On November 3, OKC Mayor David Holt led an energizing and informative live discussion on statewide political discord and dysfunction, and how we can transform that dynamic with fully open primaries. Other panel experts included Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum, Former Oklahoma US Rep Mickey Edwards, and President John Opdycke of Open Primaries.
This room was full of people just like you who want to eliminate obstacles to good government, connect politicians and policies to real problems, and bring common sense and all voters into decisions. Hosts Valerie Naifeh and George Catechis and other business owners, community leaders, and concerned citizens around the state agree that Oklahoma deserves better. Our experts agree that an open primary system in which all candidates must face all voters is the place to start.
Primaries are the most important part of our decision-making process, and yet only a tiny fraction of Oklahomans vote in them. Our fast-increasing number of independent-registered voters (now over 431,000 and growing more than any party in OK) are opting out of the restrictive system they feel doesn't represent them. Many of these independent voters are young people: our children and grandchildren to whom we need and want to give a better future.
Open primaries are the first and most important thing we can do to bring voters off the sidelines, resulting in the freedom to vote for the candidate we like no matter where they come from, more choices for all voters, and better connections between public servants and the public.
Invite your friends into your living room to learn about opening the primaries in Oklahoma. You can also host a CommonSense Club meeting in your office, local pub or diner, a library, you name it! We'll help you plan every detail of your event. It's a great way to help spread the word about repealing closed primaries in Oklahoma!
With strong Oklahoma roots and a professional background in business, education, politics and nonprofit work, AJ Griffin brings to Potts Family Foundation tremendous insight into some of the most challenging issues facing Oklahoma families today.
A life-long Oklahoman, AJ grew up on a family farm in Adair. The child of educators, she hol
With strong Oklahoma roots and a professional background in business, education, politics and nonprofit work, AJ Griffin brings to Potts Family Foundation tremendous insight into some of the most challenging issues facing Oklahoma families today.
A life-long Oklahoman, AJ grew up on a family farm in Adair. The child of educators, she holds degrees from Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a doctoral candidate at Baylor University studying Learning and Organizational Change.
With strong Oklahoma roots and a professional background in business, education, politics and nonprofit work, AJ Griffin brings to Potts Family Foundation tremendous insight into some of the most challenging issues facing Oklahoma families today.ess for all Oklahomans. She was the recipient of numerous awards for her work as a legislator including the Kate Barnard Child Advocate of the Year award.
Sworn in as the 40th Mayor of Tulsa in 2016, Mayor G.T. Bynum is using data and innovation to bring people together and make our city globally competitive. To accomplish this, Mayor Bynum is focused on fiscal responsibility, public safety, infrastructure, and equality of opportunity for all Tulsans. This approach has already yielded th
Sworn in as the 40th Mayor of Tulsa in 2016, Mayor G.T. Bynum is using data and innovation to bring people together and make our city globally competitive. To accomplish this, Mayor Bynum is focused on fiscal responsibility, public safety, infrastructure, and equality of opportunity for all Tulsans. This approach has already yielded the successful recruitment of the two largest new employers in the history of Tulsa, while outpacing both the state and the nation in job growth.
Mayor Bynum worked closely with the Tulsa City Council to fund the sharpest increase in police hiring in Tulsa history, while simultaneously implementing one of the most comprehensive community policing programs in the United States. Under his Administration, the City opened its own municipal jail with an emphasis on innovative diversion programs while also opening the Tulsa Sobering Center, which offers treatment for those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Mayor Bynum led Tulsa to pilot the Better Way program, which provides honest work and social service assistance for the city’s panhandler and homeless population.
Mayor Bynum has made equality of opportunity a cornerstone of his Administration. Under his leadership, the City established the Tulsa Equality Indicators report which uses data to measure inequality across a variety of factors. He established the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Equity to implement the Resilient Tulsa Strategy, the city’s first strategic plan to address issues of racial disparity. Mayor Bynum launched the New Tulsans Initiative, which is focused on making Tulsa a beacon of freedom and opportunity for immigrants all around the world.
Mayor Bynum was selected for the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in 2018 and was presented the International Cities of Service Engaged Cities Award. Prior to his election as Mayor, Bynum served for eight years on the Tulsa City Council. During that time, he was elected as the youngest City Council Chairman in Tulsa history. During his time as a city councilor, he led the successful effort to enact the largest streets improvement package in the city's history, authored the first city sales tax cut in Tulsa history, doubled the number of police academies to increase manpower, authored legislation creating the first municipal rainy day fund in Oklahoma and coordinated efforts to establish the first municipal veterans treatment court in the United States.
Mayor Bynum comes from a family dedicated to public service and he and his wife, Susan, are the proud parents of Robert and Annabel – the sixth generation of Bynums to call Tulsa home.
Jeremy is the Senior Vice President at Open Primaries. He is a lawyer, writer, and internationally recognized public policy advocate who has helped enact over 60 state, federal and international laws and regulations. These include the successful passage of the first U.S. civil rights law in over twenty years, the Genetic Information No
Jeremy is the Senior Vice President at Open Primaries. He is a lawyer, writer, and internationally recognized public policy advocate who has helped enact over 60 state, federal and international laws and regulations. These include the successful passage of the first U.S. civil rights law in over twenty years, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), a federal law protecting Americans from genetic discrimination.
Gruber has wide ranging experience in public policy and public affairs work, public education, coalition and grassroots building. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, the FDA, and numerous state, federal and international legislative and regulatory bodies. Previously, he worked as the field director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Taskforce on Civil Liberties in the Workplace, then as legal director for the National Workrights Institute and more recently Executive Director of the Council for Responsible Genetics; a public interest organization focusing on bioethics.
Gruber is regularly featured in the press and is the author of three books, Genetic Explanations: Sense and Nonsense published by Harvard University Press, Biotechnology in Our Lives published by Skyhorse Publishing, and The GMO Deception by Skyhorse Publishing.
Gruber received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from St. John’s University School of Law and a B.A. in Politics from Brandeis University.
He and his wife live in Brooklyn with their two sons.
Leslie Osborn was elected State Labor Commissioner in 2018. Prior to that she served ten years in the OK House of Representatives for District 47. During her time there she was the first female to chair the Judiciary Committee of the House, and in December of 2016 she was named the first Republican female Chairman of the House Appropri
Leslie Osborn was elected State Labor Commissioner in 2018. Prior to that she served ten years in the OK House of Representatives for District 47. During her time there she was the first female to chair the Judiciary Committee of the House, and in December of 2016 she was named the first Republican female Chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
During her tenure she authored landmark workers compensation reform and passed into law the first Pay for Success contract in Oklahoma, which was a public-private partnership with the Department of Corrections and the Kaiser Foundation to move women from incarceration to the Women in Recovery Program.
Osborn received a B.S. in business administration from Oklahoma State University and resides in Mustang, Oklahoma. Leslie owned and operated her own business for 22 years selling heavy duty truck parts, Osborn Pick-Up Accessories, and is the mother of two children.
Osborn serves on the advisory board of OK Small Business Development Centers, the Oklahoma Academy, THRIVE to prevent teen pregnancy, and the Canadian Valley Technology Center Foundation. She was in Leadership OK Class 27 and served as the state director of the national group Women in Government.
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