Tulsa World: Tulsa mayoral candidate Bartlett talks about energy costs

Home > News > Article

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Tulsa mayoral candidate Bartlett talks about energy costs

Republican mayoral candidate Dewey Bartlett Jr. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 10/13/2009 4:07 PM
Last Modified: 10/13/2009 4:08 PM

Tulsa Elections: Read bios of candidates for mayor, City Council and city auditor and view a map of City Council districts.

Republican mayoral candidate Dewey Bartlett Jr. said Tuesday the city should control its energy costs to make more funds available for public safety and other priorities.

“We need real solutions to the problems we face, and energy efficiency can be a first step,” he said at a press conference.

The city’s energy costs from fiscal year 2002 to 2006 soared from $12.7 million to $23.7 million, Bartlett pointed out.

“If we could save just $1.5 million annually, we could add multiple new police officers and firefighters,” he said.

If elected, Bartlett said, he would see that an energy audit is conducted involving all city facilities and the employees who use them so that a plan of action can be developed to make the city more efficient.

He also said the city should convert as many public vehicles as possible to compressed natural gas.

Bartlett, Keener Oil & Gas president, has turned to alternative energy at his office building at 16th Street and Boston Avenue.

The building is powered by 19 solar photovoltaic rooftop panels. It was a $40,000 investment by his company that shaves nearly 30 percent from the monthly energy bill.

“Sometimes you have to think outside

the box, and sometimes you have to make the right business decisions,” he said. “I believe that’s where we are as a city. We need to be innovative but smart.”

Bartlett will face Democrat Tom Adelson and independents Mark Perkins and Lawrence Kirkpatrick in the Nov. 10 general election. By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Energy efficiency a first step, candidate says," which was published on 10/14/2009. So far, 9 comments have been made.