Henke, Henry Compare Candidates Fiscal Fitness
Putting city back on the path to prosperity
By FRANK X. HENKE IV
As a businessman, I find results to be more inspiring than political rhetoric. That’s why I’m supporting Dewey Bartlett for mayor.
Both candidates in the upcoming election have a record of service, so we don’t have to speculate on what kind of mayor they will be. We simply can see what results they have achieved for Tulsa.
For his part, Mayor Bartlett has a tremendous record of accomplishment that should make Tulsans proud. This is all the more impressive considering the condition of city finances when he took over as mayor.
When Mayor Bartlett was sworn in, Tulsa was in an alarming financial predicament. The city was literally a few short months from running out of cash. Expenses were too high, our emergency reserve funds had been depleted, and we had lost 18,000 jobs.
Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com
Kathy Taylor’s fiscal conservatism leads to economic growth
By BRAD HENRY
Tulsans have an important decision to make, and they have a unique opportunity to have an immediate and profound impact on the economic and financial future of their great city when they go to the polls to elect a new mayor Nov. 12. I faced a similar decision when I was elected governor in 2002, while Oklahoma was suffering from the effects of the post-9/11 recession.
When I needed someone to help develop the economic policy for my new administration, I immediately turned to Kathy Taylor because of her reputation as a proven leader and her work with Oklahoma-based corporations such as Sonic and Thrifty Car Rental.
I was so impressed with her vision and tireless dedication that I named her Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce, Tourism and Workforce Development. In this key role, Kathy helped lead our state from a position of revenue shortfalls to a thriving economy with record revenue surpluses.
I was disappointed to lose Kathy when she chose to serve as Tulsa’s mayor in 2006. However, I saw the state’s loss as Tulsa’s gain at a time when, frankly, Tulsa needed her. It came as no surprise to me when Kathy’s foresight, leadership and perseverance led to a turnaround in Tulsa just like she helped engineer at the state.