Transcript Staff Writer
Republican Anthony Sykes has lived in Senate District 24 all his life. He grew up in Newcastle and now lives in Moore.
And he wants to become a member of the Oklahoma state Senate.
"Government needs change," he said in an interview earlier this year. "We need to make government more transparent."
And to do that, Sykes says, requires a new approach.
"Government being involved in private industry has turned out to be disastrous. It starts out great, but it implodes," he said in an earlier interview with The Transcript.
And while he believes Oklahoma needs additional tax cuts to stimulate the economy, he also said he's "not too thrilled" with the Quality Jobs Act.
Sykes has also made immigration reform a key component of his campaign.
He said he supports Rep. Randy Terrill's efforts at changing immigration policy and said that, if elected, he would co-sponsor Terrill's immigration legislation in the Senate.
Echoing Terrill, Sykes claims the Department of Corrections spent more than $7 million to imprison undocumented aliens. Those funds, he said, could be used to hire more corrections staff or raise salaries -- if the state passed harsher penalties against undocumented workers.
With a wife and mother who are schoolteachers, Sykes said he would "go into the field and talk to parents" about the state's educational system. "My mother is a teacher at Newcastle. And my wife is a teacher at Moore. Education is one of my top priorities."
Sykes said teachers need a competitive salary. "Oklahomans are making improvements to their educational system. But the teachers retirement fund needs help. We need to shore TRS up."
Sykes praises the state's CareerTech system and added be believes "things are going well" with higher education.
He also is pleased by the state's recent investment in roads and bridges, attributing that investment to members of the House GOP. "Since the Republicans took the majority in the House, they have put roads and bridges as a priority. Money is only now being redirected."
Sykes, who said he's been running for office for more than a year, believes Oklahoma needs new leadership for the next century. "I have the right quality to represent Senate District 24," he said. "I truly believe this is where God wants me. That's why I'm running for office."
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