Early voting for Creek County’s June election started last week, and the June 18th elections are already decided for the most part as only one race is a contested election.
The contested office is for Creek County Commissioner, with incumbent Sapulpa resident Leon Warner (R) challenged by Zac Moore (R). Mr. Warner is coming off of his first term as county commissioner and says he is proud of his office’s work, such as updating districts to the latest census and distributing district road funding more fairly.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to have served you during this past term as your county commissioner,” Warner said. “During my time as your commissioner, we have been very successful in utilizing your tax dollars wisely, repairing and resurfacing roads all over District 2 and also replacing several bridges that were not rated to carry school buses or fire trucks.”
Warner gave specific goals for the future including preparing the county for the new Next Generation 911 system, which he says will help quickly and precisely locate 911 cell call locations. He also wants to help secure more permanent funding for fire services in unincorporated areas of the county.
“Both of these goals I believe are very important to the safety of our residents and are achievable through cooperation of our emergency and dispatch service providers,” Warner said. Our board is working well together for the citizens of Creek County and I want to thank you for allowing me to serve your county needs in District Two and I look forward to continuing to work for you.”
Zac Moore is a resident of Manford Oklahoma and is challenging Warner. Moore describes this election for Creek County Commissioner as a critical decision for Oklahoma.
“I’m prepared to be a leader with a better vision and understanding for our county’s future,” Moore said. “I cannot guarantee solutions to all issues faced by citizens of District 2 today; what I do promise is a diligent effort towards understanding our concerns and working towards practical resolutions acceptable to everyone involved.”
Moore says promises were made and in eight years little progress had been achieved, according to campaign material put out by Moore. It also stated that pursuing equality across Creek County is important instead of focusing on specific areas.
“I’m not just ready for the challenge, I’m prepared to lead from day one,” Warner said. “I would appreciate your support on June 18th.”
Several offices are uncontested in this election with one being Sapulpa resident and incumbent Jennifer Mortazavi running for reelection as County Clerk for District 2. One of the biggest achievements of the office is the expansive task of getting all documents back to Indian records, according to Mortazavi.
“These records are scanned in the system for easier customer access,” Mortazavi said. “The clerk’s office has completed all the scanning in-house which has been equated to over a million images.”
She also pointed out that the Creek County Commissioner saw the need for assistance in this process and awarded the clerk’s office with 1$ million dollars to have this record indexing done back to 1950. She says they are currently working on records from 1940 to the early 1900s after daily indexing is completed.
“Our office is committed to completing this huge task and once completed we will shift our focus on old school records,” Mortazavi said. “I am blessed to have this job that I truly enjoy.”
The office of court clerk was also uncontested with incumbant Amanda VanOrsdol filing for reelection. She says she looks forward to what they will accomplish in this next term.
“I am honored, once again, to be able to serve the citizens of Creek County as their Court Clerk,” VanOrsdol said. “I have done this job for 13 years and I continue to learn and try to run an efficient office.”
Incumbent Rick Engleman is running for Creek County Treasurer.
“Creek County is very fortunate to have such an experienced staff working in the Treasurer’s office and it is my privilege to be a member of that team,” Engleman said. “I look forward to best serving the County and all of its property owners.”
The Creek County Sheriff is also an uncontested office with incumbent Bret Bowling running for reelection.
“Our administration upholds the Constitution and vows to protect the rights of our citizens with honor, discipline, and courage,” Bowling said. We pay tribute to those who sacrificed for our profession, maintain discipline for professionalism, and exhibit courage in tough decisions.
Mr. Bowling says he is honored to serve for a third term as sheriff. “Together, we will overcome challenges, improve on our successes, and ensure the safety and security of our community,” Bowling said.
For more info on these elections, you can find our previous reporting here and find your polling place and additional information on the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
