Statewide elections focus on sales taxes, four county offices Statewide elections focus on sales taxes, four county offices
By Sheila Stogsdill
Published: July 27, 2008
Voters will go the polls across Oklahoma on Tuesday to pick their favorite candidates for county offices and to decide several local questions. Polls in all precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the offices of sheriff, county clerk, court clerk and county commissioner on the ballot in many locations.
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Many incumbent officials, including 29 sheriffs statewide, face re-election opposition. Some contests will be decided Tuesday, while in other cases, runoff elections scheduled for Aug. 26 may be necessary. Still other contests won't be decided until the Nov. 4 general election.
Among other elections Tuesday:
•Alfalfa County votes will decide on two proposals aimed at setting up a county-operated ambulance service. Proposition 1 allows for a 2 percent sales tax that will run from Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2012, and is expected to generate $308,000 per year. Fifty-five percent of the proceeds will go toward the proposed Alfalfa County Emergency Medical Services for two ambulances and nine responder units. The rest of the revenue will be split, with 22.5 percent going for county library operations and improvements and 22.5 percent for the county fairgrounds.
Proposition 2 calls for a 3-mill ad valorem tax and the formation of the Emergency Medical Services District for the ambulance service. The tax would generate an estimated $150,000 annually.
•Voters in the Tillman County town of Tipton will decide whether to double the city sales tax to 4 percent for 10 years. The additional revenue would be used to restore city hall, revitalize downtown, develop local parks, retire water-related debt and explore new water projects.
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Two sheriffs facing criminal charges face election opposition Tuesday:
•Grady County Sheriff Kieran McMullen, charged in 2006 with allowing illegal gambling machines at the Chickasha Elks Lodge, has two Republican opponents. There are also four Democratic candidates for sheriff, setting up a general election battle.
District Attorney Bret Burns filed the original charges against McMullen. The case has been continued several times. A trial date has not been set, according to records.
•Woodward County Sheriff Les Morton, facing charges that he misspent about $17,000 in taxpayer money, has two Democratic challengers Tuesday. There are also two Republican candidates for sheriff, assuring a November election.
Morton's trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday, Election Day, but late last week, the attorney general's office dismissed 20 of the original 29 allegations against him. The remaining nine charges accuse him of embezzlement by using his county vehicle and a fuel credit card for personal reasons. A motion hearing in the case is scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 5, officials said.
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