Governor Fallin announced the appointments of David Thompson, Phil Kennedy and Steve Mason to the State Capitol Repair Expenditure Oversight Committee.
Fallin’s appointees will join Reps. Mark McBride, R-Moore, Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, and R.C. Pruett, D-Antlers, who were appointed earlier by House Speaker Jeff Hickman.
The appointees are part of a nine-member bi-partisan committee, which will oversee the repairs to the Capitol. The remaining appointees will be from the Senate president pro tempore.
“I appreciate David, Phil and Steve for stepping up and taking on this challenge,” said Fallin. “Given their diverse backgrounds in finance, construction and engineering, I know they will work well alongside the leadership provided by the Oklahoma House and Senate as we proceed with restoring and rebuilding the State Capitol.
“This Sunday marks 100 years since state leadership broke ground on the original State Capitol building. I am excited to see this committee take shape to repair the People’s House.”
The committee is formed as a part of House Joint Resolution 1033, which also authorizes a $120 million bond issue over 10 years to pay for repairs and renovations to the Capitol building that was signed into law by Governor Fallin in May.
Thompson, of Edmond, will serve as chairman of the committee. He is the president and chief executive officer of InvesTrust, a financial planning company, and ASC Holding, InvesTrust’s parent company. He previously served as president of OPUBCO Communications Group and as publisher of The Oklahoman. Thompson serves on the boards of Integris Health, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, United Way of Central Oklahoma, The YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, Allied Arts, and The Last Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Central Oklahoma.
Kennedy, of Lawton, is the owner and chief executive officer of Comanche Home Center, a retail building material supplier. He is also a partner in SpeedAway Containers and SpeedAway Trucking, waste disposal and transportation companies, and Southern Hardlines, a retail hardware supplier. Kennedy also serves on the Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education and is a board member of the Lawton Fort Sill Economic Development Corporation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as president of the State Chamber of Oklahoma and the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce and as past chairman of the Cameron University Foundation. Kennedy received a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.
Mason, of Oklahoma City, is the president of Bluebird Consulting, an engineering firm. He previously served as president of Cardinal Engineering. Mason is a registered professional engineer in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. An appointee of former Gov. Brad Henry, he is a member of the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Board and serves as a board of director for the United Way of Central Oklahoma, First National Bank of Oklahoma and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Mason previously served on the Governor’s Environmental Concerns Council, and is a past member of DEQ’s solid waste advisory council. He also served on the air pollution and regional transportation committees at the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments. He received a bachelor’s of science degree in environmental and water resources engineering from Vanderbilt University and a master’s of science degree in civil engineering from Stanford University.
