Only GOP candidate for House District 44 signs Open Government Pledge

The only Republican candidate for House District 44 has pledged to "support legislation to strengthen the letter and the spirit" of Oklahoma's open government laws if elected in November.

Norman businessman Kent Hunt joins Democratic candidates Tom Kovach, Isaiah McCaslin and Emily Virgin in signing FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge.

The House District 44 seat is being vacated by Democrat Bill Nations, who is term-limited. Nations signed the pledge in 2008.

By signing the pledge, Hunt also promised "to support at every opportunity the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power."

Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc. invites other legislative candidates and those running for statewide and county offices to sign the pledge.

Instructions and a list of signers for the 2010 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s website.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

OSU School of Media and Strategic Communication

A third Democratic candidate for House District 44 signs Open Government Pledge

Norman City Coucilman Tom Kovach has pledged to support open government legislation if elected to the state House District 44 seat.

Kovach is the third Democratic candidate for House District 44 to sign FOI Oklahoma Inc.'s Open Government Pledge.

The seat is being vacated by Democrat Bill Nations, who is term-limited. Nations signed the pledge in 2008.

Kovach had also signed the pledge earlier this year when he ran unopposed for re-election to his council position.

As a House candidate, Kovach specifically promised to "support legislation to strengthen the letter and the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

He also pledged "to support at every opportunity the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power."

The pledge also has been signed by Kovach's announced Democratic opponents: Emily Virgin, an OU first-year law student, and Isaiah McCaslin, a public policy junior at the University of Oklahoma.

The filing period is in June.

Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc. invites other legislative candidates and those running for statewide and municipal offices to sign the pledge.

Instructions and a list of signers for the 2010 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s Web site.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.

Joey Senat, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

OSU School of Journalism

Another Democratic candidate for House District 44 signs Open Government Pledge

Emily Virgin, a Democrat seeking the state House District 44 seat in Norman, has pledged to support open government in Oklahoma if elected.

The first-year law student at OU specifically promised to "support legislation to strengthen the letter and the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

Isaiah McCaslin, another announced Democratic candidate for the seat, also has signed FOI Oklahoma Inc.'s Open Government Pledge. McCaslin is a public policy junior at the University of Oklahoma.

The House District 44 seat is being vacated by Democrat Bill Nations, who is term-limited. Nations signed the pledge in 2008.

Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc. invites other legislative candidates and those running for statewide and municipal offices to sign the pledge.

Instructions and a list of signers for the 2010 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s Web site.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Journalism

Candidates for Norman City Council, House District 44 sign Open Government Pledge

Two candidates for Norman City Council Ward 4 have signed FOI Oklahoma Inc.'s Open Government Pledge.

By doing so, Carol Dillingham and Austin Dyches each promised, "I and the public bodies that I am elected to govern will comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

Dillingham, the incumbent, faces Dyches and two other opponents in the March 2 election.

Norman's two mayoral candidates also have made the same commitment.

Isaiah McCaslin, a Democrat seeking the state House District 44 seat in Norman, also has vowed to support open government in Oklahoma. He is the first candidate for a legislative seat in the fall 2010 election to sign the pledge.

Legislative candidates specifically promise to "support legislation to strengthen the letter and the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc. invites other legislative candidates and those running for statewide and municipal offices to sign the pledge.

Instructions and a list of signers for the 2010 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s Web site.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.

For the 2008 and 2009 elections, 58 candidates for local or statewide offices signed the pledge. Of those, 28 were elected.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Journalism