News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

OKLAHOMA CITY – Leadership class members from Stephens, Jefferson and Cotton counties were challenged Thursday (March 18) by Corporation Commission Chairman Ed Apple to "make something better."

The 31 students and adults were in Oklahoma City to visit a session of the State Legislature and get a briefing on the duties of the Corporation Commission. The group comprised 19 students from the Duncan High School Leadership Class and 14 adults from the Red River Leadership Class, sponsored jointly by the Red River Vo-tech District and the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments (ASCOG).

"Leadership classes can be entertaining, but they are not meant for entertainment. If you aren’t interested in making something better, then you shouldn’t be in this class," Apple said.

Apple said there are plenty of opportunities to make things better in Oklahoma’s rural communities as the state works to add high technology to its historic economic bases of agriculture and petroleum.

"Oklahoma’s small towns would be attractive to more people if they could make a living there. Jobs come from attracting business and industry, and one way to attract industry is to provide modern telecommunications facilities that allow high-speed access to information everywhere. At the Corporation Commission we’re working hard to make this happen," Apple said.

He urged the leadership class members to learn all they can about what will be needed to make Oklahoma prosperous in the next century. "And share what you learn with others," Apple urged.

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