Corey Holland

The Duncan Banner

October 28, 2008 03:17 pm

— The Duncan Banner emailed some questions to all the candidates running for political office that members of Stephens County will be voting on Nov. 4. What follows is this candidate's responses to these questions.

Questions for Corey Holland, Republican candidate for State House Rep. District 51:

1) What qualifications do you have for running for Oklahoma’s House of Representatives?

I am convinced in order to have an effective legislature we must first elect effective leaders. I have demonstrated through my role as a teacher, coach, and church deacon this is a character quality I possess. I feel I have the ability to lead and be a voice of reason even in tough situations. I also am a very hard worker and can be counted on to give the extra effort necessary to be most effective. It is not enough to just know what needs to be done. A representative must have the proven record of being a person who gets the job done even if it means a great deal of hard work and sacrifice. I can promise the voters I will wear out before I ever rust. I am also a person of strong moral character and high integrity. The job of representative comes with a great amount of pressure from various groups and special interests. I will not allow these to cloud my judgment and determine my vote. I will consistently stand up for what I believe is best for this district and will fight hard to protect our rural concerns.

2) Why are you running for Oklahoma’s House of Representatives?

The decision to run was a very difficult one for me. I have known since 2006 this was a strong possibility and had given it much prayer and thought. As events developed it became clear to me this was something I should do. I had the full support of my wife and two boys as well as my family and friends. What made the decision so tough was I felt it would be necessary for me to resign from my position as teacher and coach. I loved my job and had a hard time letting it go. I knew I would have to tell the kids I had invested so much in and they would likely be disappointed. In the end it came down to this- was I going to live out what I was teaching? I have always preached to my students about doing the right thing even if it is difficult. I knew running was the right thing. As hard as it was to commit to initially, from the moment I said yes I have had absolute peace about this decision.

3) What is the most important issue to you and how will you work to alleviate the problem if elected?
Oklahoma has a number of important issues that must be addressed. I am concerned about the business climate in our state, health care needs, the condition of our roads and bridges, education funding , the fuel crisis, crime, needs of our rural fire departments, and on and on. As a legislator I don’t have the luxury of just focusing on one concern only. I have to address the needs and concerns of all my constituents and I will be committed to do just that. But to answer the spirit of the question I would have to say budget issues. Most efforts to deal with the issues facing this state will be affected greatly by funding amounts. It will be my job to make the difficult decision of prioritizing these issues to maximize our government spending while being mindful of future economic conditions. This is not time to get reckless with a great deal of new spending. As representative I will carefully consider areas we might be able to cut spending and will fight to increase spending in areas of greatest need.

4) With the ever increasing cost for construction materials, road construction/maintenance costs are increasing exponentially, what can be done to alleviate the problem? In other words, can the number of road projects remain steady or will the number of projects decrease yearly unless taxes are raised?

The first thing that has to be done is a real commitment to address the problem. I am encouraged that in the last legislative session both parties were able to agree on a bond that will put $275 million dollars into the Oklahoma Department of Transportation maintenance plan. This is a strong commitment to addressing the problem. I also am encouraged that $25 million will be dedicated to a revolving fund for our rural county roads. This will allow our county commissioners to respond faster to road and bridge repair needs. If the trend of cost for materials and construction continues to increase significantly then of course it will affect the number of projects completed each year but I would be against the idea of raising taxes to address that issue. Given the current condition of our national and state economy asking the taxpayer to give more of their money to government is just not something I feel comfortable doing. We have to be very careful when someone suggests that the solution to all our problems is simply to increase spending.

5) Do you stand with your party affiliation on the on the issues of abortion and marriage? Why?
One of the strongest reasons I am a member of the Republican Party is based on the stand each party’s national platform takes on moral issues. I am strongly pro-life and believe that at the moment of conception God has performed His miracle of life. I agree with the Bible that marriage is a Holy union designed by God to be between one man and one woman. I stand with my party on this issue because I believe this is a foundational teaching of my Christian faith. I believe there is such a thing as absolute truth on moral issues. It is my responsibility as a Christian to stand firmly on those truths regardless how much our society tries to paint them in shades of grey. I could never support or endorse any legislation that contradicted with these and many other moral truths. I believe we are held to a higher standard and just because something is legal that doesn’t make it right.

6) Would you ever cross party lines in a voting session? Why?
Absolutely, yes. It is not my duty as a representative to pay blind devotion to a party. It is my duty to best represent the interests and concerns of the people in my district. As an effective leader I will do everything I can to discover and support solutions to our state’s issues. For me to not support a piece of legislation merely because it came from the opposing party would be childish and irresponsible. I would cross party lines every time the other side offered a plausible and quality piece of legislation. My commitment is to serve a full 12 years as representative and do so with honesty and integrity. I am not seeking this job as a quest for power or future position. I am seeking this job to make a positive difference and to be a part of effective government. Effective government will require a spirit of cooperation whenever possible and I will always vote for what I believe to be the best for the people of district 51, regardless of who gets the credit.

7) Are you for or against Tort Reform? Why?
I support it because I believe passing true Tort Reform will go a long way in helping all Oklahomans have more access to quality care. Some of the goals of reform should be: reduce unnecessary lawsuits, establish a sensible cap on non-economic damages, and deal appropriately with various liability issues. We need real reform so those who have truly experienced issues of negligence and malpractice benefit to a higher degree than the attorneys do. We need real reform so doctors and hospitals are not forced to reduce services or perform unnecessary tests for fear of unmerited litigation. We need reform so our state will be more attractive to businesses. Without reform then I have strong concerns that rural districts, like district 51, will be the real losers. Why would a doctor or a hospital invest in a smaller rural community if the investment is too much of a risk? I don’t want my constituents to be forced to drive an hour for all their health care needs. My efforts as representative will be to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. I will fight for real Tort Reform for our state.

8) Oklahoma has a prison capacity of about 25,000. We stay filled at between 96% and 98% yearly, which is well into overcrowded status. What is the answer for prison overcrowding in Oklahoma and how will you work to alleviate the problem? Do you think taxes need to be raised to solve the (any) problem?

One answer to prison overcrowding begins with understanding the makeup of the prison population. Drug and alcohol offenders are half of our prison inmates each year. These non-violent offenders are the biggest contributors to the overcrowding problem because they are being sent to prison at a higher rate each year while other criminals rates of imprisonment remain relatively steady. By building on a treatment approach we will be able to reduce the number of those being sent to prison each year. The Community Sentencing Act of 2000 was an effort to deal with this issue. Of those who participated in the treatment program created by this legislation, 90% did not commit another offense in 36 months after release. It has proven to be a good initial step. We also should push for more use of the drug court system. The drug courts have proven to be effective and a cost savings to the state. In order to adequately address the overcrowding problem a strong commitment to reforming behavior of non-violent offenders must be made as opposed to just locking people up. Without access to treatment programs many of these offenders will most likely return to prison in the future. (No)

9) Recidivism is measured as the percentage of all prisoners within a given year who return to incarceration within three years. For fiscal year 2005, the recidivism rate is 27.8%. What will you do to lower that percentage?

As stated in the previous answer, a big part of our prison recidivism can be traced to those imprisoned for drug and alcohol offenses. I believe our best approach to dealing with the rate of recidivism is to implement a more treatment programs as a part of the process. A January 2004 report by the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center discusses the many benefits to a treatment program approach. The report found graduates of drug courts were four times less likely to recidivate than those who did not take part in the program. When you consider that it cost the state around $17,000 per year to imprison someone this type of program has the ability to not only deal with recidivism but the added effect of reducing prison overcrowding, costs, and drug addiction in our communities. Another solution would be better use of half way houses that would include treatment and drug testing requirements as well as assistance in job placement. These kind of measures give the offender the best chance for long term recovery and thus a less likely chance to re-offend and face more prison time. This approach will help reduce the recidivism rate in our state prisons.

Last two questions are from a reader of the Duncan Banner:

10) What have been some “positives” that have happened during your campaigning?

One of the first positives I experienced was the large number of people who were willing to give of their time, talents, and finances to help me. An effective campaign requires much more work than one person could ever do. I am truly humbled by the help I have received.
I have enjoyed meeting so many people. Whether it has been door knocking, phone calls, or events I have had the privilege of getting acquainted with so many people across the district. They have given me great insight into their concerns and hopes for the future. I will develop these relationships even further if I am elected representative.
The greatest positive experience is clearly getting to see God move so powerfully in my life. The decision to resign from my job and step out in faith to pursue this position was not an easy one to make. Every step of the way
I have had confirmation that this was the right decision. While I don’t claim to know what will happen come November 4th, I do know that my life has a purpose. I look forward with great anticipation for what tomorrow may bring and that is exciting to me.

11) How can we make public schools better?
Our public schools do a great job of teaching and preparing our kids. Of course there are always things that could be done to make the educational process better and more effective. One of the most practical things that should be done is protecting the instruction time. Whether it be events, activities, or state required testing all of these should be a part of the teaching process and not contribute to unnecessary time being taken away from actual instruction. For example I have become more concerned with the increasing influence of testing. While testing is extremely important and a necessary way to monitor learning it seems to becoming the only standard used to determine success. I am concerned this may lead to more schools feeling pressured to “teach the test”. This would not lead to students getting a better education. We also need to continue to reach out to those young college students with the gift of teaching. IHigher salaries will attract those considering other fields and keep our teachers in Oklahoma. I also believe the role of the local school board to determine how best to educate their students should be protected as much as possible.