman square off in labor commissioner race
by Paul Monies
Republican Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is vying for a second term and faces Democrat Mike Workman in Tuesday’s general election.
Costello, 58, said he wants to build on the changes he’s made at the Labor Department in his first term, including expanding technology and making the agency more efficient.
“Today, our employees are doing more work with roughly 30 percent fewer employees,” Costello said. “Our employees are better paid than they ever were before, and they have improved productivity by applying technology.”
Workman, 64, a former public school teacher who is now a political consultant, said he wants to restore the Labor Department to its traditional function of protecting wage earners. He also wants to reopen the agency’s Tulsa office, which was closed by Costello.
“We need someone who will show up, restore respect for the wage earners and have the department become more accessible with the restoration of the Tulsa office,” Workman said. “Everything can’t be online. Sometimes you need to talk to someone in person.”