Taylor Picks Up Tulsa Firefighters PAC Endorsement

Date: 5-1-13
To: Assignment editors
Contact: Anna America

Tulsa Firefighters PAC endorses Kathy Taylor for Mayor
— “Kathy Taylor is clearly the best choice for Tulsa”

Calling Kathy Taylor a proven leader who is best qualified to make Tulsa a safer, more prosperous city, the Tulsa Firefighters PAC today announced their endorsement of her for Tulsa mayor.

Taylor said she was honored to have the support of firefighters. “I’m proud that the people we trust with our lives trust me to lead our city,” she said. “They trust me to give them the tools to do their job, and trust me to make the right decisions for our families.”

Retired Tulsa firefighter and International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) District 11 Vice President. Sandy McGhee said, “We believe that Kathy Taylor is clearly the best choice for Tulsa – not only in terms of her history of working to make this a safer community, but in her ability to move the entire city forward. As firefighters, we are invested in our community, and know that we will only grow and prosper if the community as a whole grows and prospers. If you look at Kathy Taylor’s record that’s what she did in her first term and she is the best choice to make that happen again.”

“We believe that her strong commitment to public safety, as well as her advocacy for firefighter and community issues, will greatly benefit all citizens of Tulsa,” he added. “We are proud to announce our support for Kathy and are looking forward to working together with her as mayor to protect Tulsans and improve the quality of life in the city of Tulsa.”

Taylor said, “These are the people we trust with our lives, and they have continuously demonstrated that they are committed to not only protecting Tulsans, but to doing all they can to have a strong, vital city. To have these people – truly our front-line heroes – give me their trust and support is tremendously humbling, and an honor. I am committed to doing the job they are supporting me to do.”

McGhee praised Taylor’s history of working with employee groups and bringing them to the table to be part of the decision-making process. During Taylor’s first term as mayor, representatives from all the employees’ groups met weekly with the top management team . “As mayor, Kathy supported our firefighters and we know she’ll have our backs again the next term.”

Taylor said ensuring that Tulsa firefighters and police have the staffing levels, equipment and other resources they need to do the best job possible will be a top priority in her next term. She noted that during her first term, she oversaw the opening of two new fire stations to improve response time in underserved areas, and that she fought successfully to maintain public safety staffing levels in the face of severe revenue decreases caused by the national recession.

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