It's Earp vs. Cleveland for Cleveland County Commission

James Earp wants to be a Cleveland County commissioner.

So does Rod Cleveland.

And both men have only about a month to convince voters of the fact.

Fresh from a landslide win in Tuesday’s four-man Republican primary, the 40-year-old Cleveland seems, at first glance, to be the odds-on favorite.

The district is heavily Republican.

County election board records show about 50,000 registered voters in District 1; of that figure, 27,371 are Republicans, 17,740 Democrats and 5,470 registered as Independent.

But voter turnout has been low. And low turnout could help — or hurt — either candidate.

“It’s July, it’s not a real good time for an election,” said Paula Roberts, Cleveland County’s election board secretary. “People are traveling and the turnout could be very low.”

Statistics support her concern.

Despite a Republican voter base of more than 27,000, records indicate that last week’s primary election drew fewer than 2,400 voters. Only about 100 residents voted absentee and absentee-in-person.

Combined, both figures don’t even represent 10 percent of the Republican registration.

“It’s a different situation,” Roberts said. “In a race like this, or a primary and general election for city council or the mayor’s race, the turnout is usually lower the second time around.”

And the problem, she said, hasn’t gone away.

“Low turnout is always a concern. We always want the voters to surprise us and turn out in large numbers.”

Those issues don’t worry James Earp.

In fact, the 49-year-old businessman really doesn’t want politics or registration numbers to play a role in the July 10 race.

“For me, this is a low-budget campaign,” he said. “I don’t aspire to be a politician. I don’t want it (the commission seat) to be a political office.”

Instead, Earp, a Democrat, says he wants to “reflect the concerns of all the residents of Cleveland County.”

“We’re here to serve everyone,” he said. “First and foremost, we’re Oklahomans that live in Cleveland County, and that should be the foremost thing on our minds. We need to do what’s in the best interest of the people.”

County government, Earp said, has always fascinated him.

“I’ve always had the desire to be involved in county government. I got my interest back when I was a kid. My dad worked at Tinker (Air Force Base) and me, my mom and sister traveled all over. I’ve paid attention to government for years and now it’s time for me to try and do something for the rest of the community. I want to make a difference for all the people of Cleveland County.”

To do that, he said, he plans to focus on issues such as the county jail, and improving the county’s roads.

The jail, he said “is probably the No. 1” problem.

Take, for example, the location.

“There are many things about the jail and its location to be considered. Without being in the know, I don’t want the jail to be located where it puts people in the area out of business.”

Earp said the jail should “probably be as close to the existing courthouse as possible to make it safe” for all the parties involved.

“But there are many things to be examined,” he said. “County law enforcement needs the resources to keep our county crime-free. We want to make sure we get a quality jail that’s built right for the least amount of money; it needs to be done quickly and efficiently.”

Earp has special reasons for that belief.

The victim of a violent crime when he was 17, for Earp, crime prevention is “a major issue.”

“I was a victim of a violent crime in the past. And it’s not something I like to talk about, but it’s one of the reasons I believe so strongly in crime prevention. I want to make sure the people in Cleveland County feel safe. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what I went through.”

He’s also concerned about county roads.

“I reside in a rural area. And the conditions of county roads worry me. I believe we need to work hard to see our roads are better maintained so school buses can transport our kids back and forth safely.”

Earp is taking both messages directly to the voters.

Low key, he said his campaign is not a “big budget” thing. Instead, he’ll be meeting voters “eyeball to eyeball.”

“I think you can better understand people face-to-face,” he said. “I want them to vote for me because they think I’m the right person for the job; not just because of name recognition. That’s why I’m walking door to door.”

An approach which is similar — but still very different — to Cleveland’s.

While Cleveland said he spent a majority of his campaign “walking, listening and taking notes,” in campaign literature the former state Senate candidate also touts his Republican pedigree.

In a polished, four-color campaign handout — distributed at a GOP forum a few weeks ago — Cleveland describes himself as “a Ronald Reagan conservative (who) has been a Republican precinct chairman for the past 12 years” and who has “helped elect conservatives for many years.”

And like several other candidates for state and legislative offices, Cleveland’s literature also cites his faith and his conservative credentials as qualifications for office.

It was that information, combined with a positive message and “lots of walking” which, Cleveland says, made him the victor in Tuesday’s primary.

“I had a message,” he said after Tuesday’s election. “I told the voters what I wanted to see Cleveland County be and become, and I think they received that message and rewarded me with the votes.”

Like his opponent, Cleveland believes the jail issue is a major part of this summer’s campaign. During a recent GOP forum for the seat, Cleveland said he was concerned with long-term funding for the jail.

“I think the jail should be located in the right spot, but I will work to make sure there are no property tax increases to pay for the jail.”

In addition, Cleveland said he wanted to make sure county officials “weren’t going to tie bonds to our property taxes (for the jail) and make us pay for them.”

“I don’t think we need to raise property taxes to pay for the jail,” he said.

And, like Earp, he said he was concerned about the county’s roads, adding that the county’s new commissioner would have to work with officials from other areas to keep roads and bridges servicable.

“We’ll have to work with (officials) from Moore and Oklahoma City,” he said. “Those agreements are important.”

With just about three weeks remaining until the July election, both men said they are walking their way across District 1, seeking potential voters and encouraging supporters.

A tactic, the county’s election board secretary says, which could help determine the outcome of the race.

“It’s all about the candidate who can get their people to turn out,” Roberts said. “It’s about individual candidates getting their supporters to go vote; if the person running can their people to the polls, that’s who’s gonna win.”

Being a commissioner pays and it pays well

A four-year term as a Cleveland County commissioner pays — and it pays well.

With the general election heating up for the county’s District 1 commission seat, many voters are preparing to decide whom they will pick to replace the late Bill Graves, the long-serving commissioner who died in April due to complications from surgery.

The winner will be the third member of a three-man board which meets weekly to address the issues involving county government.

And gets paid well for doing it.

According to Cleveland County Clerk, Tammy Howard, each member of the commission is paid “about $70,000” per year.

“They also get travel expenses,” she said, “but I’m not sure if that’s considered a part of their actual salary.”

County records indicate that all three of the county’s commissioner made well over $70,000 in 2006, including:

• $76,367 for Commission chairman George Skinner.

• $76,367 for the late commissioner Bill Graves.

• $76,367 for former commissioner Leroy Krohmer.

Those salaries are almost twice what state legislators, teachers and a typical private sector employee make.

The average annual salary for a state lawmaker (a member of the state House of Representatives or the Oklahoma State Senate) stands at $38,400, while the average salary for an Oklahoman working in the private sector is about $31,000. In 2006 the average teacher’s pay for Oklahoma was $34,744.

Along with their pay and travel expenses, Howard said each member has two administrative assistants and a foreman, or first deputy commissioner.

“Each commissioner has an administrative assistant at the county and at the warehouse in their district.” That warehouse, she said, is where each district’s road crew is housed.

The foreman, or first deputy, is usually in charge of the district’s road crew and, under state law, is allowed to serve in place of the commissioner upon the commissioner’s illness or death.

Currently, District 1 is being represented by Mark Meyer, the foreman for the late commissioner Bill Graves. Meyer will serve until a new commissioner is elected.