Coates Wants Doak To Stop Plane Travel
Senate Communications Division
Spurred by recent actions taken by the Oklahoma Insurance Department, Senator Harry Coates will be filing legislation to prevent the department and any other state agencies from wasting taxpayer money on unnecessary travel expenditures.
The bill will prohibit any statewide officials besides the Governor and Lt. Governor from chartering state aircraft. Since getting into office, Insurance Commissioner John Doak has been the only statewide official to charter the planes besides Gov. Fallin and Lt. Governor Lamb. Doak has used the aircraft to travel around Oklahoma to survey storm damage as well as attend speaking engagements and various meetings with citizens, insurance agents and community leaders – a service Coates pointed out that the former Insurance Commissioner never found necessary, nor any other statewide elected officials.
“There is no reason for state elected officials or agency directors to charter these aircraft and none of them have except Commissioner Doak. Commissioner Holland never used these planes and she was able to carry out her responsibilities to the people of Oklahoma,” said Coates, R-Seminole. “I realize that Commissioner Doak may need to go survey storm damage but as with past commissioners, he can ride with the Governor or Lt. Governor. It’s ridiculous that he has used the planes more than our Lt. Governor.”
Fair worked for the Oklahoma City School District from 1999 to 2007, before taking a job as Administrative Director for City Arts Center. She also worked as Coordinator of the MAPS penny sales tax extension campaign in 1998 and later as the Campaign Manager for MAPS for Kids in 2001. Her most recent position is Director of Community Education for Preferred Management Corp., a comprehensive healthcare company managing the operations of critical access hospitals and health clinics in rural communities.“I’m really looking forward to returning to the field of education and joining Superintendent Barresi’s team,” Fair said. “In the past, I’ve been successful at helping to bring together diverse groups to better communicate as they work through strategic plans and toward common goals. I have found that there is not a more dedicated group of people than educators when it comes to delivering quality education to children.“Every child deserves a solid educational foundation that will prepare them to be college, career, and citizen ready by the time they graduate from high school no matter what path they choose in life and I’m proud to be part of that effort,” Fair said.She said she recognizes that the state of Oklahoma and the country are on a path to reform public education so future generations can compete successfully in a global economy and said she is committed to helping everyone find the best path for achieving that goal.
