County Commissioner Brian Maughan
Oklahoma suffered a tremendous loss on April 10 when State Representative David Dank died suddenly at his home in northwest Oklahoma City. Some might say that David was just one of 101 members of the House of Representatives, but to me and many others he was the indispensable man.
From his election in 2006 until his last day, David Dank was the best friend the taxpayers had at the State Capitol. To him, the only word in “public service” that counted was the second one – and he took his service very seriously.
When bad ideas were being debated in the House, he was one of the first to stand up and say no. A corps of legislators truly devoted to good government often took their cue from him. He was not in a major leadership role, but on issue after issue, other legislators often asked, “What does David think?”
When he first arrived as a freshman legislator he saw that there was no committee to deal with issues important to seniors, who make up a substantial share of our population. He convinced House leaders to create that committee, and they made him its first chairman.
When he saw many Oklahomans struggling with annual property tax increases of as high as five percent, he sponsored a measure to trim that limit to no more than three percent – and then he set aside his legislative salary for several years to fund a campaign on its behalf. When it passed it received the highest percentage of any issue on the ballot.
David thought it was best for lawmakers to keep a healthy distance from the lobbyists who tried to urge action for or against specific bills. His measure to ban campaign contributions during sessions was finally passed, and thanks to him, those lobbyists can no longer roam the halls of the Capitol promising campaign cash in return for action.
In short, David Dank was a man of absolute honor. Unlike many who seek elected office, he had no interest in fame or riches. He was all about service.
I had the honor of being his close friend for many years. For most of those years we met each Sunday evening for dinner, along with his beloved wife Odilia, who died in 2013. We talked about how to serve the people and what was right and wrong, and there were no gray areas David. He always sought to do what was right.
He was a mentor to me, virtually a second father, but he was much more than that to the people of District 85 and all Oklahomans.
We just lost one of the best public servants who ever held office in Oklahoma. I hope his fellow legislators and all those who hold or aspire to public service take his example to heart. We could never ask for a better example.
