Comment on high speed rail application begins
The Department of Transportation wants to hear from you. Last week the department submitted its application for high-speed rail funding for a proposed route between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Now as part of the application, the department needs average folks to weigh in on the application. Comments must be recieved by Oct. 19.
Oklahoma is competing with other states for a portion of $8 billion set aside for high-speed rail. Oklahoma requested $2 billion. The Federal Rail Administration could make a decision on the applications by the first of the year. The proposed route would begin at the Santa Fe Station in Oklahoma City and connect north then east to the Union Pacific Harter Yard near Lincoln Boulevard and Reno Avenue. The route would travel along the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad right-of-way north to Interstate-44/Turner Turnpike and then parallel I-44. Near Sapulpa, the rail line would cross I-44 and tie to existing state-owned rail line and then connect to the BNSF track for the remaining 19-mile route into Tulsa’s Union Station.
The document is on ODOT’s Website at http://www.okladot.state.ok.us/meetings/a2009/091002/index.htm.
The document can also be viewed at Oklahoma City Downtown Library, Edmond Metropolitan Library, Tulsa Central Library and at libraries along the route in Sapulpa, Stroud, Chandler, Norman, Purcell, Pauls Valley and Ardmore. The public is urged to submit comments by Oct. 19 to Environmental Programs Division Engineer, 200 N.E. 21st St., Oklahoma City, OK 73105 or by e-mail at HSIPREnvironment@odot.org. — JULIE BISBEE, CAPITOL BUREAU
Bellmon’s body lies in state at Capitol
The casket of former Gov. Henry Bellmon is displayed in the fourth floor rotunda of the Capitol.
Family and other mourners gathered in the fourth floor rotunda of the state Capitol on Friday morning in honor of Henry Bellmon, Oklahoma’s first Republican governor and a former U.S. senator. His casket was carried in from the south and brought up the grand staircase before being placed in front of a painting of Will Rogers. Bellmon died Tuesday from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.
Funeral services set for Bellmon
Funeral services for former Gov. Henry Bellmon have been scheduled. Bellmon died Tuesday morning from complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 88.
Bellmon was Oklahoma’s first Republican governor and credited for the rise of the Republican party in Oklahoma.
Bellmon’s body will lie in repose at the state Capitol from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 1001 S Rankin in Edmond, and a service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church, 422 Eight St., Perry.
For more on Bellmon, check out stories, photos and videos on newsok.com.
Longtime Capitol reporter reflects on Bellmon
Former Capitol Bureau reporter John Greiner
John Greiner, former Capitol Reporter for The Oklahoman for 37 years, shares some of his favorite memories of former Gov. Henry Bellmon. Bellmon died Tuesday morning from complications from Parkinson’s disease. Bellmon, Oklahoma’s first Republican governor, was 88.
While at the Capitol, Greiner covered seven governors. Greiner retired last October.
I learned the first time I ever met Henry Bellmon that he never left anything to chance when he was campaigning.
It was early in one morning at a diner outside Altus where men, many of them farmers, had gathered to gulp down a cup of coffee or eat some scrambled eggs before heading toward a day of hard work.
I wandered into the diner with two high school boys who were helping me and The Oklahoman poll southwestern Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Bellmon, the incumbent, and former Democratic Congressman Ed Edmondson of Muskogee.
It was 1974 and nearby Altus was preparing for a big event–the Jackson County Democratic Party rally, which was advertised by banners hanging across the streets in downtown Altus.
Always an early riser, Bellmon went into the diner to shake hands and ask those eating there for their vote.
I was surprised he was spending time in that county when Democrats were out in force that day.
But that was Henry Bellmon.
He never forgot that every vote counted.
Bellmon won that election.
**********
I sometimes would cover a Bellmon appearance in Oklahoma in the following years, but my next vivid memory of Bellmon was after his Senate career when he was appointed by Gov. George Nigh to head the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, also known as the welfare department.
Bellmon came up with a plan to reorganize that department.
In those days the agency’s governing board met in a small room in the agency.
Bellmon would not disclose his plan until he’d presented it to the board, despite the objections of many reporters including me who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder along the walls of that small room.
At a break, I went to Bellmon and continued my argument for having a copy of the report, saying it would make it easier to get things right.
“Do you want to run this agency?” Bellmon barked.
He would not release it until the meeting was over.
When that meeting ended, Bellmon came to me and the others and explained that had he released the report early, Harry Culver of the United Press International and Jim Young of the Oklahoma City Times would have gone back to the press room and filed their stories.
“I would have spent the rest of the afternoon answering phone calls (of other reporters),” a less belligerent Bellmon said, with a twinkle in his eye.
**********
The governor’s race between him and David Walters was a rough campaign all around and close, with Bellmon winning.
During the campaign, he met with supporters and recalled that the Bellmon Belles, a group of women organized by his wife, Shirley, had helped in his 1962 campaign.
He then said Shirley couldn’t get into the Bellmon Belle dress anymore.
The crowd, still friendly, politely booed, but before it could finish, Bellmon said; “The dress had shrunk” in the wash over the years.
One day, I think after he was governor, Bellmon, an aide, and three reporters got into the same elevator and headed to the second floor.
One reporter, who was very animated when he spoke, talked seemingly nonstop to Bellmon about government events from the time we got onto the elevator until it stopped to let the animated reporter off.
When the elevator door closed, Bellmon turned to his aide, and said:
“Who was that citizen?”
**********
When he became governor the second time, Bellmon proposed closing some state veterans’ centers.
That set off a political firestorm that led to hundreds, maybe a few thousand Oklahoma veterans, marching on the capitol. As many as could came into the state House of Representatives Chamber where they were going to talk about this problem with Bellmon.
As they entered the Chamber, they saw Bellmon, standing at the podium and smiling.
Veterans are pretty courteous and they were that day.
They made their speeches and then politely left the capitol.
Bellmon dropped that plan.
***********
I was fortunate to cover state government during seven gubernatorial administrations.
I liked every one of the governors.
But Henry Bellmon was my favorite, and he always will be.
– John Greiner
Former Gov. Bellmon dies
Henry Bellmon at his Senate farewell party with former President Richard Nixon in 1981.
The man who has been sometimes dubbed the “father of Oklahoma’s Republican Party,” has died.
Former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon died this morning in Enid from complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 88, according to a statement released by Bellmon’s former chief of staff Andrew Tevington. Bellmon was a two-term governor who also served 12 years in the U.S. Senate. He’s been credited with many reforms to the state’s education system and revered by politicians on both sides of the aisle. Read the full story on Bellmon and check out video interviews.
Former Gov. George Nigh called Bellmon, “the most decent and honorable public servant I ever knew.”
State Superintendent of Education Sandy Garrett who worked with Bellmon on education reforms said: “I will most remember his courage and passion for improving public schools and for building consensus among Democrats and his fellow Republicans for passage of House Bill 1017, the landmark Education Reform and Funding Act of 1990. I was proud to serve as his Cabinet Secretary of Education and to help usher in the reforms we agreed were sorely needed. These include better pay for teachers, the first written state curriculum and assessments to match, class-size mandates, universal Pre-Kindergarten programs, mandatory Kindergarten for every child, school board member training and much more. … To me, he is the father of education reform in Oklahoma. Henry Bellmon was my mentor, my dear friend and I will miss him very much.”
Many in the Capitol are still learning of Bellmon’s death. Gov. Brad Henry is expected to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today to announce a new member to his executive team, but no doubt he will have praise for Bellmon, as he has in the past.
Funeral arrangements for Bellmon are pending.
Education funding could be tough ballot measure
The 2010 elections may seem far off. But in the state Capitol folks are already lining up their message and jockeying. Which can only mean the next legislative season will interesting. Lawmakers up for re-election will either be overly cautious, not wanting to offend or they’ll be outlandish, hoping to garner attention and get their name out.
Either way, it’s incumbent upon voters to pay attention and try to understand the issues, not just the rhetoric.
Today is the second day of the legislative hearing on State Question 744. The issue will be on the ballot in the 2010 election and seeks to get more money for education. The HOPE school funding Initiative seeks to make it mandatory that the state legislature to allocate a certain amount of money to the state’s common education system. The amount would be based on the average spent per student in surrounding states. The measure is backed by the Oklahoma Education Association and could cost the state up to $850 million each year. Proponents of the measure say education standards continue to increase and the needs of students continue to grow, but the funding for education isn’t meeting the needs. Here’s a fact sheet from the folks supporting SQ 744.
Leading lawmakers, however, say the measure would limit their ability to met the budget requirements of other agencies. If one agency is supposed to get a mandated amount of money, how do lawmakers handle tough budget years like this one? Several agencies will have to be cut so that education can be funded at the mandated levels, ranking Republicans say.
At today’s hearing, agency heads are expected to speak about how their operations would be impacted by deep budget cuts. Here’s a video editorial from The Oklahoman’s editor Ed Kelley, talking about the measure.
Obviously parties on both sides of the issue are passionate. This is when the power of informed voting becomes even more important. Voters should pay attention to these issues now, before the heady days of campaign season begin and it becomes difficult to see the issue through the “message.”
– JULIE BISBEE, Capitol Bureau
Sprucing up the place…
The recently installed backdrop in the broadcast press room.
The Oklahoma House is perhaps taking a cue from Oklahoma State University’s clever, “Hire OSUgrads” media back drop with it’s latest purchase. The division purchased a navy blue backdrop with the state seal on it. The new backdrop was installed Friday in the broadcast press room.
Total cost: $1,800.
The backdrop was ordered last legislative session, said Jennifer Monies, spokeswoman for the Speaker of the House. That was before the state had to start freezing travel and talking furloughs.
The backdrop will only be used by state officials. House staff say they plan to install some kind of lock to keep random groups from using the state seal background so their message is not confused with the “official message” of the state’s elected leaders. Monies said the House media staff is starting to shoot more of its own video and bright blue walls of the broadcast room didn’t make for a good shot. House media staff consulted with OETA, who helped set up the room and the House videographer before making the purchase, Monies said.
Handling the backdrop could be tricky. Random groups often take advantage of the room’s technology and captive media audience to promote their cause or publicly air their worry with state government.
Broadcast reporters who cover the Capitol also work out of this room during the legislative session. Print reporters are just across the hall.
If you have an issue to promote it’s really easy to get a few warm bodies to cover your press conference if you show up at their office. Yes, sometimes we like the low hanging fruit handed to us. Whether we write about it or not is a different story.
– JULIE BISBEE, Capitol Bureau
If only it were snow…
How many days of rain have we had this week?
It wouldn’t surprise me if some state officials were quietly thinking, “If only it were snow.”
Yes, snow and a cold winter. That would mean we’d all be running our heaters, mostly powered by natural gas. Folks on the East Coast would looking for oil for their heaters and we’d all be topping off our gas tanks.
Yes…a good long cold winter would help state government clear a revenue hurdle and hopefully have enough money to avoid dipping into reserve funds for normal operations.
In the last revenue reports issued on Tuesday, gross production tax collected on natural gas brought in only $20.8 million. Last year, during the same one-month period last year, natural gas brought in $96.6 million.
That’s quite a difference and we’re feeling it. Apparently the supply of natural gas is plenty and its not as lucrative..so why put a million dollar rig in the ground for a commodity that’s selling low.
In Oklahoma we live and die by the volatile energy market. Not just the state’s bottom line but livelihood of people who work on those rigs, or profit from the increased business on the rigs. It’s a chain, and eventually the taxpayer sees the end result.
Farmers have been telling us for years to eat beef to help out the state’s economy. In the same vein, I guess we also need to be wishing rain was snow and hoping for a long, cold winter.
– JULIE BISBEE, Capitol Bureau
Gumm kickoffs re-election campaign
Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant was expected to kick off his re-election campaign this evening at a Durant restaurant.
Gumm is seeking his third term in office and final four-year term in Oklahoma Senate District 6, which includes Bryan, Johnston and Marshall counties and portions of Coal and Atoka counties. The Oklahoma Constitution limits members of the Legislature to 12 years of service. Upon re-election in 2010, the senator would reach the 12-year limit at the expiration of that term in November 2014.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins was also expected to speak at the event. Askins, a democrat, is running for governor.
Updated Tuesday 10:15 a.m.
Apparently the Gumm re-election kickoff was well attended.
Rice says he’ll run for Senate seat again
Sen. Andrew Rice sent a letter to supporters Wednesday saying he plans to seek another term in Senate District 46. Rice was elected to represent the central Oklahoma City district in 2006. In 2008, Rice unsuccessfully sought to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s seat.
In his letter to supporters, Rice the budget shortfall will continue to be an issue for lawmakers and “The new Republican leadership in the Oklahoma legislature has shown little interest in good public policy and instead has stayed focused on their long-standing partisan agendas that further marginalize everyday Oklahomans and divide our communities.”
Rice hasn’t been shy in his criticism on the new Republican leadership and true to form he’s dusting that rhetoric off for the campaign season. Rice urges supporters to help him out and warns that with the palpable backlash against President Obama could mean that Republicans will go after Rice’s seat with a vengeance…”Given the poor approval ratings that President Obama has in Oklahoma, the GOP leadership and their operatives are extremely overconfident about their chances of picking up many legislative seats all over the state in 2010. They will surely come after my seat as well.”
Let the games begin.
– Julie Bisbee, Capitol Bureau
