Carl Albert Wrestling Program Looks Promising
By State Rep. Rick West
I’ve been in talks with some folks at Carl Albert State College in Poteau about the possibility of starting a wrestling program, and the news has really caught the world on fire down here in southeastern Oklahoma. Students, parents, area coaches and the town are excited.
I’m reminded of that old famous quote, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” That is so true in this instance, as it has really been the whole community coming together that has brought the plan to this point.
The board at the college will not be able to consider it until its March meeting, but I sure hope they give it the go-ahead. It would be a really good deal for this community. Hopefully we can get it done.
In other news, I recently attended the Shady Point Schools Archery Tournament. This was just an unbelievably great event for this little K-8 district. It brought together 500 kids from all across the state, some from as far away as Lawton. The kids, parents, coaches and others really worked hard to make this an amazing tournament.
Also this week, we witnessed the Howe Lady Lions win the LeFlore County High School Basketball Tournament Championship for the seventh year in a row. They beat the Pocola Indians. The Howe Lions also won in the male division beating the Panama Razorbacks. Both the young men and women who played showed a great deal of skill and sportsmanship, and I could not be more proud.
On the legislative front, I recently received my committee assignments for the next two sessions. I will be vice chair of the House County and Municipal Government Committee. I’m also on the Agriculture and Rural Development and the Wildlife Committees as well as the Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee for Public Safety. In addition, I am on the Redistricting Southeast Oklahoma Subcommittee and the State and Federal Redistricting Committee. These committees will begin meeting soon after session starts. Once bills pass committee they are eligible to be heard by the entire House.
One piece of legislation I filed this year is a campaign promise I made. It would result in a state question asking Oklahoma voters if they would like to amend the state Constitution to bring to a future vote of the people any raise or decrease in legislative pay. Currently, the governor, the speaker of the House and the president pro tem in the Senate appoint people to the Legislative Compensation Board, and that board determines the pay for state legislators. A few years back, the board lowered legislators’ pay. But this year, after some new appointments to the board, they increased it by 35%. This makes Oklahoma legislators the highest paid in our region. I vowed during my campaign that I would work to change this process when I got into office, and that I would donate my excess salary to various local charities. That’s a promise I’m keeping.
If I can help you with anything, feel free to call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7381 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
Rick West represents District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes part of LeFlore County.
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