Tulsa County Commissioner-Elect Lonnie Sims Talks Victory And Future Plans

It was a close race for Tulsa County Commissioner, but Republican Lonnie Sims won with 51% of the vote. Representative Sims spoke with News On 6's Dave Davis about his victory.

Davis: So, former State Representative and now newly elected Tulsa County Commissioner, you’ll start after you’re sworn in at the beginning of the year. Tell us what your plans are.

Sims: Yeah. You know, it’s a pretty quick transition, so I’ve got to make a move right away. I'm very grateful to the voters of District Two for their support in such a tight race. And thank you to Sarah Gray, who I thought ran a great race as well.

I’m stepping into the role after a commissioner who served for 16 years, so there’s a lot of experience to follow. I’m excited to get started, but I do have a little bit of time before the swearing-in to make the transition from the House to the county. Hopefully, I’ll also get to spend some time with my family, which I missed while on the campaign trail.

Davis: And you’ll need to vacate your House office by November 17, but on the plus side, that gives you some time over the holidays. Representative Sims, what is something you’d like to do differently from Commissioner Karen Keith, who’s held the role since 2008?

Sims: Great question, Dave. You know, something that Commissioner Keith doesn't get a lot of credit for, is she was actually the minority on the Board of County Commissioners. When you think about it, she was the lone Democrat. I don't think a lot of people knew that. I think it was because Karen did a great job of not wearing her politics on her sleeve.

I plan to approach the role similarly. I’ve served as a public official in Jenks, a nonpartisan role, and District Two is probably the most diverse district in the county, so it’s crucial to bring different coalitions together.

That's what I will look to do, something similar to what she did, be able to balance that between the rules in the metro area. I grew up in a small town, so can very much speak to the people of Berryhill and Prattville, but also represent the Metro district for the last year, six years in the State House. So think I bring that kind of synergy to the position as well.

Davis: Governor Stitt signed House Bill 2890 this past year, allocating $50 million for levees along the Arkansas River. Tell us about your involvement in that legislation and your plans as one of the new commissioners.

Sims: Yeah, Dave, it’s critical. This effort really started after the 2019 flood. We conducted an interim study at the Capitol, bringing all stakeholders together to evaluate what happened and how we can improve moving forward. Securing federal funding was a big piece of that puzzle, and this $50 million state match was essential.

The City of Tulsa contributed $16 million, helping us capture a total of $137 million. This levee project is absolutely crucial. It’s like a ticking time bomb, and until it’s fixed, we’re at risk. Every time there’s heavy rain, like the six to eight inches we just had, we’re left hoping that the aging infrastructure holds up. Addressing this is a top priority to mitigate both the community’s risk and fear.