Tulsa Topics

Last Friday, the Citizens' Commission on City Government (CCCG) held their fourth meeting at the Greenwood Cultural Center. This is the Commission that was hand-picked by former Mayor Bill LaFortune after the Tulsa Whirled planted the seed with both print and hefty donations to Tulsans for Better Government (TfBG). Many have speculated that the Commission was sanctioned by LaFortune since the initiative petition that Tulsans for Better Government backed appeared to be a loser.

The meeting agenda included discussion of City Council Representation from Ted Sherwood (TfBG) and from Greg Bledsoe (Tulsans Defending Democracy). Today, I received the text of Greg Bledsoe's presentation to the CCCG. It's a great presentation that is loaded with Tulsa's history concerning attempts to change our City Government. Here's a small excerpt of the presentation:

After the recall defeat, a consistent drum-beat of several editorials over the next several months began in the Tulsa World. They advocated a return to some form of at-large representation system to supposedly “stop the bickering” on the City Council and lessen the influence of certain councilors who were supposedly only concerned about parochial interests.The World claimed that its long predicted “ward politics” had arrived and that this must be eliminated. It asserted that certain councilors had lost sight of the overall good for the whole city

In conclusion, we call on TfBG to state now that they will not go forward with their proposal. I know members and supporters of TfBG are not racisit, they are not bad people, they are trying to help Tulsa, but this plan will not help. If they go forward, we will fight them over the signatures, we will fight them at the ballot box and, if necessary, we will fight them in the courts. Tulsa does not need this fight. We should work together not against each other.