Candidate Gregory Hardin and Dist. 26 incumbent Dell Kerbs both attended the forum and were happy to answer a few questions, but first each was given a couple of minutes to introduce themselves.
Hardin said, “‘I’’ve lived here in Shawnee my entire life, 24 years. I am a product of Shawnee Public schools, and I am also a substitute teacher.’
Hardin said he is also attending school to become a history teacher. He has a YouTube show where he interviews politicians.
He said he does this to help and inform people about what is going on in their government. He said this is also why he decided to run for office. “I want to inform people and help people improve the city and the state that I grew up in.”
Kerbs said he has been married to his wife, Linda, for 22 years. They have two daughters.
He said he is a small business owner - Coney Island in downtown Shawnee - and also served as a board member of Safe Events For Families.
“I have been in the community for as long as my opponent has been alive and a few years more,” said Kerbs.
Below are a few of the Q&As from the PAVE forum. To see the forum in its entirety, please use this link - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8KiHbEiuMjA&t=1872 - or visit the City of Shawnee YouTube and click on the PAVE forum 10/27/2022.
Q: Do you stand by your yes vote for HB4327, a Texas style abortion ban containing no exceptions for rape and incest, which allows private citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion, or anyone who aids and abets anyone who performs an abortion?
KERBS: The answer is yes. I am pro life, I do not excuse myself from that, in any way, shape or form. We have a job to do as human beings is to protect the life of the unborn. It is not an exception. It’s not a rule. It’s not a social movement. It is not anything, but to protect the life of the unborn.
HARDIN: I am pro choice. I know that most of the people in the district are pro life. But I know that with the pro life, there’s exceptions for that, that most people I know agree with, which is life of the mother, rape, incest, and you voted for bills, that don’t have those exceptions. And that’s a little bit too radical for me, and probably most of the district as well. And I know I’ve had conversations with plenty of people who are Republicans who are pro life, and they don’t really agree with that. And I think that’s a little dangerous for Oklahoma.
Q: Governor Stitt has proposed a managed care system, which would partially privatize SoonerCare. Critics say that this plan puts profit over public health care, what is your opinion on this proposal? And how would you approach this issue as a legislator?
HARDIN: So yeah, it does put profit before the lives and the health of people. I’d rather we just have, you know, a relationship between someone’s doctor and their care. That’d be it. There shouldn’t be private companies standing in the way of somebody making you know.
KERBS: We’ve had this discussion and this debate many times with the hospitals associations, and talked about many avenues to make sure that we are getting the best efficient dollars to the people that need the help and not to the third party companies that are trying to come in and do those kind of things.
Q: Do you agree with how Stitt has addressed relations with tribal nations, and how would you approach such relations as a legislator?
HARDIN: So no, I disagree with the way that the Governor’s handled the state’s relationship with the tribes. He’s handled it quite childishly. Part of what I would do, if I was in the legislature is not vote to increase the budget for the Attorney General to be able to take the tribes to court on a whim whenever the governor says they have a problem with the tribes. We should be honoring our relationship and tribal sovereignty with the nation’s
KERBS: So we have a lot of challenges with the compacts. And, that’s the governor’s prerogative. If you watch our legislature and see how we handle it, we’re not going to get into that fight. That’s his specifically. my opponent brought up about funding, the AGs office, there’s specific reasons McGirt was brought down from the federal side. And it was very questionable as far as jurisdiction and things along that line when it came down. So we had to get through that and understand that it doesn’t just what the intent was, to my understanding is just on the federal on the crime issues, some of those things, but what we started seeing was folks trying to sue the state for paying income taxes and paying their sales taxes within these areas on the eastern side of the state. So it becomes a challenge that we have to make sure that the office, whether the lawsuits are frivolous, or whether they’re legit lawsuits, we do have to have an attorney’s budget to take care of other situations.
Q: Will you support county office and law enforcement races, being nonpartisan to increase participation in choice?
KERBS: Well, that’s a slippery slope with every which way you want to take it and talk about it. That is a pretty good example with the judges’ discussion today. They get the nice privilege of not having to worry about those wonderful things. What I can say is some of those offices, we’ll pick on the sheriff…you know, the sheriff, his job is to enforce the law, not make the law. As far as the counties, I think the county folks need to be party affiliated because they make decisions in everyday lives that can change your family financially, from what they do. So I think those kinds of decisions need to be the done with that kind of stuff.
HARDIN:Yes,I do support them being nonpartisan because not necessarily because I think it will increase participation, but it will at least make people have to actually think before they fill in the little bubble, because there’s not going to be a letter by their name. And whenever you see the little letter by someone’s name, D, R I, wherever it is, you automatically shut off your brain because you have a false opinion about whatever that party affiliation is. I definitely support a nonpartisan.
To hear the closing remarks from each candidate and to hear all of the questions and answers, visit the City of Shawnee YouTube page or type in this link - https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8KiHbEiuMjA&t=1872.
Early voting started yesterday and the polls will be open Tuesday from 7 am to 7 pm.
