Sequoyah County Court Clerk

Political Party: Republican Hometown: Sallisaw Current Town: Sallisaw Education: High School Graduate Age: 47 Candidate Background:

• Worked as a deputy in the Sequoyah County Court Clerk Office 7 years (2014-2020) Worked as a Civil Clerk and as a Criminal Clerk, Traffic Clerk, Issued Marriage License, Passport Clerk, Courtroom Clerk for Small Claims and Protective Order Court, Jury Management System Clerk, Took Payments and Balanced Daily Attended all required classes and training.

• Worked for National Bank of Sallisaw 18 years (1998-2014) (2019-2023) While employed at NBS my jobs included: Bookkeeping, Accounts Payable, General Ledger Balancing, Supply Ordering, Teller, New Accounts, Loan Secretary, CIF Specialist, Proof Operator, Vault Teller, and Various Other Job Duties.

• Currently Employed at Ignite Investments (2023-present) Do and pay all investors monthly state sales and use tax reports. Set up investor stores and register them in various states to pay taxes. Enter new contracts.

Create Excel spreadsheets for various tracking and logging purposes as needed.

Take payments and assist customers. Set up new investors with our software and credit card company. Various other job duties as needed.

• Served as a BSA Cub Scout Den Leader, BSA Cub Scout Award Tracker/ Recorder and BSA Cub Scout Treasurer (2012-2019).

1. Have you ever failed to pay any taxes or court ordered judgements?

No

2. Have you ever been convicted of a felony? No

What are the top three messages of your campaign?

1. Lets bring back some revenue back to the Court Clerk’s Office and some convenience for the citizens of Sequoyah County. Let’s bring back the accepting of Passports at the Sequoyah County Court Clerk’s Office! At a time when the McGirt Ruling has already taken away revenue from this office why would we want to lose more?

2. All county offices are here to serve the public to the best of their abilities. That includes the county officers themselves being present in that office as much as possible. They should know their employees’ jobs just as much as they do or more, so that they came jump in at any time to help. I will work hands-on side by side with my employees in the Court Clerk’s Office. I will acquire my 63 hours of required Certification Classes with OSU for the Court Clerk County Training Program.

3. My final message is that I just want to run the best possible Court Clerk’s Office that I can possibly run. These girls that work there deserve that. They deserve the best possible training and guidance to do their jobs to the very best of their abilities. The public deserves the best service that they can get when they must go into the Court Clerk’s Office whether it be to pay a fine, get a marriage license or get a copy of a divorce decree. Whether you are a civilian, an attorney, a bondsman, a secretary or a researcher, things should be in order and your questions should be able to be answered. You should be able to leave the Court Clerk’s Office feeling confident that your matter and paperwork are being taken care of. I hope to put back some of the trust that has been lost in this office. Leaving with a smile on your face is always a bonus!

What are the top three most pressing issues facing rural Oklahoma? How would you address these issues if elected?

1. State minimum wage is still at a low $7.25. We lose workers to out-ofstate employees who can offer higher pay. With the cost of living on the rise, it is hard for a family to make it on Oklahoma’s minimum wage alone. With Oklahomans getting employed elsewhere our small businesses are being hurt because they cannot keep employees. I believe it’s time for Oklahoma to get a higher minimum wage.

2. I do not think that we should be using public funds to fund private schools. This only takes more away from our already hurting public schools. How does this help to keep already struggling programs in our public schools? How does this help keep teachers that are already underpaid in our public school system? Not all kids learn from the same mold. Without a trained eye or an advocate for that child sometimes they slip through the cracks, get labeled the lazy one or the disruptive one. When all they are really doing is acting out of frustration because they don’t understand and no one else is taking the time to notice that they don’t. So, then this is how they cope. It doesn’t mean that they are dysfunctional or broken, it means they learn a little bit differently. They are a unique mold.

I believe our teachers need a little bit of teaching power given back to them. So that they may help choose and advocate for our kids. 3. Lawmakers are working on criminal justice reform. This will be a process to continue to watch as they try to gain new ground on more fair sentencing for non-violent felonies. As they try to play a balancing game with court costs and fines that most struggle to pay. Our county’s reform programs and the ones who serve our community for these programs do an amazing job. My hope is that they continue to receive funding from the state and county to continue these services. They have made a real difference in so many people’s lives.

Explain your positions on economic development as it pertains to rural Oklahoma in general and Eastern Oklahoma in particular.

I think that it is great that we have a local radio station and newspaper with online subscriptions for all our marketing needs. Our small businesses are having to come up with new ideas to compete with online retailers. This helps give them exposure to a larger marketing area. Our small hometown businesses help make a hometown a hometown. I hope that these businesses continue to thrive and learn how to navigate with new marketing tools in this digital world.

I’d like to see our roads and highways improved. This has been a long-time problem for the state.

Improved roads would be easier for our emergency responders. Poor road quality means more wear and tear on vehicles. Which in turn means more maintenance. As our communities grow and thrive so does the need for our volunteer emergency responders. They provide a vital service for our rural communities. Whether it be fire, rescue or medical they answer the call. They deserve the best funding and grants, so that they can continue to acquire and update their equipment and get the training that they need.