Democrat John Moore and Republican Pat Ownbey are vying for the open District 48 seat in the Oklahoma legislature. The winner will replace Republican Greg Piatt, who announced in May that he would not run for re-election.
Both men are seeking state office for the first time. Moore is an Ardmore city commissioner and former three-term mayor. Ownbey owns a property management company and is a former radio station owner and manager.
Both candidates were asked the same questions and their answers are shown with minimal editing below.
John Moore
1. How will the economic slowdown affect the state budget, especially as it relates to funding for a 4-year university branch campus in Ardmore?
Depending on the economic slowdown, funding for previous years’ budgets may not be adequate. At worst, some programs may have to be eliminated. A break-even budget may not be enough to support programs next year. I believe that Ardmore wants and needs a 4-year branch campus. As a city commissioner, I voted in support of $4 million and land for the branch campus. As a representative, I will continue to work with Senator Crutchfield, Higher Ed and legislators to make the branch campus a reality.
2. What are the three key issues facing Oklahoma?
(1) Education: I will work to provide top quality education with local control and flexibility for school districts, parents and students without harsh and inflexible “unfunded” mandates from the state government; to provide competitive wages and/or health benefits for teachers and education support personnel; and to protect the integrity, independence and success of the Vo-Tech. No issue is more central to Oklahoma’s future than workforce education — help employees needing to maintain a competitive advantage with a skilled labor force.
(2) Health care: I will work to protect access to doctors and hospitals to both large and small communities, so that the jobs, quality of life and health of Oklahomans are not compromised, to protect health services provided to the most vulnerable Oklahomans, especially during this time of economic upheaval and work to create a win-win environment for doctors, hospitals and patients. I will also work and support plans to help small businesses provide health care benefits for their employees that will enable them to keep quality workers. I will work to provide access for all Oklahomans to affordable prescription drugs, especially in rural parts of the state. A key to making health insurance more accessible to Oklahomans is ensuring there are enough health care workers to provide quality care.
(3) Jobs - Living Wage: I will fight for tax equity and fairness in tax reform legislation instead of adopting tax schemes that merely shift tax burdens from one group to another. For the past 13 years as a city commissioner, I have and will continue to support new job growth for the area and state as your representative.
3. How exactly can we use state government to foster economic development in southern Oklahoma?
By securing state dollars, like we received for the new Lake Murray Lodge, to promote tourism in the area. I feel that we need to attract state dollars here for the long-term projects like a four-lane state highway between Ardmore and Durant that will open the door to new businesses for our area.
4. Feel free to comment on an issue that hasn’t been addressed above.
I support the insurance mandates the Oklahoma Legislature has imposed on insurance companies. Some propose to eliminate them. If they prevail, companies would no longer be required to pay for mammograms, colonoscopies and prostate exams, as well as other preventive measures. This is unacceptable. Prior to the mandates, they would not pay for these procedures. Prevention is always more cost effective and efficient than treatment. If elected, my primary goal will be to promote the health and welfare of all Oklahoma citizens.
While we in Ardmore enjoy ambulance, hospital, police and fire protection, I am a strong believer in supporting the rural fire departments in our district. At the state level, I would support rural fire departments with aid in purchasing equipment such as defibrillators and find ways to increase money for REAP.
Pat Ownbey
1. How will the economic slowdown affect the state budget, especially as it relates to funding for a 4-year university branch campus in Ardmore?
We are fortunate to live in Oklahoma because our state’s economy remains sound. Our revenue collections remain strong. The revenue streams including sales tax collections, income tax, both personal and corporate, as well as revenues from oil and gas continue to do well. Still, there is no doubt that recent declines in energy prices have the potential to impact Oklahoma’s economy. Certainly a tight budget makes it more difficult for the expansion of any type of government services. I believe for a four-year branch campus to become a reality it’s going to take all of us working together, the Higher Education board, the City of Ardmore and the state legislature. I also believe that my relationship with the existing leadership in the Oklahoma House and Senate will give us the best opportunity to get this done.
2. What are the three key issues facing Oklahoma?
(1) Oklahoma’s economy is an area that affects every family in our state. With every American facing a slowdown in the national economy, I believe it is imperative that we work to make Oklahoma a place where businesses can succeed. Successful businesses mean better jobs and more opportunity for Oklahoma families. Last year, while the national economy left many states facing deficits, our legislature came up with a fiscally prudent budget without accessing the state’s Rainy Day Fund. The result is today Oklahoma now has the largest Rainy Day reserve in state history totaling $596 million dollars. At the same time the Standard & Poor’s rating services raised Oklahoma’s General Obligations bond rating for the first time in 47 years. We must continue that commitment to responsible financial policies and as your state representative I will. (2) Our families deserve safe roads and bridges. The condition of our roads and bridges is an issue that must be dealt with now. Our infrastructure affects everything from tourism to trucking. In fact, the condition of our rural roads is one of the top issues facing Oklahoma’s Agribusiness climate. For too long, our funding for roads and bridges wasn’t even enough to keep up with inflation. When our leadership changed, so did our commitment. We must continue that promise to make sure our roads and bridges are in top-notch condition.
(3) Another key issue involves health care. Almost two in 10 Oklahomans have no health insurance. That’s because while Oklahoma families make far less income than the national average, they pay more than the national average for health insurance. We must allow our families the right to buy quality, affordable health insurance by requiring insurance companies to offer a base or core plan free of mandates. Currently, Oklahoma has 36 mandates on health insurance coverage, pricing many of these families out of the market. The result is too many Oklahoma families are left without any coverage.
3. How exactly can we use state government to foster economic development in southern Oklahoma?
We must use state government to create a business friendly environment. I believe we can start by creating a workers compensation reform plan that will provide real benefits to injured workers and much needed savings to our employers who create these jobs. We must never forget that jobs are created by employers who have the opportunity to succeed. When they succeed, they hire more people. We need to make sure that Oklahoma is a place where businesses can be successful.
Lawsuit reform is another key area that would bolster economic development in southern Oklahoma. A great example of this is what has happened in Texas. In the four years since real lawsuit reform was enacted, Texas licensed more than eleven thousand physicians. This comes at a time when more than ninety of Oklahoma’s rural communities are struggling to find doctors.
Finally, Oklahoma’s tax base is another key ingredient when it comes to economic development. The current income tax rate is at an all time low of 5.5 percent, down from 7.0 percent in 2003. As the economy strengthens, existing legislation requires the rate to decrease even further to 5.25 percent. At the same time the first increase in the standard deduction in over twenty years was instituted in 2005. For 2008, the deduction is $6,500 for married couples filing jointly which is up from $2,000 in 2005. The result is a family of four earning $20,000 will benefit from paying taxes to our state of $192 in 2003 to receiving a refund of $217 today, a savings of over 200 percent. I believe this overall tax relief effort has helped greatly in Oklahoma’s overall job growth, and we must fight to continue this effort.
4. Feel free to comment on an issue that hasn’t been addressed above.
While I feel there are a number of issues that we must address, from the treatment of our veterans to our teacher retirement system, an issue that should remain on the front burner is life itself. I believe in the sanctity of life. It is a foundational issue that can certainly strengthen our families in Oklahoma because we protect life. Oklahomans value life. Our state government is validating the Declaration of Independence which says we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. We must be a state that validates the fact that our Creator created life. I don’t believe God will honor a state that doesn’t protect life.
