I stand for transparancy...my first order of business will be to reinstate the Budget Board. The Budget Board is comprised of county elected officials who propose the next fiscal year's budget, conduct public hearings and adopts a final budget. I personally experienced the value of the Budget Board while serving on the Cleveland County Fair Board. There's an added level of transparency when we have ALL of the elected officials reviewing the budget. It's important to me to have these elected officials on this review board because unlike the Commissioners which are elected by a third of the county, the other 5 elected officials are truly the voice of the people. They have been voted into their office by the entire county. They deserve a say in the budget. I plan to rectify this situation when elected. Read more about how my opponent voted to dissolve the Budget Board here.
I stand for open and honest government...no back room deals.
I've built my business on being honest. Take it from Diane Hibdon, former owner of Hibdon Tires or Seth Wadley of Seth Wadley Motor Group. I believe honesty is the foundation for my business practices, and I will serve this county with those same values.
The dealings on the Financial Center (aka: Vista Building) in downtown Norman are a prime example of how business dealings outside the open meetings of the Commissioners and outside the governance of the Budget Board make citizens question the honesty of their leaders. By bringing back the budget board, I'll bring back honesty and transparency to a county desperately needing level headed business men. Read more about the purchase of this building here.
I stand for spending taxpayer dollars wisely...not expenses that help one area of the county, not our whole district.
I've been an integral part of the growth of the Oklahoma Electrical Cooperative since joining their board. We were able to achieve that staggering 45% (35,000 meters in 2001 to over 66,000 meters in 2022) growth by teamwork, open communication from the board level to the staff level and by empowering the leadership to run their departments, thus bettering the whole Co-Op. I'm experienced in Take it from Patrick Grace, CEO and General Manager of OEC.
Expenditures that concern me are things like the Pickleball courts (aka Multi-Purpose Outdoor Community Space) that have been on and off of the Commissioner meeting agendas time and time again as of late. It's such a dancing game on being included in the agendas, it caused one Commissioner to walk out of a meeting, stating it was an unlawful meeting by the Open Meetings Act. At the end of the day, we're spending tax payer dollars on areas that help one central area of our county, not the whole county...and likely on a project that really shouldn't be a county project at all. Read more about this issue here and here.
If you know me, you know my word is my bond. This is what I stand for and what I believe it. I am proud of the work my campaign team and I have put into this election. The points I covered above are all factual, as you can see with the articles. A vote for Rusty is a vote for transparency and honesty. I humbly ask for your vote for me, Rusty Grissom on June 28.
Comments