Woodward, Okla. — Thursday night the Woodward County Republican Women held a primary forum introducing all the Republican candidates up for election in Tuesday's primary.

The biggest local race this year is for Woodward County sheriff, for which there are 2 Republican candidates, current Sheriff Gary Stanley and former sheriff Les Morton.  Republican voters will decide in Tuesday's primary whether Stanley or Morton will face off with the Democrat's choice between Democratic candidates Joe Adams and Monte Martin.

Since Tuesday's election is only a primary, the Republican Women's group only invited the Republican candidates to speak at Thursday's forum.  Both Democratic candidates were in attendance though, with both Martin and Adams saying they were interested in hearing what their Republican counterparts and potential opponents had to say.



SHERIFF CANDIDATES INTRODUCE THEMSELVES

The candidates were allowed to introduce themselves, share their qualifications and briefly describe what their main goals for the office were before the forum was opened up to the audience for questions.

In his self-introduction, Stanley focused on all of the improvements that has gone on at the sheriff's department and county jail since he took office in 2008.

Stanley has been in law enforcement since 1973, when he started out in the Woodward Police Department. He then spent a short amount of time in the oilfield before going back to law enforcement. He spent a year as an Oklahoma City police officer, then came back to be a deputy for the Woodward County Sheriff's Department.  While at the sheriff's department he served 3 1/2 years of that time as undersheriff.  Stanley then spent 10 years with the district attorney's office before running for sheriff in 2008.

Stanley said he considers the main duties of the sheriff to be maintaining the jail, keeping the civil process and providing courthouse security.

Stanley said, "When I became sheriff, the jail was overcrowded, so we got a new sales tax and started work on a new jail."

When the jail was finally completed last fall and the inmates moved over, he said, "It was nice to have room for all of them."

But the inmates didn't find it as "homey," he said.  That's because "the new jail is open and has a lot more cameras and security in it. This allows our guards to keep a better eye on the inmates and reduces the  fights in the jail," Stanley said.

The sheriff also filled the group in on how he has helped build the department through equipment purchases.

"We got a new Tahoe and converted it to CNG which saves us $2 per gallon and will allow us to have the Tahoe paid off sooner," Stanley said.

In addition, he said, "We have gotten 5 new in-car cameras for the patrol cars."  He said these cameras not only allow us to see if an officer is being unprofessional, but can also be used as evidence for when the officer is not in the car and the suspects in the back seat start talking.

Once Stanley finished, Morton took the floor.

Morton has been in law enforcement since 1975 when he started as an officer in Kiowa, Kan.  Then he was hired by Woodward Police Department in the early 1980's and worked there for 21 years until he retired at the rank of lieutenant.  He then ran for sheriff and was elected in 1997 and was sheriff for 12 years until being defeated by Stanley in 2008.

Since then he has served as a reserve deputy for Harper county and currently works at William S. Key in Fort Supply.

"One of my biggest pet peeves that I have faced as sheriff and a police officer has been the war on drugs," especially when it came to methamphetamine, Morton said.

"As sheriff we took down many meth labs in the county and it was a big deal to me then and still is," he said, noting the battle against drugs is ongoing.

"Rural theft is the other thing that I take personally," Morton said, noting, "It ticked me off when any type of theft took place in Woodward county, because it is my job to keep my people safe and to make sure this stuff didn't happen."

Other issues that Morton feels needs more attention are child abuse and molestation and crimes against the elderly.

"I'm a firm believer in standing up for the people of Woodward County, I want everyone to be protected," Morton said.



QUESTIONS FOR SHERIFF'S CANDIDATES

Once Morton finished the group started with their questions for both candidates.

The first was for Stanley, that was it still easy for inmates to smuggle drugs into the jail?

Stanley said that since they had built the new jail, no drugs had been found.

Stanley was also asked had the oil boom hurt the staffing of the sheriff's office? He said that they have a full staff and that they had not lost any people to the oil field.

Morton was asked about changes that he would like to see in the sheriff's department. He said that pride, professionalism and appearance were always a big deal to him. He feels that when you step out of the car you should look good.

"Officers that look good, get respect, those that don't look good, don't get the respect," Morton said.

He also went on to say that the department needs to be courteous toward the public, stating it makes it much easier to talk to someone when you are respectful to them.

Stanley said that he agreed with Morton that all officers should be respectful and look professional while on the job and if they were not then the proper measures would be taken.

Morton was then asked why he had switched from the Democratic party to the Republican party. He said that he always was more of a Republican than a Democrat, but had chosen Democrat because that is what his parents were.

But he said he feels that a candidate should be judged on his or her character and whether or not they are the right person for the job.

Both candidates were asked about their feeling on the open carry law.

Stanley said that they are taking steps to keep people safe, but doesn't think that open carry will be a big issue.

Morton said that the people of Northwest Oklahoma have always had a lot of common sense and most grew up around and already carry a gun in their truck. He feels that it shouldn't be an issue in our area because he always treats each situation as if someone has a weapon.



DISTRICT 2 COUNTY COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES

Both Republican candidates for the District 2 seat on the board of Woodward County Commissioners were also invited to participate in Thursday's forum.  

However, Tony Taylor was not able to attend due to a family emergency. He sent a statement, which was read on his behalf.

In his statement, Taylor said he has worked and bid on state and county projects for over 19 years and has designed, assembled and purchased materials and sold custom oil field equipment.

Taylor wrote that he would be good for Woodward county because the county needs to be run like a business. With the increased population, the rising cost of equipment, employees and materials the county needs to prioritize funds to maintain and improve our roads and bridges, he wrote.

"My campaign is not about politics, it is about people. This is my home and I think Woodward is a great place to live and raise a family and this is my opportunity to give something back to the community," Taylor wrote.

Next the group heard from Randy Johnson who is the other Republican candidate for County Commissioner District 2.

Johnson is  a lifelong resident of Woodward county and had worked for the county for 20 years.  Because of that he said he is familiar with all the county equipment and would be able to use and show someone new how to run the equipment.

Johnson said that he enjoyed working for the people of Woodward County in the past and looks forward to serving them in the future.

"I have lots of experience with road and bridge construction, which is one of the most important aspects of being county commissioner," Johnson said.

One of the greatest needs that county is facing right now, according to Johnson, is the cost of fuel and road maintenance.

"I will ensure that our tax dollars are spent wisely and put to good use to fix our county roads efficiently," he said.

Johnson said other priorities include "Developing personnel policies, purchasing equipment and county supplies, bidding on projects and keeping the bridges and roads open should be the biggest concerns of the county commissioner."

Johnson also believes in having an open door policy and said he would welcome the public to attend meetings and speak their minds.

"I believe that the people of the county should participate and I am very open minded to suggestions," he said.

Johnson said that he is ready for the challenge and is ready to be involved with not just local commissioners, but other commissioners around the state.



Rodney Hiebert's statement

Carol Bilyeu, chaplain for the Republican Women's group, also read statements from the District 59 state representative candidates who were not in attendance for Thursday's forum.

In Hiebert's statement, he wrote that since Rep. Mike Sanders wasn't able to attend the meeting he felt that it wouldn't be fair to his opponent for him to attend.

Hiebert said that he was only seeking one term and was going to bring more transparency to the office and well as working hard on healthcare, education, unemployment, the state deficit and preparing Oklahoma for the future.

Hiebert also went on to say that he wants to see less waste at the state level.  

Bilyeu said one idea Hiebert shared with her during an hour-long phone call was the dismantling of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.   She said Hiebert told her that he would rather see the money spent on strengthening county sheriff departments, because he believed the OHP often deferred to local sheriff's officers on calls.



State Rep. Mike Sanders' statement

As a father, Sanders wrote in his statement about his efforts to protect the state's children, particularly from becoming victims to sex offenders. He stated that he has authored several measures to ensure child protection. House Bill 3049, which will become law on November 1st, prevents aggravated sex offenders from living with minor children outside of their immediate family.  He also wrote about House Bill 2968, which is already a law that requires sex offenders to use a real physical address versus a post office box to ensure they do not live near a school or daycare.

Along with protecting our children, Sanders is determined to ensure prosperity for the future of northwestern Oklahoma.

"We must protect fee enterprise so our small businesses can thrive, reject overreaching federal mandates like those found in ObamaCare, and we must continue to preserve our agricultural heritage by supporting agribusiness," Sanders wrote.

Sanders has authored legislation to ensure that volunteer and rural fire departments have the equipment and training they need to protect the community. As well as the Wind Decommissioning Act which protect the private property  rights of land owners in the event wind energy companies go bankrupt.

Sanders and Hiebert are the only 2 candidates for the District 59 State seat, so whoever wins the primary, will win the election.