By the time this picture was taken of a jubilant and grinning Mayor Bill LaFortune and an equally giddy County Commissioner Bob Dick, our illustrious mayor was no longer just the mayor of Tulsa. By this time, he had transformed himself into a regional mayor.
What is becoming increasingly clear to any Tulsan with eyes and ears, is his honor had made countless secretive deals with various other mayors, suburbs, contractors, etc. They were all to the detriment of Tulsa. They were all efforts to cut deals to gain regional support for the Vision 2025 tax. That ended up being a 6/10's of a cent tax increase for Tulsa County for 13 years. I would be remiss not to say the the other gentleman in the picture did his part as well. That's why these two politicoes are all smiles upon the passage of this regressive sales tax.
The deals that are slowly but surely being revealed now to a suspicious public show the extent of the skullduggery.
Now comes mayor LaFortune. He just announced his bid for reelection next year. He can only be elected by the citizens of Tulsa Oklahoma. His hometown, and mine. This time he cannot be elected by the people of Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, Sand Springs, Owasso and Turley.
I am sure he will try to change his spots and appear to now support Tulsa only causes. But I don't think he will be able to shake the mantle of a regional major anytime soon.
He is certainly not a Reagan-Republican as shown by his complete support for a significant tax increase. He has a bloated city staff that has increased during his administration. Crime is up. Police force is down. Streets are the pits. The public education system is dismal. The employment picture is bleak.
I think the main reason he's running for reelection is because he needs a job. But wait a minute...he is a lawyer and we could always use a few more of those guys. :)
We desperately need a change in leadership here. Are you really better off now that you were four years ago?
Saturday, October 08, 2005
LaFortune: Tulsa's Regional Mayor?
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3 comments:
Actually, I am better off than I was four years ago, at least on a personal level. But that's nothing to do with LaFortune; all the results of a new job in Owasso and small, unexpected financial blessing.
Dan,
Glad to hear it. Sometimes we tend to focus on the negatives. Such is usually the case with local politics.
I don't know if you live in Tulsa, but if you do, my point is that you work in Owasso, not Tulsa. The opportunites have fled this city and LaFortune has only hastened the process.
As a citizen then, are you better off?
Mayor LaFortune will need to explain why Tulsa is suffering for the betterment of nearby communities. While Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, and Bixby are exploding and growing, Tulsa is shrinking. We have horrible streets, a skyrocketing crime rate due to inadequate police coverage, and a good ole boys network calling the shots behind the scenes.
Tulsa can't afford another four years with this Bozo of a Mayor. We need real leadership for a change. We need someone with a vision that's not 2025 - something that won't cost the taxpayers more money.
Tulsans made a bad investment in Mayor LaFortune. He won't even attend City Council meetings to explain his position when there's an issue.
It would be difficult to find worse representation than LaFortune.
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