Local News
Concern about home area fuels Simmons’ run
WAURIKA — He is 59 years old and owns one of the more successful construction companies in the region.
He and Connie, his wife of 39 years, have raised three of their four children and sent them out into the world, and the last of the bunch graduates from high school in two years.
There are four grandchildren to dote upon, and to some people, it might seem like a good time for Jim Simmons to slow down his life a little and start enjoying some fruits of his labors.
Instead, the life-long Waurika resident is hoping to start a new career, one that definitely won’t be a “slow down.”
Making an entry into the political realm for the first time, Simmons is one of three candidates vying for the job of Jefferson County Sheriff, in the July 29 Democratic primary.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I know what it was like as a kid growing up here. Waurika was a town with good people and a lot of businesses, and nobody went to Lawton or Duncan to shop,” Simmons said. “There are still good people here, but the town has been shrinking and we have a surplus of drugs and drug-related theft and other crime.
“All of my kids still live in the community and so do my grandkids, and that’s the sense of urgency I get about wanting to do something about our problems. I want the community to be a great place and a safe place to live.
“I don’t see anybody running who will change things.”
Admitting he has no law enforcement or legal background, Simmons nonetheless feels he’s had practical experience in some of the duties of the sheriff’s job. He hasn’t pursued or arrested criminals, but he does understand such job-related tasks as budgeting, meeting federal and state requirements and mandates, organizing staff and public relations.
“I deal with budgeting every day in my work,” he noted. “I do construction jobs all over the United States, and I know how to construct a budget and make bids and that type of thing. And I’ve also had to keep up with government requirements.
“One thing I would do is not designate those paperwork tasks to deputies. I’d have someone in the office to handle that and not tie up deputies with those things.”
“I also feel I have good people skills,” Simmons added. “I constantly deal with people, from homeowners and residents to city officials and state and local officials, and I feel like I know how to treat people.
“I’d like to run an open-door policy in the sheriff’s office; let people know that the department is here to help them.”
Simmons is a 1968 graduate of Waurika High School, who has attended Murray State College and Cameron University.
The Simmons have four children, including 16-year-old daughter Cheyenne, a junior at Waurika High. Son Cody and daughter Tara Gunter teach in Waurika, while daughter Christy Sellers has worked as a pharmaceutical drug sales person.
“I have no ties with any special interest groups,” Simmons, a member of First United Methodist Church in Waurika, said. “I promise voters to have a sheriff’s office they can be proud of.”
- Local News
-
-
City pushes on with abatements
Waurika could be making some residential land available for purchase, after the City Commission approved proceeding with abatement of four properties inside the city limits.
-
Crutch is first to repeat
Crutch Ranch isn’t the oldest cattle operation in the state of Texas, but the cowboys from the Borger-based outfit can claim a first in Jefferson County, Oklahoma.
-
JeffCo chiefs cleaning up properties to set stage for public sale
There’s a clean-up process underway, but once three pieces of property have been tidied-up, the public will have an opportunity to obtain land within the Waurika city limits.
-
Young’uns up!
Ranch rodeos in Oklahoma date back to before statehood. For over a century, ranch rodeos have been a way to focus on the work routines cowboys actually experience.
-
Family pastime
When youngsters are growing up and imagining the future, some see themselves being astronauts soaring through space.
-
A little bit less could be more
Waurika will be operating with a smaller General Fund in the new fiscal year, but the difference will hardly be noticed.
-
New bus to help district cut cost on activity trips
In the past, a big yellow bus with “Waurika Independent School District” emblazoned on the sides would pull into a parking lot ...
-
Budget breakdown is baffling
Few citizens seemed interested in the public hearing Waurika city officials held Monday evening, but some of those officials were certainly intrigued by the presentation of the 2010-11 fiscal year budget.
-
Parents are key
Consumption of alcohol by teens and underage youth is a nationwide concern that leaves its fingerprint on communities of all sizes and locales;
-
Resignation spurs district to replace FFA advisor
For a third straight year, Waurika School District 21 found itself needing a new instructor for its vocational agriculture department and FFA chapter advisor.
- More Local News Headlines
-
City pushes on with abatements
