Adelson, Bartlett Win Tulsa Mayoral Primaries

Democrat Tom Adelson and Republican Dewey Bartlett Jr. won their party primaries for mayor of Tulsa on Tuesday and now face off in the November 10th general election where they'll be joined by two independents.

Bartlett won 54 percent of the vote in his 11-way primary. His closest competitor, Chris Medlock, had 32 percent.

Adelson swamped his opponents, winning 94 percent of the vote.

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Adelson, Bartlett Lead Tulsa Mayoral Race

Republican Dewey Bartlett Jr. and Democrat Tom Adelson held wide leads in their respective mayoral primaries heading into the final week of the campaign, according to an Oklahoma Poll conducted August 29 to September 1st for the Tulsa World by SoonerPoll.com.

Three hundred likely voters from each party were surveyed, with 53 percent of Republicans choosing Bartlett from among the 11 GOP candidates and 54 percent of Democrats picking Adelson in a five-candidate field.

Republican Chris Medlock, with 15 percent of the GOP vote, was the only other candidate in either party to reach double digits.

None of Adelson's opponents in the Democratic primary received more than 2 percent.

Twenty-one percent of Republicans and 39 percent of Democrats said they didn't know who they would vote for.

"The numbers are problematic for (Bartlett and Medlock) both," said Bill Shapard of SoonerPoll.com, which conducted the survey. "Obviously, Medlock would like better numbers. But it could also be bad for Dewey Bartlett. His supporters could say, 'Oh, he's got it won,' and stay home." Bartlett leads Medlock in every demographic category, including self-identified conservatives.

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Bartlett Leads Tulsa Mayoral Dollar Race

Republican Tulsa mayoral candidate Dewey Bartlett Jr. leads the field in fundraising with a little more than $286,000.

That's above the nearly $197,000 that Democrat frontrunner Tom Adelson has collected.

Republican candidate Chris Medlock has raised $48,000 and independent Mark Perkins has raised about $29,000.

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Adelson Says He'll Seek Tulsa Mayor's Seat

Speculation about the future political plans of Senator Tom Adelson, Tulsa Democrat, ended Wednesday when he announced he'll seek to become the next mayor of Tulsa.

Adelson also had been mentioned as a possible candidate for attorney general next year.

Adelson, 43, said he will continue to serve as a senator pending the outcome of the mayoral race.

Mayor Kathy Taylor has announced she will not seek another term.

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Don't Ask About Guns Measures Advance

From The Tulsa World ~ Measures moving through the Legislature would ban employers from asking job applicants whether they own a gun.

The Senate passed Senate Bill 793 by Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, on Monday by a vote of 43-1. The measure now heads to the House.

Employers found guilty of violating the proposed law could be fined as much as $1,000 and/or jailed for as long as 90 days. It would apply to all employers, private and public.

The House voted last month to pass House Bill 1025 by Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, which also would ban employers from asking whether a job applicant owns a weapon. The vote was 85-15.

Sen. Tom Adelson, D-Tulsa, questioned the necessity of what he called a "silly" measure. He was the only senator to vote against the measure. Adelson asked whether it provided an exemption for an employer who determined through a background check that an applicant had a criminal history and needed to know whether the person might be a risk to employees.

Sykes said the measure provided no exceptions. But Sen. Steven Russell, R-Oklahoma City, said felons are prohibited from carrying weapons. Adelson said employers have freedom of speech and should be able to determine whom they will hire. "Isn't it a free country?" he asked. Adelson said the bill appeared to be designed to show that someone is more American than someone else.

Russell, noting that employers can't ask about an applicant's race or religion, said they shouldn't be able to ask about gun ownership, either.

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Legislation Origination Bill Passes Senate, Goes To House

The Senate has approved a bill that would enable the public to find out which legislation was requested by a state agency or lobbyist.

Senate Bill 1962, by Senator Anthony Sykes (pictured), was approved unanimously. The Moore lawmaker said this is an enhancement of the Taxpayer Transparency Act approved last year to enable the public to track how all their tax dollars are appropriated through the Internet.

“One of the things I observed during my first session was that most bills are agency request bills. It seemed like every time a bill was presented, the Senator would stand up and say ‘this is an agency request bill’ and that was about it as far as an explanation as to why the legislation was being proposed. It appeared that the bureaucracy was driving the process,” Sykes said. “Under my bill, the public can track which state agencies are requesting legislation, and what that legislation does.”

During the committee process, Tulsa Senator Tom Adelson added language that would also require disclosure of bills specifically requested by lobbyists. This amendment was welcomed by Senator Sykes.

“The public needs every assurance that members of the legislature are there to serve their needs, not those of a special interest,” Adelson said. “By disclosing who the stakeholders are on legislation, I believe we’re opening up the process, and creating more transparency and accountability.”

The bill next moves to the House for further consideration.

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