KRMG In Depth: Tulsa County Commission candidate profiles: Maria Barnes

One of the four candidates still in the race to become Tulsa’s next District Two county commissioner is Maria Barnes, a former Tulsa City Councilor and State House candidate.

Barnes visited the KRMG studios Wednesday to talk about her campaign, and her priorities if elected.

[ Hear the KRMG In Depth Report on Tulsa County Commission District Two candidate Maria Barnes HERE ]

She said when she’s knocking doors in the district, she often hears a familiar refrain.

“A lot of times they say ‘who’s my county commissioner?’ They don’t know,” Barnes said. “And that’s why I think it’s so important to get out there, let people know who you are, and that you represent them.”

So, if elected, one of her top priorities will be just that - letting people know who she is, and that’s she’s there to help, Barnes told KRMG.

“What I’d like to do is start having town halls all over the district, meeting people,” she said. “Have them come out, let them know I’m a real person, they can touch me, and I have a phone number, you can always call me, and learn what’s going on with them. What can the county do to help them? That’s my first thing, is just getting to know more people in the district.”

Barnes said another major issue is definitely the troubled Juvenile Justice Center, where there have been allegations of mismanagement, abuse, and even rape involving staff members and inmates.

“Someone needs to own it. Come on, step up and say ‘you know what, we screwed up, and we’re gonna fix this,’” Barnes told KRMG. “But it seems it’s been going on for some time, and folks have known, and no one’s done anything.”

The runoff election is slated for August 27th, along with the Tulsa municipal elections.