Citing ¡§an era of an unprecedented spirit of cooperation and accomplishment at the courthouse,¡¨ Oklahoma County Commissioner Willa Johnson (Dem., District I) said earlier this week that she will seek reelection.The Democratic primary elections will be held on Tuesday, July 27.
¡§I am asking the voters of District I to send me back to the courthouse to continue to move Oklahoma County forward,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said.
Since she was elected to the post 27 months ago, Commissioner Johnson said she has ¡§seen the courthouse transformed into a place where elected officials now are working together for the good of the public.¡¨
Calling that ¡§spirit of cooperation¡¨ a major change from the tumultuous, raucous and contentious era of years gone by, Commissioner Johnson said, ¡§Now is not the time to return to the politics of yesterday at the courthouse.¡¨
¡§If we are to succeed in confronting the challenges facing this county,¡¨ the District I county commissioner continued, we cannot go back. We must continue to move forward.¡¨
Commissioner Johnson cited a number of achievements accomplished for District I since she took office, including:
„P The continuation of the county¡¦s long-standing support of Tinker U.S. Air Force Base through the acquisition of the vacant General Motors facility.
„P Leveraging federal dollars to quadruple the county¡¦s investment in hazard mitigation programs.
¡§Specifically, that means we have assisted citizens to relocate from the flood-prone Crutcho Park area,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said.
„P ¡§In addition, we have partnered with school districts across the district to improve facilities at a lower cost to them,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson noted, ¡§through the use of county labor and equipment.¡¨
¡§Just a few years ago,¡¨ she pointed out, ¡§ the State Legislature paved the way to allow counties to assist local school districts with projects.¡¨
That legislation, she said, in effect, saved dollars for school districts that they can now use in the classroom.
¡§It¡¦s been a busy couple of years down at the county,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said.
¡§Voters passed the 2008 bond issue that allowed us to purchase the GM plant for Tinker and bring in federal dollars to help us deal with flooding hazards in the county.¡¨
¡§We¡¦ve worked with several school districts on construction projects,¡¨ the county commissioner stated, ¡§and we¡¦ve continued an aggressive road-building and maintenance schedule.¡¨
¡§In this day and age, we can¡¦t rest on our laurels,¡¨ she went on, ¡§we must continue to work hard to serve the citizens of this great county.¡¨
The District I county commissioner said, since she was elected to complete the unexpired term of her predecessor, she has striven to utilize regularly occurring revenue from gas tax collections to leverage federal and state dollars for the benefit of her district.
Consequently, she said, funds were used for ¡§intersection rehabilitation¡¨ at Douglas Boulevard at NE 36th Street in Spencer.
The recently completed intersection and overlay project in Jones and the bridge over the North Canadian River on Britton Road in Jones are other projects that came about because of her efforts, she said.
¡§The Canadian River Bridge is one of two county bridges that were ¡¥fracture critical,¡¦ ¡¨ the county commissioner commented, adding that that ¡§is the same dangerous designation given to the bridge that collapsed in Minnesota.¡¨
Commissioner Johnson said she is most proud of the level of professionalism and ¡§spirit of cooperation that have begun to manifest themselves in Oklahoma County government.¡¨
¡§Inevitably in government, there will be differences of opinion,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said, ¡§but I came to the board of commissioners from an environment on the City Council of Oklahoma City where diverse folks worked together to accomplish big things.¡¨
¡§When we passed the first MAPS program, they said it couldn¡¦t be done,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said. ¡§They said we wouldn¡¦t be able to do all those things, and, even if we did, nobody would use the facilities.¡¨
¡§Obviously, they were wrong.¡¨
Prior to her election as District I county commissioner, Mrs. Johnson spent 14 years on the City Council, representing Ward 7.
During that time, Oklahoma City passed the Metropolitan Area Projects program, which included the building of the Bricktown Canal and the Bricktown Ballpark, a new downtown library and a renovated Civic Center Music Hall, among other projects.
¡§Those projects totally transformed Oklahoma City,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said, pointing out that the city continued that momentum with the adoption of MAPS for Kids and the recently passed MAPS III.
¡§Well, I see that same sort of environment strengthening relationships at the county courthouse,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson remarked.
¡§We face big challenges,¡¨ she continued, ¡§and we will need the same sort of effort and relationship with voters to succeed.¡¨
¡§It is our responsibility to put political differences aside,¡¨ the county commissioner went on, ¡§and work toward the common goal of doing what¡¦s best for our residents.¡¨
¡§When I got here,¡¨ Commissioner Johnson said, ¡§there was conflict, and I pledged to be a part of helping change that tone and create an atmosphere of cooperation, so as to get things done.¡¨
¡§While we¡¦ve done that,¡¨ the county commissioner added, ¡§I hope to have the opportunity to continue that trend.¡¨
