Four of six candidates vying for local and state offices in the Nov. 4 general election pitched their platforms and candidacies Friday during a forum sponsored by the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce.

Opponents hoping to unseat District 13 Rep. Jerry McPeak, D-Warner, and Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson did not attend the event.

Both District 14 candidates — Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, and Democratic challenger Eugene Blankenship of Muskogee — showed up for the event.

McPeak denigrated the highly charged partisanship that has dominated the Oklahoma Legislature — particularly in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives — the past few years.

“I’m concerned the rhetoric spewed forth is based on prejudice and biases based on wrong facts,” McPeak said. “There’s been a lot of talk about reaching across the aisles, but I’m asking why is there even an aisle?”

McPeak said during his first four years in office he has striven to find common ground on legislative issues regardless of party in an effort to serve the people.

Blankenship expounded on that theme by touting his ability to build working relationships under trying circumstances while serving Muskogee County as its emergency management director and floodplain manager. He also criticized the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives for silencing the public on several key issues.

“Anytime the parent of an autistic child or the chief of the Cherokee Nation comes up there (to the Capitol) and can’t be heard, there is something wrong,” Blankenship said about a couple of incidents that occurred during the most recent legislative session in the House of Representatives.

Faught, a local business owner who is vying for a second legislative term, touted his role in the passage of House Bill 1804 — one of the most aggressive anti-immigration state laws in the nation — and his pro-life votes as his strong points.

On the immigration issue, Faught said, “Illegal behavior should not be rewarded,” citing his efforts to help push English-only bill through the Legislature. With regard to his anti-abortion stance, his vote was one of many that helped override Gov. Brad Henry’s veto of a law requiring an ultrasound examination of every pregnant woman contemplating abortion.

“Life is a gift of God,” Faught said, noting his belief that life begins at conception. “It must be protected at all costs.”

Faught said should he win re-election he would “continue to fight for a lean, efficient government.” He also advocated the need for quality education in the state but said it can’t be fixed by “simply throwing more money” at the problems.

McPeak, who faces Republican Debbie Lienhart of Haskell as an opponent this year, bristled in response to Faught’s take on funding education, saying “we’re putting less money into education than we did 15 years ago.”

Pearson, who faces Roger Lee — a former Democrat who now is affiliated with the Republican party — thanked voters for approving a quarter-cent tax to help fund the sheriff’s office and the jail.

“Your support ... is funding our office the way it should be funded,” Pearson said. “I’m happy to get up and go to work every morning.”

Pearson said during his tenure he has been able to add “four seasoned investigators” to his staff and place six additional deputies in the field. He hopes to add six more deputies within the next year.

“Criminals are getting smarter, but so are we,” Pearson said. “For every homicide that has occurred in Muskogee County since I’ve been sheriff, there is somebody in jail.”

Reach D.E. Smoot at 918-684-2903 or Click Here to Send Email