The June 26 Oklahoma primary election ballot will feature two Republicans on the Oklahoma County District One ticket for most Luther residents. We introduced the Democrats earlier this week.
The Republican candidates are Chad Albee and Brad Reeves. Albee is a 911 dispatcher for our area, and Reeves is the second deputy for the Oklahoma County Court Clerk. The pair will appear on the Republican ballot with several other candidates for races for County Treasurer and Assessor, and for State Representative. The following are Albee and Reeves’ replies to our email exchanges, slightly edited.
Candidate Chad Albee
“My name is Chad Albee, I work as a 911 dispatcher that covers most of rural Oklahoma County (Luther, Jones, Choctaw, Harrah, Newalla, Spencer, Forest Park, Nicoma Park, Valleybrook, Arcadia and parts of the metro as well as Deer Creek). I want voters to know that the county commissioners rely on input from the citizens to make improvements in their areas and that the budget should be decided fairly to the different agencies within the county government. Voters have been telling me their concerns are growth of their towns, economic development and public safety. Oklahoma City has a large police force, always doing improvements to the streets and water/sewer lines. Rural communities usually have to rely on grants or wait years for improvements such as these and get fire trucks as hand-me-downs from the military or forestry service and even at that point some of the equipment is well-used. OKC may have over 100 officers on at any time while a small town is lucky to have just one officer on duty and then have to rely on backup from a neighboring town. I grew up in a small Oklahoma town with 54 in the town limits and know the struggles. On top of Luther having to deal with the turnpike coming through, several citizens have lost part of their land if not all to the I40 to I44 turnpike. Sadly the peace and quiet will be gone when the construction starts and when completed, the construction noise will be traded for traffic noise. Luther is the kind of small town that everyone wants to move to, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city similar to Mayberry on the Andy Griffith show. As far as property taxes, to some it might seem high until you hear from someone in a New England state. My wife and I have recently been looking into a new house and the property tax varies from $1200-$2000 annually, New Jersey’s average is $6500 annually so things could definitely be worse,” Chad Albee
Candidate Brad Reeves
LR: What is your name and current job?
Brad Reeves, 2nd Deputy for Rick Warren Oklahoma county court clerk
LR: What are you telling voters about the job of County Commissioner?
BR: County Commissioner is responsible for the overseeing of the county budget, unincorporated roads, bridges, and various responsibilities
LR: What are voters telling you about their concerns?
BR: Voters are wanting more transparency and a better understanding of where the tax dollars are being allocated and/or utilized
LR: In the rural parts of District One, what has been revealed as the greatest concern(s)?
BR: Greatest concerns revealed thus far is road maintenance, rural patrol presence, and the working with the rural areas
LR: From inner-city OKC, to a Town like Luther with a volunteer fire department, aging water and sewer systems and a small police force -the breadth of District One is varied! How will you key in on representing the rural areas?
BR: The only way to key into the rural areas is to build the proper relationship with the town’s leadership and mayor to ensure we have open communication lines. This will ensure that all parties are on top of the items that need to be addressed. As commissioner, I will ensure Oklahoma County will be here to support in any way we are allowed under the law and guidelines of the county government.
LR: What are issues facing EASTERN Oklahoma County?
BR: Because of various reasons each area especially the rural areas of Oklahoma County have different concerns, and needs. The plan would be to have a regular sit down meeting with each mayor, or town leaders and discuss issues, concerns, potential progress of the community and rural areas.
LR: What is your impression of Luther?
BR: Luther is a very strong community with deep-rooted family ties which makes it a great place to raise a family.
LR: Some readers said they’d like to know your thoughts on property taxes – some say they are too high!
BR: Property Taxes, I am a homeowner like everyone else and pay my fair share of taxes. I am never in favor of raising taxes, however, I do understand at times it is a necessary evil for growth, maintenance, and progress. As for the property taxes being too high, I would direct that to our county assessor to answer.
LR: What else should I be asking?
Background: “Brad Reeves is 43 years old married with six children. Brad and Stephanie love living and raising our family in Oklahoma, which consists of a blended family, the youngest children being 2 1/2 year old twin girls. Brad attended two years of college at Rose State before beginning his first 10+ career with Albertsons Grocery Stores which he worked up to store director &/or head manager. Brad’s second 10+ career was a transition into the energy industry where he worked up to the position of Sr. VP. Both careers he managed at any given time 100-150+ employees, projected monthly, quarterly, and annual budgets, as well as worked and stayed within controlled budgets. As a child, Brad’s family moved around the United States for his father’s job, as an adult he has had the opportunity to travel around the world and U.S., but has always called Oklahoma home. Brad, Stephanie and family have resided in Oakdale community and lived in Oklahoma County District 1 for approximately 8 years.
