Thank you

With my campaign for HD44 coming to an end, I must thank all of you. A great many of you invested your time and your treasury into this campaign, and I am deeply grateful. This has been a grassroots campaign from the beginning, and grassroots campaigns don’t get anywhere without people just like you, supporting the vision and doing everything you can to aid the cause. Over the course of the campaign, our expenses for every vote we earned were less than half of our competitors. That is a testament to the power of community, your volunteer hours and word of mouth.

I can’t list everyone here who lent a helping hand or supported us financially, but I must acknowledge two people who sunk their hearts and souls into this effort. Gene Perry, a tireless volunteer in many capacities and unsung hero of grassroots efforts across Norman, volunteered his spare time and considerable talents as my campaign manager over the last eight months. Without his total commitment, this would have been nearly impossible. Gene doesn’t get recognized enough for the work he does for this community, but you will always find him up to something good. Also Judie Matthews, my partner, invested every bit of her energy into supporting the campaign. She was there 100 hours a week, as advisor, assistant, and confidant, every step of the way. Without her commitment to this effort, I couldn’t have followed through.

While we did not win this campaign, we pushed some important ideas to the top of the conversation. I encourage you to continue to volunteer with and support the organizations that are advocating for the values we share.

The work goes on tonight (July 29), where you can join me at Dreamer Concepts Studio and Foundation, 324 E Main St. in Norman, for an event hosted by the Oklahoma Sierra Club. Starting at 7pm, the event features musical guest “Sharktooth,” local foods by Native Roots Market, and local drink from Coach’s Brewhouse. There will also be a screening of a short but powerful documentary,  ”In the Air We Breathe,” about some serious health and environmental problems being caused by coal ash in Bokoshe, Oklahoma.

I hope to see you tonight or in the future as we continue our efforts to protect and improve this community.