151 Band

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Coming Next Week...

Grassroots Primer:  Next week, I'll be giving you a free primer on how grassroots activism need not be orchestrated by a consultant, political hack or candidate for public office - you can do it yourself.  You'll get some links to websites that are very useful as well as numbers to call to get copies of voter lists from state and county election boards.  This will be fun.

House Committee Assignments:  In the process of putting together a comprehensive look at the committee assignments Speaker-elect Steele has put forth and you will be shocked and ready to take action.

Gubernatorial Appointments:  Who are the people Mary Fallin has chosen to lead and what will the impact be on her first term as Governor?  This is one you'll want to share with your whole email list.

And so much more.  Tune in regularly...

First Week In December 2010 In Review

This has been a hectic, wicked, wild and exceptionally revelatory week in pop culture as well as politics in the great state of Oklahoma.  Let's take a trip down memory lane...

Match made in heaven.  Steele (right), Kelley (left).
Steeley Kris:  Kris Steele, Representative from the wonderful little metropolis of Shawnee has been under fire and it has been more than justified.  While the Oklahoman try as they might to belittle those of us who believe in Constitutional government, most of us have seen through the journalistic bullsh*t.  In a piece (of crap) today, Steele defends his so-called 2nd Amendment support and steers clear of the big issue of illegal immigration reform, perhaps leaving it to the Governor-elect to do something.  Steele is not what he is trying to portray and soon enough, he's going to learn that We The People will not be bamboozled by his chief apologist, Ed Kelley.  In the story today, they again use the term "social conservatives" to spit in the face of all who believe in Constitutional government and Steeley Kris apparently believes that to be just fine with him.  Read the tripe here.

Conservative Grassuprooting:  Kaye Beach and her radio partner in truth had me onboard their radio show Friday evening to talk about the grassroots in Oklahoma and what we need to do to push the conservative, Constitutional agenda forward.  It was fun, entertaining and hopefully enlightening for the listeners.  Kaye was one of the first to break the stories about the doggone highway camera scam being pushed on the Oklahoma legislature a while back.  Here is Kaye's website. 

Kenny Goza
SD47:  Announced candidates have been working hard to take over where Todd Lamb left off and this is going to continue to be one of the more exciting races we have seen in a long time.  We have the following candidates:
1.  Greg Treat:  Political insider who has worked in politics his whole life with little or no private sector experience.  Worked for Coburn, Fallin and even Fred Morgan - the current President of the State Chamber who, by the way, filed suit against the State of Oklahoma for its law allowing law-abiding citizens the right to keep their firearms in their vehicles.  How Treat feels about this is yet to be determined.  He lists among qualifications..."Faithful Husband to Maressa."  As though it would be hard to be faithful to her...but I digress.  Here is Treat's website.
2.  Carol Hefner:  You know the name, the face is remarkably attractive.  Carol has hired Fount Holland, Trebor Worthen and Chad Alexander's operation so you know for a fact that she is in this race to win.  Hefner has charisma, but no real platform that is discernible from her website
3.  Kenny Goza:  Yes, he is an attorney.  He is a self-made business man who has public sector experience, is a veteran, but has also grown his business to five separate offices throughout Oklahoma.  The thing I like about Kenny and Carol both is that neither of them actually need this job, unlike Treat.  However, Kenny has said that he will donate his paycheck to veterans and the foster care system.  You have to love that.  Check out his website here.


Harry Coates and the Lobbyist of Fire:  The story broke about State Senator Harry Coates recently about an affair with a lobbyist.  In my estimation, Coates had problems long before the affair issue came about and I believe that the issue of the affair is between the parties involved and not really our business.  It's the whole "he who is without out sin, cast the first stone" thing - the issues to me is the fact that the spokesperson for local business entities who opposed HB1804 (immigration reform) has questions now about procurement of government contracts because of the affair.  Coates is a business owner in Central Oklahoma and was, for a while, considered the odds-on favorite to be the Senate President Pro Tempore.  So much for that...

More to follow....

Friday, December 03, 2010

Steele Afraid Of Confrontation

I received a call from an elected official this evening who has informed me that Speaker-elect Steele has changed the location of the dinner meeting on Monday after learning that there are numerous conservative groups planning a protest.

Details will be forthcoming, but from what I understand, the location has been changed and Charlie Meadows of OCPAC will be sending out an update as to the location of the scheduled protest of Speaker-elect Steele's continued dodging of the issues of Constitutional importance that Oklahoma voters voted for just last month.  Steele appears to be in cahoots with the likes of former House Representative Fred Morgan who is now the President of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.

Remember, it was the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce who joined in a lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma when the legislature passed a law allowing individuals to store firearms in their vehicles.  Morgan has yet to come out against said lawsuit.

Steele's change of venue is a finger in the eye of those who desire accountability.  This is not accidental, this is all about Steele and his boys hanging out with lobbyists, playing some golf at taxpayer expense.  There is no legitimacy for Steele doing this whatsoever.  This is the kind of thing Republicans used to bitch about when Democrats pulled this crap.

You are being bamboozled, friends.

Mary Fallin is scheduled to speak as well...you do the math.

The event is now:

6pm, Bartlesville Community Center

OCPAC Fired Up - Protest

From the OCPAC email (emphasis, mine):

1) The recent article in the Oklahoman (Thanksgiving day) suggested that Speaker-elect “Steele and other Republican leaders are increasingly favoring priorities shared by several in the state business community who would prefer Oklahoma be in the national spotlight for economic reasons rather than legislators SQUABBLING (emphasis mine) over immigration, weapons or social issues.”

Because of this expressed attitude, a decision has been made to go to Bartlesville Monday evening, December 6th to conduct a demonstration the evening before the House Republicans meet for their annual retreat. If you care about 1 or more of the following issues: abortion, the rising homosexual agenda, the growing threats from radical Muslims and Sharia Law, the ever expanding big brother privacy invasion laws, irrational 2nd Amendment restrictions, the invasion of illegal aliens, Tenth Amendment issues and personal liberty in general, then you really need to make every effort to re-arrange your priorities and try to get to Bartlesville. This is a critical time to let your voice be heard. It might be dubbed, The Do the Right Thing TEA PARTY! Following is our schedule:

THE GOAL - Wherever you are coming from, “BE” in downtown Bartlesville in front of the Phillips Building (the tallest downtown building) across from the rear of the Hilton Garden Inn at 5:00 p.m., next Monday, December 6th. We will end our demonstration around 7:00 p.m.

WHAT TO BRING - Dress for cool weather and bring tasteful signs. (Some suggestions at the end of this e-mail). You may want to bring some snacks.

CARAVAN SCHEDULE FROM THE OKC AREA - I believe we have at least 1 bus and 2 vans which will depart from the Turner Turnpike parking lot (I-35 and NE 122nd) at 2:00 p.m. sharp. First come first serve for seating in these vehicles. Be prepared to bring your own vehicle or ride with someone else if all seating is filled. Depending on time, we might stop for fast food, otherwise we should be back around 9:30 p.m. or a little later.

Sign Suggestions:

A HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND - RINOs ARE THE ONES DIVIDING OUR HOUSE

WE VOTED FOR ELEPHANTS - NOT RINOs

DON’T STEELE OUR CONSERVATIVE VICTORY

THE PRIMARY ELECTION CYCLE FOR SOME OF YOU MAY START THE DAY AFTER THE
SESSION ENDS!!!

McCarville Nails The Oklahoman

In an excellently written commentary by the radio legend, Mike McCarville, he absolutely nails the Oklahoman for their lack of understanding of the issues important to Oklahoma.  This is a MUST read for every Oklahoma voter who currently subscribes to the Oklahoman and would like a reason to discontinue service.

Unless, of course, you need the cat box liner.

Save maybe two or three of the journalists working for OPUBCO, the place has gone left fast and the truth be known...they will do and say whatever the Chamber and CHK's former ad agency tells them to.  They have to because they can hardly give their paper away.

Newspapers across the country are having difficulty maintaining subscriptions because of the proliferation of Internet access and the availability of 24/7 cable news channels.  Newspapers like the Oklahoman have tried convergence with local news organizations such as News 9 and when they got too big for their britches, some marketing genius told them to go it alone.  Now, they have basically two hosts who are about as exciting to watch and listen to on their web-based "TV" as watching paint dry.

The Oklahoman is ripe for take-over, in my opinion, so don't be surprised if the Dallas Morning News (who still actually reports real news and not what the Chamber tells them to) buys the Oklahoman eventually.


Read Mike's very appropriate commentary here.

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Rumor: Protests At House Republican Caucus?

Oklahoma voters have spoken on November 2nd and they have made it clear that yes, they desire a conservative, even Constitutional agenda pushed forth in the Oklahoma legislature this session, but there are continuing questions swirling around Speaker-elect Kris Steele and his committee leadership.  In collusion with the mainstream media, some of the language of the fight has been changed from "conservative, Constitutional issues," to "social issues."  The truth of the matter is that Kris Steele has revealed himself to be less than conservative on Constitutional issues.

This week, the rumors are that members of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, Immigration Reform for Oklahoma Now (IRON) and perhaps even some Tea Party organizers will be traveling to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to challenge the Republican leadership in the House to do what they promised during the campaigns. 

Two of the key issues that this blog will be covering and will continue to cover are the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms as well as the Constitutional responsibility of government to do something about the illegal immigration problem.  There will be video and audio collections posted from Republican leadership across the state that have made promises and you will see them first hand for yourself right here.  And that, my friends, is not a rumor - that is reality.

We The People are tired of campaign promises that are empty and leave us wanted a recount or a mulligan.  Hopefully, there will be a protest and even some video interviews.

Video Thought For the Day

Wesselhoft Note, Clarification

Paul Wesselhoft, House Representative and announced candidate for the State Senate wrote a nice, sweet note on Facebook calling for reason and patience in dealing with Speaker-elect Steele.  It's been quoted on the McCarville Report and elsewhere, and he uses the term "social issue bills."

When confronted, here is the exchange:



You can see plainly that Wesselhoft in no way should have his credibility as a conservative impugned or called into question.  He clearly mistyped and misspoke - which simply proves my point previously as to how subtle the media manipulation can be in parsing words.

I've received email messages already asking whether or not Paul Wesselhoft is a conservative and thus far, I can say that he truly is a conservative - though I disagree with some of his DNA collection legislation pushed in the past, I will stand by this retired Army Ranger, fellow veteran.



Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association Meeting

Where:  H&H Gun Range, Oklahoma City
Time:   6:30pm to 7:30pm, Thursday Evening


We will present the finalized OK2A 2011 Legislative Agenda.
If you plan to eat dinner, please arive at 6:00 pm

Some Gave All Video

Mike Christian's Letter to Speaker-elect Steele

Dear Speaker-elect Kris Steele,

I want to thank you for giving the Republican caucus advanced notice of your proposed newspaper editorial and for inviting us to contact you with any questions we have regarding your vision for the next legislative session.

I couldn’t help but notice that your editorial didn’t address the issue of Arizona style illegal immigration reform or commit to supporting open-carry gun rights legislation.  As you are aware, these two issues are of great importance not only to conservative members of our caucus but also to a vast majority of the citizens of Oklahoma.  As you may know over 80 percent of Oklahomans support Arizona style immigration reform and many of us have made specific promises to advance that measure as well as open-carry legislation.

Republicans must govern like we campaigned.  We are obligated to make a good-faith effort to ensure our votes are consistent with our rhetoric.  Conservative grass-roots organizations expect our agenda to reflect the promises we made to gain their support.

Your recent comments have generated a great deal of outrage and confusion. Members of our caucus have privately questioned whether you are too liberal to lead our House. Members of the state’s largest conservative grass-roots organization (OCPAC) are considering picketing our caucus retreat.  Constituents from my own party have promised to field a primary opponent against me if I should give you my vote.

The caucus, the public, and our grass-roots supporters deserve an honest, direct, and unambiguous explanation of your legislative agenda. We need to be assured that your priorities reflect the priorities of the rest of the House Republicans.

Therefore, I respectfully request that you specifically, publicly, and unambiguously answer the following questions:
1.      Do you support and will you help advance Arizona style illegal immigration reform?
2.      Do you support and will you help advance open-carry gun rights legislation?
Hopefully your response will ease the tensions that have existed since your previous comments were made.

Thank you and I look forward to your response,

Respectfully,

Representative Mike Christian

Big Journalism - Why Media Watchdogs Are Necessary: A Case Study

Izzy Lyman has written a pretty compelling piece on Breitbart's Big Journalism underscoring the need for "media watchdogs."  It involves the problems with the prayer given at the swearing in ceremony by the pastor of Speaker-elect Kris Steele and yes, the story broke here on this blog (link) and then covered by the McCarville Report and KTOK.

Lyman calls Pat McGuigan's CapitolBeatOk's coverage a "puff piece."  Lyman writes:
In a puff piece about the occasion, CapitolBeatOK noted:
(House speaker-elect Kris) Steele presided over the swearing-in session, which opened with a prayer from Dr. Jim Hewett of Steele’s home church, Wesley United Methodist. Hewett prayed for “wisdom and sensitivity to circumstances” in consideration of illegal immigration, among other things.
Among other things?  Since CapitolBeatOk is too pro-establishment to go any further, let’s fill in the blanks.
She goes on to describe Steele as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and lauds the efforts of Randy Terrill on the issue of immigration and echoes the sentiments on this blog regarding the Governor-elect Mary Fallin's support from Arizona's Jan Brewer.  I'll keep you posted on whether Fallin lives up to such standards.

Take a stroll over to Big Journalism and drink deep the accolades given Oklahoma.

Beware The Media's Parsed Words - Oklahoman Story Gets It Wrong

We all remember the famous line from The Dead Poets Society, "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."  And yes, it is true and the mainstream media knows this and is using it to continue to make sure that you remain bamboozled.

Liberalism is now to be "progressive."
Global warming is now "climate change."
Despising Obama's policies is "racist."

Now, the Oklahoman believes Constitutional issues to be "conservative social legislation." 

In a very revealing article in the Oklahoman, written by Michael McNutt, they use the term "conservative social" to degrade and dismiss Constitutional issues.  The article is very much an overview of the rift that has taken place between Oklahoma conservative House members and the Speaker-elect Kris Steele and it is clear who the mainstream media is siding with.

The Oklahoman has been an opponent of illegal immigration reform on numerous occasions and it isn't surprising just why that is - money.  They cannot risk offending those business entities who outwardly oppose securing our borders and dealing with illegal immigration (though the Constitution makes it very clear that it is the role of government to do exactly that).  Were the Oklahoman editorial board and publishers to actually read the Constitution, it would mean that they would be forced into a position where their advertisers would take their money to other, more effective advertising venues - like radio and television.

By the way, it's not an accident that the Oklahoman is so aggressively pursuing their "web TV" coverage and trying to be relevant with alternative media.  Fewer and fewer are buying their propaganda piece posing as a newspaper.

The other issue the Oklahoman will always fall on the left of center will be that of 2nd Amendment rights.  Though the largest advertising agency in the region has as a client the National Rifle Association (Ackerman McQueen), key clients of Ackerman apparently oppose issues such as the right to keep and bear arms on college campuses.  And the Oklahoma Republican leadership is silent on the issue and has hedged its support to see "gun ownership rights in Oklahoma expanded," therefore, the Oklahoman has decided to fall in lock-step behind this new, enterprising and word-parsing leadership.

Today, my friends, words are being parsed, the discussion changed.  That which is truly Constitutional is being dismissed by the mainstream media as well as Republican leadership as "conservative SOCIAL agendas."   Words and ideas can, and will change the world.  We simply have to keep the discussion honest and on topic, and when the mainstream media starts changing definitions, we nail them and their counterparts for it.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Moore Calls On Cooler Heads to Prevail

Today Rep. Lewis Moore (R-Edmond) called on Speaker-elect Kris Steele to refrain from making public comments about the House of Representative’s agenda for the upcoming legislative session until after the Republican Caucus has voted on the issues.

“I was and am a supporter of Speaker-elect Steele’s,” Moore said, “however; it is the role of entire House Republican Caucus, not just the Speaker, to determine the agenda.”

Moore stated that prior to being selected Speaker-elect, Kris Steele gave no indication that he was hostile toward immigration reform, advancing 2nd Amendment rights, or that he was in favor of increased governmental control.

Moore continued, “Rightly or wrongly, Steele’s recent statements have conservative House members deeply concerned that the Speaker intends to force an agenda that is not in line with the majority of the House Republican’s point of view, especially since the majority of us want a smaller, less intrusive government.  Steele’s comments are not consistent with the promises we Republican’s have made to our constituents.”

“Whether intentional or not, Speaker-elect Steele’s public statements have been polarizing and risk fracturing the House caucus. I am therefor calling on the Speaker to refrain from commenting on the House’s agenda until after the caucus has had time to discuss it at the December 7th caucus meeting,” Moore concluded.


Contact:  Rep. Lewis Moore, (405) 557-7400
December 1, 2010

Steele Announced Committee Chairs - Told You So (Again)

As predicted on this blog previously (here), Speaker-elect Kris Steele has made his appointments and save one committee position, I was spot-on.  Another reason why this blog provides news and opinion that tells you not only what the press releases say, but what they DON'T say.

Mike McCarville has the whole list here.

There are three observations that must be made immediately regarding his appointments and you need to spread the word:

1.  Abnormally large number of Democratic Vice Chairmanships.  Steele has 5 Democratic Vice Chairmanships which makes the meat-eating conservatives who voted conservatively in the last election cycle wonder why he would do such a thing.  It's simple, really.  It erects a firewall of protection for him by having liberal to moderate Democrats backing him.

2.  Disproportionate number of Tulsa and rural appointments.  Steele has virtually no street credibility with the rank-and-file Republicans in Central Oklahoma because most of us are familiar with his past.  He is again making the argument that Tulsa moderates are more important than Oklahoma City conservatives.

3.  Inconsequential bones to Oklahoma City conservatives.  Some of the committee assignments such as Sally Kern, Paul Wesselhoft and even Jason Murphey are really committees that aren't of great significance to how Oklahoma tax dollars are spent.

In the final analysis, there are two appointments to Vice Chairmanships that you need to pay close attention to:

Jabar Shumate
Higher Education:  Steve Kouplen, Democrat from Beggs (43 conservative index score).  This gentleman has been against school choice from the beginning and will continue to be so.

Common Education:  Jabar Shumate, Democrat from Tulsa received a 13 conservative index score and the Chairman of this committee is none other than Ann Coody, former member of the Oklahoma Education Association and she received a 50 conservative index score.  Shumate appears to be a little more conservative than his Republican counterpart on school choice, Ann Coody, but make no mistake - Shumate is not a conservative in the sense that he stands for Constitutional rights where the 2nd Amendment is concerned and neither does he believe that the 10th Amendment should stand supreme on the issue of education funding.


This means that the two committees that oversees approximately 50% of the state budget is in the hands of anti-school choice liberals.  Steele has said that he wanted to place individuals in leadership according to their experience, their talent and skill set and that he himself wanted education reform.  The only reform we can logically garner from these choices are that we will spend more and get less accountability than in the past.  Look for Steele and crew to be at the 50 yard line of the next OU ball game.


For more insight, take a look at Steve Fair's blog here.

"It's All Rigged"

Not too shocking for most of us because we already know that "it's all rigged."

One Senator was caught on tape admitting as much.  You must listen here.

Guns & Borders

The talk radio legend, Mike McCarville, put together an interesting analysis of the situation Speaker-elect Kris Steele has found himself.  In the analysis, he quotes the Oklahoman and Steele himself and the picture it paints is not good for Steele.  Any time the media is allowed to be dismissive about Constitutional issues like immigration and guns, there is trouble in River City.

Mike asks the question, "Who is picking this fight and why?"  Excellent question, but the answer is not easily identified.  As for my involvement, I've never been a fan of Steele and it goes back to the Briggs death and if you look Steele in the eye and do a little research, you will probably come to the same conclusion I did about how Kelsey's Law came into play.  Steele is not a conservative and simply does not represent the thoughts and passion of Oklahomans who voted strongly Republican in this last election cycle.

And then we turn to the puppeteer himself, Fred Morgan.  Let's take a look at his commentary very closely.  Mike has this quote from Fred Morgan, the head cheese whiz at the State Chamber of Commerce:
Steele said many business groups in the past have opposed such hot-button issues. 'Where it negatively impacts business, we will speak up,' said Fred Morgan, president of The State Chamber. 'We'll try to educate legislators on how something that while well intended might have some negative consequences to the business climate.'"
Fred Morgan ran for Congress and lest we forget, his claim to fame was a "frivolous" bill to control video games in Oklahoma that was later found unconstitutional.  And that was his calling card during the whole campaign - the fact that his wife is/was a judge, the fact that he tried desperately to make himself look conservative and the reality that Fred Morgan now wants to "educate legislators" is ridiculously offensive.  The Oklahoman and Fred Morgan forget that the issue of illegal immigration and firearms are Constitutional - these are not feel-good social legislative issues.  Unlike Fred Morgan's silly video game law that was ruled unconstitutional, the people of Oklahoma voted for Republicans to accomplish what they promised.

And remember, Fred Morgan was once on the list of nominees for OCPAC's RINO (Republican In Name Only) Award.

Treat, Morgan's Boy
Fred Morgan probably wouldn't know the difference between Constitutional and "social" if the two jumped up and bit him on the ass.  And he has proven that fact by his record in the State House and as the overpaid legal counsel under Glen Coffee in the Senate.  Unfortunately, Greg Treat may be one of the casualties of this RINO gathering because Greg Treat was Fred Morgan's campaign manager and political insider, responsible for part of the messaging for the GOP.  Did the GOP lie to the voters of Oklahoma by saying there would be a conservative agenda?  Or is there a conspiracy that Greg Treat knew exactly what his former boss would be doing with the legislature?  Did the GOP and Greg Treat pull a little "bait and switch?"  Looking at Treat's bio on his campaign it's clear that he is just another political hack, desirous of another political, taxpayer-funded paycheck.

The goal of Steele, the Oklahoman, Fred Morgan and perhaps even the former Victory director, Greg Treat, has apparently been to make Oklahoma voters believe that the right thing to do was to vote Republican because they would get the whole package - conservative governance, a pro-business agenda and maybe, just maybe the hot issues Mary Fallin ran on such as illegal immigration and the 2nd Amendment would get some attention and the legislature would begin to turn to the Constitution for guidance.

Bamboozled, friends.  We have been lied to.

There was a time when Republicans and conservatives from both parties said what they meant and meant what they said about the Constitution.  Today, it's used as campaign fodder and cute little slogans for bumper stickers. 

Fortunately, November 2012 Steele is term-limited and we can get rid of some of his lackeys and prepare for the big fight in 2014.  That, my friends, is when things get very, very interesting.

Monday, November 29, 2010

More Of The Same: Will Retain Gary Ridley as Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Director

I told you so...
From Alex's Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2010
MEDIA CONTACT Alex Weintz (405-535-7317)
ALTERNATE CONTACT: Aaron Cooper (405-514-6227)

Governor-elect Mary Fallin Will Retain Gary Ridley as Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Director

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Governor-elect Mary Fallin announced today that Secretary of Transportation Gary Ridley will retain his current role in the Fallin Administration. Ridley will also continue to serve as the director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation as well as the director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

“Gary has been serving Oklahoma’s transportation needs for over four decades,” said Fallin. “I’ve worked with him as a state representative, as lieutenant governor and as a United States Congresswoman on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and I can attest to Gary’s unparalleled expertise and dedication. I’m glad to have him on my team.”

Ridley has served as secretary of transportation since his 2009 appointment by Brad Henry. He also has held the positions of Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation since August 2001 and Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority since October 2009.

Ridley began his work with ODOT in 1965, when he joined the department as an equipment operator. Ridley continued his work for ODOT, serving in a variety of positions including division engineer, until leaving the department in 1997 to become the executive director of the Oklahoma Asphalt Paving Association. He returned to ODOT in January 2001 to serve as assistant director for operations before becoming ODOT director in August.

During his tenure, the number of bad bridges has been reduced and safety features, such as life-saving cable barriers, have become commonplace on Oklahoma’s highways. Ridley also improved the process of preparing the department’s eight-year Construction Work Plan. With funding increases for transportation, he was able to firm-up commitments made in the fiscally constrained plan, particularly those during the first three years.

Ridley also created ODOT’s four-year Asset Preservation Plan aimed at maximizing the life of Oklahoma’s infrastructure. At the national level, he chaired the committee that celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the interstate highway system, and he has been asked to testify to Congress on several occasions about the challenges faced by state transportation officials.