TULSA — Three of the four candidates vying to become Tulsa's next chief executive officer are currently holding political office.
But while the fourth person hasn't even registered to run, Casey Bradford told KRMG that he has plans to win the race and that he has several plans after taking office to address some of Tulsa's major issues. He said he plans to carry out his plan.
[Hear the KRMG In Depth Report on Casey Bradford’s mayoral candidacy HERE]
“We've spent millions of dollars watching the 'Implement Our Tulsa' package come out, and we're still in the same situation we were in when that package came out.” Bradford said.
he said Wednesday. “We asked the city. Last February, we went to the city and said, 'We'd like to see the plan.' They said it hasn't arrived yet. And as business owners, If you don't have a plan and ask for money from a bank or organization, you won't get it.”
One example is homelessness, and Bradford pointed out that despite voters being asked for millions of dollars to address homelessness, nothing seems to have changed, and that the city needs attention. Pointed out the process to address the issue.
Noticing that he was speaking in the third person, the reporter asked Mr Bradford if he was representing the Coalition government.
“My whole team supports me,” he said, adding that he believes it is important to have a team of advisors to most effectively consider how best to tackle difficult problems.
As a small business owner, issues that affect entrepreneurs also likely influenced Bradford's decision to run for mayor.
He feels the city's permitting process, for example, needs to be modernized and simplified.
Getting answers from City Hall isn't easy, he said.
“There are some questions that if there's a long line, they don't have time to sit there for two hours,” Bradford told KRMG. “And those answers should be readily available on the Internet. We live in the 21st century, but the Internet doesn't seem to be. None exist and many of them are still very old.”
Mr. Bradford served in the U.S. Army for 10 years, trained as a Chinese linguist, and also worked for the NSA.
He said he fell in love with the city the first time he visited and moved to Tulsa about 14 years ago.
Bradford is married and has three children.
He co-owns businesses including Shady Keys Dueling Piano Bar and Graffiti downtown.