And good morning.
Welcome to this edition of Community Connection on our Thursday before the Labor Day holiday. I'm Nathan Thompson's seventy eight degrees outside. It is eight thirty five, and we have some great guests in for today, with the Republican and other Conservatives of Washington County, former Senator John Ford. We go back, We go back a long time, John, and of course Quinn Schipper as well. Gentlemen, how are we doing today?
I'm great.
I was a beautiful morning, and it's August, and like I said, we have a holiday weekend coming up.
You can't beat that.
No, I can't beat that at all.
And I was just listening to your introduction, and Nathan, you ought to run for office.
You would make a great politician. You've got that spiel.
Oh that's still a way too many skeletons that anyway, Well, John and Quinn. Lots of things going on right now as well. Senator Ford, you are one of the founders of Republicans and other Conservatives of Washington County. And again just kind of maybe for the audience that they're not they may not be familiar with.
What your organization is about.
Tell us a little bit about who the r OCWC is and what you guys, what it is that you guys do was our administrator?
Would you like?
We we because I was part of that early on, but John and others were leading that formed about this time last year. We actually had our first launch meeting in September last year, so it's a full year anniversary, I guess of meeting and a lot of our goal, Nathan has been to inform people about political issues.
We want to educate people.
We bring in guest speakers, we have interesting topics, we network. We are Washington County based, but our meetings have all been here in Bartlesville across in second which is a great host place, and we're just making some great relationships. And because we are a Republican and other conservatives, we have all kinds of people from all different kind of political backgrounds join us and they're always welcome.
Our meetings are free, they're welcome.
We're here to inform and educate and engage people in Washington County.
Yeah.
Right, And you have a great guest speaker getting ready to come up. And John, this is somebody that you and I are both familiar with. Your time obviously in the State Senate in my time with another organization covering a lot of politics at the state capital. We have Brian Bieman, who is the former Oklahoma Senate President pro tim and Secretary of State, and he is actually running for office.
He is running for office. He's running for Corporation Commission.
And I've known Brian for a long time. We were both elected in two thousand and four, although Brian ran for the House of Representatives stayed there two years, and then Ted Fisher, who had been in the Senate forever, a great, great Democrat, good representative of the Senate, was term limited and Brian ran for his seat and was successful. So Brian and I served in the Senate for ten years.
But Brian, he's from Tulsa, born and raised, married, got three children, but graduated from University of Oklahoma and he has a degree in petroleum land management. Brian was in private industry's been in nineteen ninety two, he was in Sapulpan. He ran for city council, served two years as a city councilman, and then after the first two years he was elected as mayor and served ten years as mayor.
So he had a lot of experience at local politics where you really get the important of knowing your community and what people want and a lot of interaction. Then in two thousand and four he ran. It was twenty and eleven that we elected Brian to be our pro tem and he's served there for six years. It's great to have someone that can serve that long, and it's somewhat unusual when you have twelve year term limits for someone to be at a top leadership for that long,
but it helps have continuity long term. So then Brian was term limited in twenty sixteen, same time.
That I was.
Shortly after that, it was secretary of State for Governor Stitt. And now he's thrown his hat in the ring for Corporation Commissioner. And with Brian's background and experience, I think he will be a wonderful asset to that agency.
And it sounds like an absolutely wonderful guest speaker as well for the community to get to know who he is. I mean, I don't know if a lot of people really understand what a corporation commissioner does. They have a lot of oversight. A lot of the time we hear about the Corporation commission it's.
Dealing with oil and gas.
I know that whenever they were having those earthquakes related to the fracking, the fracking of the water injection, they were making some very difficult regulatory calls on that. They also regulate our power. You know how much APPSO can raise our rates. Michael Gordon, I say that kids linging, by the way, but you know it's really an intensive job. So Quinn, is that part of what we're going to be talking about. But at this meeting, and again, tell me when the meeting is going to be.
Our meeting is going to be.
We meet the first Tuesday of every month, so it be September, third of the day after Labor Day. We meet across in second here in down town Bartlesville. We start straight up at six thirty. We end crisply at seven forty five. So people can come early if they want to order meal dine in before the meeting, or they can order a meal and dine during the meeting. That's welcome as well. And so yes, we always start with a storied past. Kay little oversees that we learned
something interesting about our history here in Washington County. We've been introduced to a lot of great historical people and then as soon as we can get through some of our initial things, if you announcements, whatever, we get straight to our speaker.
And this will be our first time.
I was our first time to have a corporation commissioner or someone running for that here, and we're excited because again we want to inform people and educate them. I'm looking forward to what I'm going to learn and to get to meet mister Bingleman. I'm not met him myself.
Yeah, and we have some We've had some really good speakers. Our first speaker was Lieutenant Governor Matt Panel.
So I think it's important that the listeners realize the quality of speakers we have and also our organization. You know, we're not competing with anyone. But it started out kind of as a gathering of friends, was a loose term.
So it's in four.
It's friendly, a lot of conversation, and that's kind of the atmosphere that we're trying to create, letting people that have like views politically to get together to discuss how we can further those views and work as a team.
Yeah, and you know, I've been to a couple a few of those meetings for RCWC and You're right. It is a very casual, non threatening environment where you can learn and discuss ideas and philosophies openly.
And you know, I think that that's so.
Important to have constructive dialogue, even if you have opposing viewpoints, because I mean, Senator fod, I mean you were in the Senate to chair of the Education Committee and all of that. I'm going to share some of my opinion right now. I think a lot of that, having constructive dialogue, I think a lot of that is an almost a lost art form anymore in today's political and having RCWC here openly saying let's talk about.
It, I think that's a huge benefit for the community.
Because I think is a political official elected official, you don't always have the only in the right idea. You get better ideas. If you lay something on the table, you open it up to a lot of input, both constructive and negative.
But at the end of the day, if people are willing.
To set around and have that discussion, I think as a group we end up with much better policy.
Sure, Sure, and it is important to just to have that respect. It really is it really is. Well another thing again, not only are you holding these monthly meetings. But RCWC is very involved in the community as well.
I understand Quinn, you've we've got the.
You're a table sponsor for the Forum series as well well.
For the Chamber series.
And so that next meeting is on September tenth, a week away.
This time is going to be a brunch.
Those who are Chamber members will have received the information, but that is going to be out at Tri County Tech. This time is at ten o'clock to eleven thirty. It's not a lunch meeting. That can provide a really nice brunch. And it's Ryan Lance who is the chairman and CEO of Knaco Phillips and so as table sponsors, we have eight spots. We have a few spots still available, so if people are interested in registering and paying for one of those seats from us, they can certainly do that.
Would love to have them at our table. You've been to those meetings. The room fills, there's.
A lot of energy again, a lot of information, a lot of engagement, a lot of networking. And so you can reach out to us at info at OROCWC dot com, not just for this, but if people have other questions or to sign up for our newsletter. We send that out about once a month update people, or you can find us on Facebook at Republican and Other Conservatives of Washington County dot com.
Lot of type op but you'll get just type it out, type it out.
Well.
Again, we're visiting with a Quinn Shipper and Senator former Senator John Ford with the Washington Republicans and other Conservatives of Washington County and got the upcoming event on Tuesday again at Crossing Second.
Free event. Coming out, come out and meet Brian Bingman. Open to the public.
Starts at six thirty going until about seven forty five at Crossing Second in downtown Bartleszow. I mean Sharon Hurst and Don Laughlin. They're doing an amazing job. They're Crossing Second, one of my favorite places and two of my favorite people.
By the way, and come out.
It's a free event, but you're also encouraged if you want to get some food, beverages, whatever you might want to do while you're out there as well.
Yeah, come out early, come out at five point thirty and there will be several there. Get to meet a few people and have something to eat and drink, and then you're ready for the meeting.
Absolutely absolutely all right, So Quinn Shipper, john Ford, Republicans and other conservatives in Washington County. I always want to say Washington County Republicans and other Conservatives.
I don't know why, but I mean the rock w C.
That that that rock us.
All right, gentlemen, thank you so much for your time today. You've been listening to Community Connection here on K one, the one you trust. Words of infra inspiration. I've been going since three forty five this morning. Words of inspiration coming up after this message from Arnold Moore and Niecamp Funeral Home