City personnel meet with state Senator and Representatives

Pictured from left, back row: Mike Vanderburg, City Attorney for Ponca City; Randy Elliott, OMPA; Derek Cassidy, City of Newkirk; Rep. Ken Luttrell; Rep. John Pfeiffer; Sen. Bill Coleman; Craig Stephenson, City Manager of Ponca City; David Osburn, OMPA. Front row: Phil Johnston, Ponca City Energy; Steve Sullivan, Ponca City Energy; Mayor Homer Nicholson, City of Ponca City; Jane Thomas, City of Newkirk; Paul Taylor, City Commissioner of Ponca City and Dixie Johnson, City of Perry.

On Friday, Nov. 30, city personnel and elected officials from the Town of Newkirk and the City of Ponca City met with Sen. Bill Coleman and Reps. Ken Luttrell and John Pfeiffer over lunch in Ponca City.

The lunch was hosted by the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority to introduce OMPA’s member city personnel and elected officials to the legislators that represent them.

City personnel expressed the concerns facing rural communities in Oklahoma. The legislators and city personnel had in-depth discussions regarding the issues, and issues that could become a concern in the future.

Those in attendance were Mark Vanderburg, City Attorney for Ponca City; Randy Elliott, OMPA General Counsel; Derek Cassidy, Newkirk Councilmember; Rep. Ken Luttrell, District 37; Rep. John Pfeiffer, District 38; Sen. Bill Coleman, District 10; Craig Stephenson, City Manager of Ponca City; David Osburn, OMPA General Manager; Phil Johnston, General Manager of Electric Utilities – Ponca City Energy; Steve Sullivan, Assistant Manager Ponca City Energy; Homer Nicholson, Ponca City Mayor; Jane Thomas, Newkirk City Manager; Paul Taylor, Ponca City Commissioner, and Dixie Johnson, Perry City Clerk.

Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) is a joint-action agency created for the purpose of providing an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and energy to Oklahoma’s municipally owned electric systems. The Authority presently serves 39 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma. As a consumer-owned public power entity, OMPA is owned by the member cities it serves.