OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — James “Jay” Bridwell is operating for the District 3 County Commissioner seat towards incumbent Kevin Calvey as a result of he thinks there must be way more listening to numerous teams inside Oklahoma County.
Bridwell talked with Free Press in his workplace Tuesday on the Homeless Alliance Westtown campus the place he’s the director of assist companies. He oversees 21 totally different workers in 4 totally different housing applications.
After seeing and listening to the anger and protests over the last two years and the degrees of mistrust some have of county authorities, Bridwell determined that it was time for the commissioners to begin listening way more to a broader spectrum of individuals and construct belief.
Listening and relationships
Bridwell says that there’s “a terrific divide” in ideas of how county authorities ought to be run. And what’s wanted now are county commissioners who’re capable of hear and bridge relationships in addition to being centered on bodily bridges and roads.
“Total, if you concentrate on issues like social companies, and the jail, and all of the issues that the county does oversee, it touches everyone within the county,” mentioned Bridwell.
He mentioned that he thinks there are a number of underrepresented communities within the county.
“The LGBTQ group, individuals of coloration, pockets of low revenue will not be given a voice. And proper now, we’ve bought some actually nice people who find themselves utilizing their voice,” he mentioned.
“And I believe we have to begin listening.”
Listening and constructing relationships with many alternative individuals has been the main target of his complete lifetime of service from the Boy Scouts when he was younger to 24 years of service to his nation within the Air Pressure. Put up-retirement, he has been working in group psychological well being companies at Northcare and now on the Oklahoma Metropolis Homeless Alliance.
County Jail
Particularly with regards to the troubled Oklahoma County Jail, Bridwell believes that there must be way more listening and dialog inside the group.
“When individuals get offended, they categorical their anger outwardly however the anger is from lack of energy, lack of management, concern, disappointment, all of that stuff,” he mentioned.
“I believe there have been some egos busted within the county sheriff’s workplace. I believe there have been some egos busted inside the county authorities,” Bridwell mentioned about the entire battle over the jail transition to the Jail Belief. “They had been simply enjoying video games with individuals’s lives, proper? It made individuals offended.”
Bridwell mentioned that the make-up of the Jail Belief was not numerous sufficient and the Motion Committee fashioned later was extra reflective of the variety of the group.
He additionally mentioned that there must be a lot dialogue locally about what path to take with the jail subsequent to be able to have satisfaction and assist for the options to the jail issues.
Calvey ‘not listening’
Does he suppose incumbent Calvey is listening?
Bridwell mentioned that if printed reviews that he has seen are correct, “it seems that he’s not listening.”
And, in a Fb Stay session with Wayland Cubit, Bridwell mentioned that his impression of county authorities to date is that there was an effort to “stifle dialog.”
Calvey has been a state consultant twice and, as county commissioner, has proven among the identical proclivities for deciding what is required and engineering it to occur that he was recognized for within the state Home of Representatives. Some critics imagine that right-wing ideology determines Calvey’s actions greater than constituent wants.
However, he has supporters within the county who imagine that he’s standing up for the correct factor and proceed to assist him passionately.
Actually, he has been a political lightning rod each on the Board of County Commissioners and because the BoCC’s consultant on the Jail Belief.
Bridwell believes he has a greater manner.
He mentioned that his background of “with the ability to hearken to, and bridge partnerships to unravel options” could possibly be instrumental in resolving “the struggles that we’re having with the county jail.”
Rural wants
District 3 has the biggest proportion of rural areas alongside the northern and northeastern elements of the county. Bridwell mentioned that he believes these areas “will not be even getting a voice, both.”
He mentioned that to be able to get work executed on most of the rural roads and bridges there must be work executed to hearken to wants and to construct relationships with cities inside the county, the state, and the federal authorities which is usually the supply of cash to repair these.
Rural broadband entry is one other space of concern Bridwell intends to pursue if elected.
“The American Rescue plan will enable for funding for these sorts of initiatives,” mentioned Bridwell. “And so, a part of that dialog is look, let’s return to the essential want. So the pandemic actually proved that training and web infrastructure is sorely missing.”
What the pandemic confirmed when colleges needed to go to distant studying was that there have been vast variations in high quality entry to the web and connectivity with the remainder of the world.
He mentioned that whereas the college districts gave out notebooks and hotspots, in lots of instances these had been barely ample.
“So that you heard plenty of tales about glitches and freezing and all of that sort of stuff,” he mentioned about distant studying for college kids. “We have to look extra at broadband to have the ability to present for people who find themselves working from house, too.”
Lining up
Asserting his candidacy in Could, he’s the second Democrat out of three who introduced their intent to oppose Calvey within the November 2023 normal election.
The primary, Cacky Poarch, announced her intent to oppose Calvey in August 2023 when she referred to Oklahoma County at the moment as “an absolute dumpster fireplace” and calling Calvey’s actions “reprehensible.”
She not too long ago determined to take herself out of that race, nevertheless.
The newest is Cathy Cummings who not too long ago announced her intent to run establishing a Democratic Get together main race in June of 2023 to determine who will oppose Calvey, a Republican, within the normal.
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Final Up to date July 14, 2023, 12:55 PM by Brett Dickerson – Editor
The publish Bridwell challenges Calvey for Okla County Commish – says time to listen appeared first on Oklahoma City Free Press.
