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Monday, 06 April 2009 |
By KATIE MARTIRE
& MIRANDA GILBERT
Four Guymon residents will be on the ballet for the April 7 election. Two for City of Guymon's Councilmember, Ward 1, and two for Ward 2.
Donald Scott and Jim Norris, both Republicans, are the candidates running for Ward 1.
Donald Scott, 57, graduated High School at Boise City, Okla. and attended college at Oklahoma State University for accounting. He has been a resident of Guymon for 39 years and has many plans for the ever growing, ever changing community. Scott and wife Pamela, have five children, Shandi Scott, 27, and Shayla Alvarado, 24, both of Moore, Okla., Ryan Garrison, 22, of Oklahoma City, Okla., Alyssa Garrison, 20, and Jessica Garrison, 11, both of Guymon, and one granddaughter, Shelby Alvarado, 4, of Moore, Okla.The Scott's are members of the Victory United Methodist Church.
The Scott's are the owners of the Western Townsman Inn and Scott Property Management, LLC.
Scott's platform is to support wind energy. He hopes to find better ways of obtaining spot market pricing, pertaining to Guymon's current gas contract. He feels the cost of City Government seems to be getting more costly every year. He hopes to help look at more affordable ways to cut costs. He believes the City of Guymon's main focus should be on the citizens of Guymon. He'd like to spend more attention to the parks, recreation and the overall quality of life for the residents here.
Scott has never ran in any other political races but has experience in other fields. He was the Guymon CHamber President, has 12 years on the Chamber Board and seven years on the Oklahoma State Chamber Board. He was a Charter Member and was Charter President of Ambucs in 1983. He spent five years on the Citizen's Advisory Board. He was on the Midfirst Bank Advisory Board for six years. He has 12 years under his belt as Chairman of Guymon Chamber Economic Development Committee. He was on the Guymon Industrial Foundation Board for eight years. He received Oklahoma Volunteer Economic Developer of the Year Award in 1997. He was honored as Citizen of the Year in Guymon in 1993. He is a member of the Elk's Lodge and Lion's Club.
Jim Norris, 48, is also seeking candidacy as City Councilmember Ward 1. Norris attended high school in West Virginia and has some college under his belt. Norris and wife, Terri, relocated to Guymon in 1995 after he was recruited by Seaboard as the Superintendent of Shipping, he also knew it was a good place to raise his children. Norris was previously employed for IBP in Amarillo, Texas from 1980 until his move to Guymon in 1995. Terri is the Account Manager for Cintas Uniforms. They have two children, Naomi Mayer, 25, and Eric Norris, 22, both of Guymon. Both children graduated from Guymon High School and attended OPSU.
Norris' platform is accountability from both the City and its citizens and doing the best job for the citizens of Guymon.
Norris received Guymon Leadership class of 2004.
Candidates on the ballot for Ward 2 include incumbent since 2005, Mike Pritchard, 52, and William L. King, 58. Both are registered Republican.
Pritchard says his focus is to see to the completion of the new freshwater and wastewater systems, along with the new library, animal control and first station.
Pritchard is married to Cindy, a homemaker and they have two children Lindsey Moore, 27 and Waylen Pritchard, 23.
Pritchard currently works in sales for SPC Office Products.
He is a graduate of Leadership Guymon.
King says his platform/focus is to be a good steward of the city's finances, listen and repsond to public comments such as wheter a change can or needs to be made, be aweare of the negative effect of a high sales tax percent on local businesses in regards to the reduced purchasing power of our local citizens and the failure ofthe surrounding communities to shop in Guymon.
King is married to Jan, a Kindergarten teacher at Salyer school.
They have two children, Travis King, 37, and Jason King, 38.
King has had a partnership with his spouse in retail at Guymon Furniture sine 1986 and Source Rent to Own since 1989 and K & K Rentals a residential business since 1990. He also has a partnership with his son Jason in retail at Grant Co. Furniture in Ulysses since 1995.
King graduated from Guymon Schools in 1969 and earned his bachelor's degree in accounting in 1974 from OPSU. He also completed a real estate course from Peru State College (Neb.). He is a member of of the Church of Christ, Chamber of Commerce, No Man's Land Historical Society, Republican National Committee, Blood Drive Council for Coffee Memorial, and Memorial Hospital of Texas County (June of 04). He also volunteersat Dunaway Manor and for Church Bible Studies.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 07 April 2009 )
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