Tulsa GOP Leadership Challenges

By David Arnett

Big Tent vs. Issue Activism

Brent VanNorman ran for Tulsa Mayor in the last election cycle, but was a victim of the municipal “nonpartisan” primary which left Tulsans a choice between a Democrat and a Socialist Democrat. A choice Oklahomans may frequently face should the communist party proposal of State Question 836 be approved.

Serving nearly a year, Van Norman resigned recently and, surprise, it became a social media frenzy with many fountains of ignorance and self-aggrandizement displayed. Exclusively here are more complete interviews.

Brent VanNorman speaking to the Women For Tulsa group. Photo: Arnett
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OK Small Business Top Priorities

By David Arnett

With state lawmakers preparing to gavel in the 2026 legislative session next week, Oklahoma small business owners are calling on lawmakers to prioritize reforms that strengthen the state’s small business economy and reduce cost pressures. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Oklahoma calls on the Legislature to prioritize reforms that reduce cost pressures on small business owners.

“Rising costs continue to be a challenge for small business owners here in Oklahoma,” NFIB State Director Jerrod Shouse said. “There are practical reforms that lawmakers can prioritize this session to give Main Street Oklahomans relief. In addition to cutting taxes, our members want lawmakers to be informed by real cost data and coverage impacts, not guesswork, when crafting health insurance mandates. Giving the Legislature the tools it needs to make smarter decisions that affect small businesses’ health insurance premiums is a commonsense solution.

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National Unclaimed Property Day

By Staff Report

More than $1 billion in unclaimed property is sitting in state custody, and thousands of Oklahomans may not even know they’re owed money. In recognition of National Unclaimed Property Day (Feb. 1), the Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Office is reminding residents to search their name and claim what’s theirs, some in amounts that could make a meaningful financial difference.

“Behind each unclaimed account is a person, a family or a business that could benefit from these funds,” said Oklahoma State Treasurer Todd Russ. “Whether it’s a refund, insurance claim check or the contents of a safe deposit box, National Unclaimed Property Day is a timely opportunity to reclaim what belongs to you.”

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Tulsa Assessor Notice Failure

By Staff Report

In a press release Thursday, the Tulsa County Assessor’s Office doesn’t apologize, but does “understand the importance of clear and accurate communication with property owners, and regrets any confusion caused by a printing issue.” Let’s hope no citizen suffered cardiac arrest from bad information.

The assessor’s release continued: A printing subcontractor’s error caused an unknown number of “Notices of Valuation Increase” to be printed on the wrong form, rendering them illegible and unusable. The vendor subsequently mailed the entire printing to both residential and commercial property owners, but is unable to identify which taxpayers received the illegible forms, or precisely how many.

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Legislators to Halt Data Capture

By David Arnett

A group of Oklahoma legislators, led by Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard), has filed an emergency petition with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay and temporary injunction to prevent Service Oklahoma from transferring Oklahoma driver license and identification card data to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ (AAMVA) State-to-State/SPEXS system, currently scheduled for mid-February 2026.

The petitioners argue that transferring sensitive identity data without explicit legislative approval could expose Oklahomans to heightened privacy and security risks and undermine public confidence in state institutions according to a media release today.

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