Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor: As Attorney General I Oppose Liberal Woke Policies, Including Nonbinary Birth Certificates

June 15, 2022

Attorney General John O’Connor
June 15th, 2022

Before I was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt to serve as Oklahoma’s Attorney General, my predecessor worked with the Oklahoma State Department of Health in a settlement that facilitated nonbinary birth certificates.

I never approved or agreed with nonbinary birth certificates. My opponent knows this, but continues to tell Oklahoma voters otherwise.

I firmly believe that our birth certificates should have only two options: male or female, based on sex rather than self identification.

That is why, one of the first things I accomplished as Attorney General was to work closely with the Oklahoma Legislature and Governor Stitt on legislation that ended nonbinary birth certificates.

Experts have said that our law may be the first of its kind in the entire country. The radical left have already begun their efforts to overturn our law in the courts. As Attorney General, I have and will continue to vigorously defend our law.

Additionally, I have taken legal action against President Biden’s Administration which is seeking to endanger our children’s privacy and safety by opening up restrooms and locker rooms to anyone based on self identity rather than biology.

As your Attorney General, I believe in the rule of law, instead of liberal, woke policies that are ruining our country. I will continue to be the fiercest advocate for Oklahoma laws, especially our state law that ended nonbinary birth certificates.

Most importantly, my guiding principles of faith, family and community will always serve as my guiding light, as I serve Oklahomans.

To Join Team John O’Connor For AG Visit:
www.oconnorforag.com

AUTHORIZED AND PAID FOR BY O’CONNOR FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL 2022

Letters to the Editor: Cathy Costello Letter to OCPAC Following Romero Attack

April 4, 2022

Cathy Costello – wife of former Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello,

Rumors have been swirling recently that Bob Linn and OCPAC’s crusade against Cindy Byrd was going to culminate in the organization endorsing Mike Romero to run against Cindy in the upcoming statewide primaries. Many conservatives believe that this is one of, if not the main, reason why OCPAC invited Romero to give a presentation about the OSDH scandal a few years back which involved the “missing” $30M (it was never actually missing).

Curiously enough, and in a manner that would be fitting with an attempt to attack a future political opponent, Romero’s presentation made a point of attempting to tie Cindy Byrd to the audit of the OSDH scandal, even though Gary Jones was the State Auditor and Inspector at the time that was responsible for the audit.

Following Romero’s presentation, Andrew Speno and Cathy Costello went to talk to him about the inclusion of Byrd in the presentation. What follows is a letter from Mrs. Costello sent to Bob Linn, president of OCPAC, that details that account:

______________________

Bob,

I wanted to give a little time and space from the incident last week before responding. When you invited me to sing for OCPAC, I was unaware who Mike Romero was. You told me he would be talking about corruption at the health dept. I did remember hearing something about 30 million missing from the health dept., but that it was eventually found.

It is always good to hear all sides of a story, even if it’s 4-5 years old. I saw several people in line speaking to Mr. Romero after his presentation. I decided to go over and simply introduce myself. I shook his hand and told him I was the widow of Labor Commissioner Mark Costello.

While I was standing there, I heard Andrew Speno ask Mr. Romero, in a CALM tone, why he kept showing Cindy Byrd’s picture next to Gary Jones, frequently referring to “they,” and mentioning her name. He asked what Cindy Byrd had to do with this situation at the health dept. Mr. Romera became agitated and denied he had done this during the presentation. But…he had in fact said, “Gary Jones and Cindy Byrd would not talk to me” and he did in fact show Cindy Byrd’s photo multiple times, saying “they” and giving the impression that she was involved. He then began blaming Cindy and holding her responsible.

Mr. Romero’s response to Andrew Speno’s question was so adolescent. Raising his voice, he yelled, “I’m the son of immigrants!! Those people on the screen made fun of my last name because it ends in an O!!!” I immediately thought to myself, this man is so thinned skinned and immature, he has no business in government. I also thought, my name ends in an O and so does Andrew’s.

I got to know Cindy when I was running for Labor in 2017-2018. I politely said, “with all due respect, I believe Cindy was overseeing county government, working in Ada at the time of the health dept. incident. The County government division is completely separate from the division that was overseen by a different person, the Deputy State Auditor for Agencies, who works at the capitol.” Cindy would not have had anything to do with this issue. Boy, that really set him off.

He began to yell at me and became shockingly rude. I asked him if he knew who I was and he said in a loud and ugly tone, “yeah, yeah I know who you are! I don’t have to talk to you people.” He just kept badgering me, giving no opportunity to respond. I wasn’t going to stand there and be yelled at. I walked away. He yelled after me, “Hey lady, hey lady, why don’t you just stick to singing, cause you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I was absolutely dumb founded at his explosive behavior and responses to me. That’s why I wanted you to know how your guest speaker had treated me. Mark had always been a huge supporter of OCPAC, but he would have been disgusted by Mr. Romero’s behavior. He is a bully and his high level of defensiveness didn’t add up.

After doing some simple investigation, and web searching, I discovered that the FBI, OSBI, SAI, multi-county grand jury and OK District Court ALL “blamed the former chief financial officer, Mike Romero, saying “he never fully understood the underlying budget data or the agency’s cash position.” Now his immature, defensive and rude behavior made sense.

I have known Gary and Mary Jane Jones for many years. Gary has been recognized as a leader who was trusted to come in and lead a state convention, when the party couldn’t agree, receiving high praise from both grassroots and trusted leaders alike. He is ethical and unafraid to tell the truth and stand his ground in his job and in government.

I also have a very high regard for Cindy Byrd. She is ethical, moral, godly and smart. Mr. Romero’s presentation seemed more like a hit piece on these two individuals with no footnotes or references, than an explanation of the so-called “missing 30 million dollars.”

Bob, as I said to you on Wednesday, you are in no way responsible for another person’s behavior. I do not hold you responsible or blame you for what happened Wednesday. However…what I would expect, after that display of explosive and unpredictable behavior, is that Mr. Romero never be welcomed back to OCPAC. Mark Costello used to say, that everyone is entitled to their good reputation. Both Gary Jones and Cindy Byrd deserve an opportunity to respond and address OCPAC to defend themselves from his assertions. I know you will do the right thing.

In the meantime, I think I will take a sabbatical from OCPAC for a while. I wish you nothing but the best.

Regards,

Cathy Costello

Letters to the Editor: Regarding Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat Media Availability 3/24/22

March 28, 2022

Editor’s Note: The day after Senate Pro Team Greg Treat’s (Oklahoma City – R) signature school voucher bill – SB 1647 – failed in the Senate, Treat met with the media to discuss the fallout. What follows is an analysis of that media session from Nathan Teague, a member of the Oklahoma Education Liberty Coalition – one of the most vocal opponents of that bill.

I highly encourage listening to the video referenced above, found below:

Below, I’ve cited particularly disturbing sections which illustrate Senator Treat’s continued militant push for SB 1647, or similar, the day after SB 1647 failed to advance on the Oklahoma Senate floor. Pay attention not only to what he said, but the way he said it, with tone of voice and facial expression. My analysis follows.

Senator Treat, in “Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat Media Availability 3/24/22” video, in relation to SB 1647 or similar agenda/initiative:

~ 30 sec: “We’re going to continue the fight, nothing’s over ever in this building…”

~ 1:15: “…I want to advance it this year, so I’m going to continue to advance it this year…”

~ 3:15: “…It’s only the 2^nd bill I’ve ever lost in this chamber, the other one was in this committee in 2013, in this committee room.”

~ 4:15, when apparently asked how SB 1647 or similar can be advanced: “There’s always a way.” and ~ 5:00: “…There are a lot of hurdles, but the House wants some things as well… the deck is stacked against me obviously right now… I’m going to use everything within my power to try to get it done.”

~ 15:29: “…we do this if we pass it, and when we pass it I should say… I am convinced beyond any doubt that we’ve got to do this.”

~ 23:40, in reference to other states which have “recently taken this on”: “…the Georgia President Pro Temp lost a bill last week, 20-29 I believe…”

~ 24:35: “…I’m more excited about it today, then I was yesterday, I was disappointed, I was dismayed, I was frustrated with some people…”

And at the very end, at ~ 33:55: “…I’ve talked more about a bill that failed than I’ve talked about any that I’ve passed…”

My Analysis:

– I hope I’m wrong, and I very much welcome the opportunity to be proven so, but Senator Treat appears to be so focused on winning, and his own self / his own agenda, that he is beyond the capability of being reasoned with on SB 1647 or similar agenda/initiative.

– His statement that the deck is stacked against him is particularly egregious/disturbing. Please allow me to shine light on that. The people of Oklahoma, overwhelmingly, are stacked against the agenda he is pushing! The rest of the cards were overwhelming stacked against US!!!

– A list of some of these other cards:

Apparent large amounts of out-of-state money/influence
A Governor who HEAVILY and FREQUENTLY pushed this agenda
A State Secretary of Education who continually pushed this agenda
An in-state “conservative” organization, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, which heavily pushed this agenda, and which censored and silenced opposing/alternative viewpoint/narrative, on their Facebook page
An aggressive push by Senator Treat, as Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore

– Any reasonable person would recognize that the prevailing of Oklahomans’ voices, through our elected Senators and against such overwhelming odds/cards, proves that Oklahoman opposition is clear and overwhelming. Either of the below possibilities, in relation to this truth, are very disturbing:

A. Senator Treat does not recognize this, and continues his militant push in ignorance of Oklahomans’ clear and overwhelming will, or worse yet,

B. Senator Treat does recognize this, and continues his militant push in spite of Oklahomans’ clear and overwhelming will.

– As mentioned, I very much welcome the opportunity to be proven wrong in my assessment that Senator Treat appears to be so focused on winning, and his own self / his own agenda, that he is beyond the capability of being reasoned with on this agenda/initiative. Should Senator Treat wish to discuss the matter with opposed / non-elected Oklahomans, myself and others would, to use his vernacular, “welcome that dialogue”. He has my e-mail.

My message to Senator Treat, should he ever read this, is as follows: It is okay to lose, Sir. It is also okay to be wrong, as long as one is capable of recognizing such and adjusting one’s thoughts and actions accordingly. It is NOT okay to continue an aggressive push of an incorrect and dangerous agenda, against Oklahomans’ will. Please consider that Oklahomans might just have a lot of wisdom to share on this matter. Public funds allocated to private education turns private education into public education, leading to erosion of Religious Liberty and Parental Autonomy in education.

Additionally, Oklahoma has an obligation to not only provide for a system of free public schools, but a QUALITY system of free public schools, that is as accountable to parents and to taxpayers as it can be. You, and the rest of Oklahoma’s elected officials, should be focusing on our state obligations. Also, please tell out-of-state meddlers to leave us alone, and go mind their own business. We are capable of thinking for ourselves and handling our own affairs in Oklahoma.

– Nathan Teague

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Letters to the Editor: City of Norman Sends $100K to San Francisco Non-Profit With Poor Record to “Fight Homelessness”

February 24, 2022

by Shane Smith

Last year, the City of Norman paid San Francisco-based nonprofit, Homebase, $100,000 for a plan to solve our homeless situation. A quick look at their website makes one wonder whether we got our money’s worth. They describe themselves thusly:

Homebase is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our organization and the communities where we partner. Recognizing that homelessness is driven by systemic, intersectional inequities, we believe it is crucial as an organization to promote equity and anti-racism throughout our work.

The Homebase Board of Directors believes that equity and anti-racism are essential to creating innovative, transformative, strategic and practical solutions for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness. We acknowledge the profound historical and systemic barriers to stable housing that exist for many of our BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized neighbors.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Homebase begins with providing equal access and fair opportunities for our existing and incoming staff, and we endorse and support our staff in their work to build community capacity to end homelessness, reduce poverty, and foster thriving, inclusive and equitable communities.”

Picture of a homeless camp in Norman. Picture first appeared in a 2018 Norman Transcript article.

While these are noble goals, this organization is clearly anything but objective. This is the loaded language of the far Left, and it’s hard to believe that they would produce anything approaching an objective assessment of our local problem, or proffer any real solutions. Was it really worth it to pay this organization $100,000, and would it be anything other than a fool’s errand to pursue their policy proposals?

Take their hometown of San Francisco. Is that city’s homeless problem anywhere close to being solved? Or are their policies making the problem worse? Far, far worse, it turns out. Despite spending close to $1 billion each year on the problem, homelessness has exploded in that city. The problem has gotten so bad that San Francisco has resorted to purchasing bus tickets for these homeless people and sending them on their way, far from the city.

This mirrors the experience of other cities that continue to spend increasing amounts on a problem that only gets bigger. You’d think more people would detect a patten here, and perhaps realize that the enormous amounts of money are making the problem worse by creating a magnet effect that draws more homeless to the city in search of benefits.

The root of the problem is traced to the “housing first” philosophy, more rigid ideology than data-driven solution, and one that forms the foundation of Homebase’s solutions. In essence, “housing first” refers to a policy of just building as many homes as deemed necessary for the currently homeless, regardless of personal history, criminal or otherwise. “If they’re homeless, just give them homes!” goes the logic. The magnet effect is created, word gets out, and homeless travel far and wide to reap the rewards. “Build it and they will come”, as Ward 3 councilmember Kelly Lynn often says in debates over the “housing first” boondoggle. Low-barrier housing brings criminals, and with it criminal activity.

This isn’t difficult to understand, but the debate surrounding the homelessness issue is mired in emotional manipulation and accusations of callousness. No, we aren’t callous, we are being realistic. We live in a world of cause and effect, and of limited resources. We must take into account how low-barrier housing would affect the residents of Norman. How much crime is acceptable? How many murders? A recent Norman Transcript article quotes Ward 7 councilmember Stephen Holman as saying,

Before we had this overnight shelter, we had two homeless people freeze to death on the sidewalk in downtown Norman, and that made the news, and I can assure you—that did not make the city of Norman look very good…Talk about a homicide, a single homicide that could’ve happened anywhere—to me, two homeless people freezing to death on a sidewalk in a city of this wealth is way worse of an image than a single homicide.”

At least one can give Holman credit for thinking in terms of tradeoffs, but this is an outrageous statement. How many murders should we tolerate as a community? Two extra per year? Four? How much property crime is acceptable in his mind?

For Norman, Homebase offers several “solutions” that could be pursued immediately: A year-round, low-barrier shelter, incentives for landlords to take in people who otherwise wouldn’t qualify as tenants, establishing single-room occupancy units, among others.

This would simply be a disaster.

Low-barrier shelters attract criminals. “Landlord incentives” create slumlords. Piles of money and services, while a temporary fix, only attract more homeless to the city offering them. “Subsidize something and you get more of it”. This is a stark reality. This doesn’t mean “do nothing”, but it also means not turning our current homelessness problem into a spiraling crisis, which is certainly where this fool’s errand would lead.

Letters to the Editor: Only Hefner can end Mayor Holt’s Legacy of Crime

February 8, 2022

Ever since Mayor Holt took office, Oklahoma City has plummeted to near the bottom of the “safe cities” list according to NeighborhoodScout.com, which tracks crime rates in major cities across the U.S. We received a Crime Index Rating of 5 out of 100 (100 being the best), meaning we are safer than a measly 5% of U.S. Cities…5 PERCENT!! That’s as bad as Austin, Texas!

In 2020 alone, 7.1% of our citizens were victims of violent crimes, almost 2.5 percentage points higher than the national average of 4.61%. Preliminary reports show that 2021 wasn’t any better. We had our highest level of homicides (91) EVER RECORDED…a 19% increase since Holt was sworn into office.

There are many reasons for this, of course, and I won’t go into all of them here (like Holt’s bungling of the massive influx of vagrants from the West Coast), but what is shocking to me is that you don’t hear Holt and his cronies pushing hard to ramp up the OKCPD. You don’t hear them working on plans to decrease the officer shortages, or outfit our police department with the best equipment money can buy. About ten years ago (I forget the actual year) an independent study showed that we were some 300 officers SHORT of what was considered necessary for a city our size. Yes, the OKCPD has the largest budget ever this year, but they’ll be lucky to graduate 50 candidates from this newest class.

Do you see Holt making this, the safety of his citizens, a top priority? Nope. All you get from Mayor Holt and his Marxist friends is a constant push for “de-escalation policies” under the misguided notion that not enforcing the law will break this cycle of crime. Under the guidance of the Mayor’s Law Enforcement Policy Task Force, the City recently contracted with 21CP Solutions to, “engage, analyze, and form recommendations regarding specific law enforcement practices and related topics”, according to the report the issued to the City.

For those of you who don’t know, 21CP Solutions is a “think tank” backed and staffed by members and proponents of the Vera Institute of Justice…the same organization that has helped organize the anti-police riots (and that’s what they are…riots) across the country in 2020.

This report lists no less than 39 different ways in which the OKCPD should focus on, among others, Alternative Response to Mental Health Crisis, Officer bias, Creation of a Neighborhood Safety/Violence Interruption Program, Homelessness, De-escalation, Youth Outreach, Officer Wellness, Procedural Justice, among others. While all of this sounds great (indeed, most of them are already implemented by our police force), nowhere in the suggestions do they mention the massive officer shortage, or propose ways of addressing it.

Despite our force’s low numbers, our officers have performed brilliantly. Let’s just look at some facts, shall we? In 2020, out of 872,414 police encounters with OKC residents, only 528 incidents were reported where any kind of force was used. That is only 0.6%. Of those, there were exactly 11…11 incidents of officer-involved-shootings. 11…out of 872,414 police interactions. That means .001% of all interactions, and only 2% of all use-of-force incidents, involved deadly force being used. All while our officers are forced to go out on most calls by themselves due to a lack of staffing.

We do NOT need to be tying up our fine Police Department in endless bureaucratic nonsense, when there’s simply not enough of them to keep the citizens we have safe…let alone the thousands of new citizens moving here monthly from Blue States to experience the “Oklahoma Standard!” Heck, many of those people were likely safer in the cities they came from than they will be here. How is this good for Oklahoma City?

Let me be clear, I am NOT bashing the OKCPD. They do an outstanding job with the resources they have. We should all be beaming with pride at the outstanding work of the men and women of our Oklahoma City Police Department!

What I am furious about is that our Mayor cares more about marching with anti-police, anti-law and order, violent mobs that storm through the heart of the city chanting “Burn the city down!” than in providing safety and security for his citizens! He cares more about trying to turn us into a “Big League City”, than he does providing an atmosphere of peace and prosperity for us all to enjoy.

Make no mistake, Holt IS turning us into a “big city”…along with all of the rampant crime problems that are usually reserved for cesspools like San Francisco and D.C. If we don’t make a change NOW to a Mayor who actually champions law and order, this city will become known as the Cesspool of the Prairie.

Now, of all of the candidates I’ve listened to (Hefner, Urbanic, Lawson) there is only one who has made public safety a top priority…and that’s Carol Hefner. It doesn’t really matter if the mayor doesn’t “shut us down” through mandates if we’re too afraid to leave our homes for fear of being shot, mugged, raped, or worse. Carol is the only candidate that seems to understand that peace ALWAYS comes through strength, and has demonstrated the political will to enforce it.

I’m going to put this as bluntly as I know how: if we do not elect Carol Hefner as Mayor of Oklahoma City, this city will be unlivable before the end of next year…period. I’ve seen what happens in other cities when leftist RINOs like Holt get their way. They promise all the shiny new projects while the city literally burns underneath them. Carol is the only one with the backbone and spine to put a stop to this while we still have time.

We all have a choice on February 8^th…but the only choice that will keep our children and grandchildren from living in perpetual fear is Carol Hefner.

– Michael Adams, Citizen of Oklahoma City

Letters to the Editor: Oklahoma City Deserves Better Leadership

December 23, 2021

Editor’s Note: This is the first publication in our Letters to the Editor series. Anyone is free to submit letters for publication. All we ask is that they be respectful and relevant to current issues. Simply email your letter here, and include “Letters to the Editor” in the subject line. This letter was submitted by the Carol Hefner for Mayor campaign, and does not imply an endorsement.

OPINION

I am a lifelong citizen of Oklahoma City, born and raised here. I am blessed, along with my husband Robert, to have raised our 5 children here. Today, our 10 grandchildren are the recipients of a 6-generation long history in this city. Our family has invested our time and talents in Oklahoma City, always honoring a gracious heritage and hopeful that our time volunteered to see OKC rise would be realized.

It has been gut wrenching to watch the deterioration of our city’s morale and historic fabric of conservatism – the values which have built her. Oklahoma City has seen poor leadership through the pandemic. The suffering we have seen from lockdowns, layoffs, school shutdowns and poor outreach to our citizens has been imposed and encouraged by our career politician Mayor who seeks a higher rung on his personal ladder, setting his vision on his own goals of higher office. Our city has been sacrificed at the altar of liberal socialism and a Biden agenda without regard for what government’s role truly is – the protection of life, liberty and property.

What has made Oklahoma City the Shining City on the Prairie that it has become is not government. It is the heart and soul of her people who look after each other, and care for each other through good times and bad. It is the Oklahoma Standard that we are proud of that sets us apart from other large cities. Our rich heritage of living by the Golden Rule has buoyed us through oil booms and busts, through the horror of the Bomb, and into the era of prosperity we now enjoy.

Now that rich heritage is threatened to its core. Our homeless rolls have swelled over the last two years as busloads of homeless arrive from LA, San Francisco, and other leftist cities with promises that our city will take care of them…increasing the burden on our city and taking advantage of our people’s goodwill without adding productive citizens. Meanwhile our city streets are crumbling. We’re mired in projects which have no value and generate no revenue. Our Mayor is obsessed with funding new social programs to address the same social ills that our private sector provision and faith community involvement have been masterfully adept at addressing for years…without the unnecessary intrusion of government.

Our outstanding police department is under attack from the very same leftist forces that are behind the “defund the police” movement. They’ve faced massive riots and protests which vandalized downtown businesses for the first time in our city’s history, all while our Mayor marched with the same protestors that carried signs saying “Burn the city down.” The courageous men and women of the OKCPD deserve our undying support and encouragement…not a Mayor that kneels down before an anti-police mob shouting “Take a knee! Take a knee!” Instead of standing on the side of law and order, our Mayor used that opportunity to bring in a far-left organization rife with Obama appointees to advise the city on how to “fix the OKCPD” through endless bureaucracy designed to force de-escalation at every turn, while failing to address the fact that our police force is at least 300 officers shy of the number needed for a growing city our size.

The deterioration of our beloved city is evident to anyone paying attention. We are at a crossroads. We can either continue on the direction we are headed and find ourselves turning into the same liberal cesspools that hard-working people are moving here to escape…or we can embrace a bold, new direction that recaptures the heart and soul of our proud heritage and sets a shining vision for the entire city, north to south, east to west, with no quadrant left behind.

I am stepping up and stepping in to give our city a new vision, one without the encumbrance of special interests and one that will restore our values of Faith, Family and Freedom. It is time for rescue and rejuvenation across Oklahoma City. Time for a Mayor who will resist corruption, stand firm for our identity and be authentic in word and deed while upholding the true role of government.

I am Carol Hefner, a wife, mother, businesswoman, Board member to many non-profits over the last 39 years and a woman with a backbone. I have a long, successful history of navigating complex negotiations, decision-making, and comprehending large scale projects that are necessary for a Mayor to have. Everything I have accomplished in my life has prepared me for this moment…for this mission. We do not have to lose our soul to be a successful, thriving city. We can enjoy the blessings of growth while maintaining the heart of what makes this such a great place to live. With your help and support, I truly believe our best days are ahead of us.

For more information on my vision and mission to restore Oklahoma City’s great heritage, and how you can help, please visit HefnerForMayor.com, or call the Vivienne Hasenbeck at (405) 778-3710.

Carol Hefner, Candidate for Mayor of Oklahoma City