KRMG In Depth: Tulsa County Commission candidate profiles: Lonnie Sims

As a former mayor and current state representative, Lonnie Sims argues he has the experience and the knowledge to serve as Tulsa County Commissioner for District Two.

The seat came open when current County Commissioner Karen Keith stepped aside to run for mayor of Tulsa.

[ Hear the KRMG In Depth Report on Lonnie Sims’ run for Tulsa County Commissioner HERE ]

Sims told KRMG Friday that some people see his prior experience as detrimental.

They tell him “‘well, you’re not grassroots, you’re part of the establishment,’” Sims said. “I disagree. I was 13 years as my HOA president. Six years on the planning commission. Eight years on the city council. Those are volunteer positions, didn’t get paid a dime to do it - and I’ve done it, you know, in my peak earning years, when I could be in the private sector making a heck of a lot more money for retirement.”

Moreover, he says, the experience and knowledge gained in those positions, particularly in the State House of Representatives, will serve him well if elected to the commission.

“I was chairman of the county municipal government committee for four years. I understand the appropriations process very well,” Sims told KRMG. “We’re never going to be able to raise enough revenue, taxes, locally to fund all the infrastructure projects we have. You’re gonna have to go be able to get supplemental funding.”

Among the projects he prioritizes are the repairs to the levee system along the Arkansas River, and improving 49th West Avenue and 65th West Avenue in the Berryhill area, near the new Gilcrease Expressway expansion.

He’s also followed the troubling developments at the Juvenile Justice Center, but seems to support the current commission’s decision to hire David Parker to manage the facility, despite Parker’s lack of experience working with juveniles.

“It wasn’t a kid problem we had out there, it was an adult problem, and it was a correction officer problem, and everything I’ve been told about Parker is he’s a nuts and bolts guy when it comes to policy and procedure, and seems like that’s where everything’s really gone off the rails in that facility. So, I think that’s probably what the Board of County Commissioners looked at when they made that hire,” Sims said.

Sims says he will also prioritize capturing as much state and federal money as possible for disaster mitigation and remediation.

And he wants to be part of what he sees as a bright future for west Tulsa.

“I think they’re just on the cusp of thriving,” he told KRMG. “If you want to know the truth, I see a big future for west Tulsa. It’s a beautiful area, a lot of these neighborhoods are going to be revitalized, and it’s really been an access problem.”

The run-off election is August 27th.