Tulsa World: Perkins says he won't quit mayor's race

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Perkins says he won't quit mayor's race
The two major-party candidates deny that they have pressured the independent to do so.

Independent mayoral candidate Mark Perkins gave his take on recent polling by his opponents during a news conference Wednesday at the Tulsa Press Club. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 11/5/2009 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 11/5/2009 5:02 AM

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

Independent mayoral candidate Mark Perkins said Wednesday that he will not drop out of the race despite recent pressures to do so.

"I did not get into the race to start a political career, and I'm not going to apologize for messing up somebody's plans or ambitions," he said during a news conference at the Tulsa Press Club.

Both Democrat Tom Adelson and Republican Dewey Bartlett Jr. deny that anyone from their campaigns has suggested to Perkins that he drop out.

Perkins, Adelson and Bartlett will be on the Nov. 10 general election ballot, along with independent candidate Lawrence Kirkpatrick.

Perkins said he had received information from an "unquestionable source" that Bartlett "was deeply concerned because my polling numbers were very strong."

"In fact, my source was at a meeting with Mr. Bartlett, and Bartlett himself stated my numbers, according to his poll, were at 15 percent," Perkins said.

He said Bartlett's subsequent actions showed that he had concerns.

Perkins said Bartlett sought former Republican city councilor and mayoral candidate Chris Medlock's endorsement and got it, "and anyone who watched the primaries knows that these guys do not like each other at all."

Medlock

confirmed that he endorsed Bartlett on radio stations KFAQ (AM 1170) and KRMG (AM 740) after a few meetings that occurred shortly after the Republican primary.

"I'm playing like the Bartlett camp wants," Medlock said in response to a question about the lack of media coverage of the endorsement.

Bartlett said he suggested radio because that is Medlock's medium.

Perkins said Adelson's camp called recently about Democrats receiving automated phone calls stating that "Adelson had betrayed the Democratic principals and to vote for the independent."

"We told them it wasn't us," he said.

Perkins said he also heard about automated calls telling Republicans "not to split their vote and don't waste it on an independent."

"These actions lead to one conclusion, that I already knew from our massive increase in traffic in that last several weeks — I was surging in a great way, and Bartlett's camp was struggling," he said.

Bartlett said his camp isn't making automated calls. He said they are using calls by U.S. Rep John Sullivan, R-Okla., and Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel but that they're telling "people good things about me."

Adelson said at a recent mayoral candidate forum that a 3-week-old poll showed him at 35 percent, edging out Bartlett at 32 percent and Perkins at 15 percent, with 18 percent undecided.

Perkins said that poll came before the "most egregious campaign ads" began to air. It also was before Perkins sent out 30,000 campaign mailers and participated in multiple mayoral forums, and before his two television ads hit the airwaves, he said.

Adelson confirmed the 3-week-old poll. He also said his reference to a near double-digit lead over Bartlett at Tuesday's Mayoral Smashup forum came from a recent poll that also showed Perkins' numbers growing.

The Tulsa World on Sunday will publish the results of its scientific poll on the mayor's race conducted Oct. 31 through Wednesday by Soonerpoll.com.

Perkins said he thinks "Bartlett has already lost."

He said that although he is pulling voters from both camps, he thinks he is pulling more from Bartlett.

Perkins said that if voters put party over the city, Adelson wins, but if they put the city over party, "a person who has demonstrated he can unify Tulsa in a nonpartisan way to overcome our nonpartisan challenges, then I will win."

P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Candidate defends independent run at mayor's seat," which was published on 11/4/2009.

	Report Comment Rupert Shootman, Tulsa (11/5/2009 12:21:18 AM) Sounds like the World got their little feelin's hurt cause they didn't include them on the information that Medlock was endorsing Dewey. Waaaa!
	Report Comment Michael Phillips, Tulsa (11/5/2009 4:49:06 AM) Perkins better not quit.
	Report Comment Michael Phillips, Tulsa (11/5/2009 8:09:31 AM) Reason09, I have read about Mr. Perkins position on a number of things on his webpage, but nothing about the second amendment. The only debates I have heard involved Adelson and Bartlett and not Perkins. I know Adelson is strongly pro-gun, so telling me that Perkins is left of him on gun control doesn't tell me much. What can you tell me?
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (11/4/2009 10:15:16 PM) Uh oh, the big guns are pointing at Mark Perkins. It must mean he is making headway in the election. You go Mark! I just watched the Mayoral Forum on Cox Channel (9:00 to 10:00) this evening. It was first televised last week, but I missed it then. I enjoyed the televised forum. All 3 candidates did well. I've done research on all three candidates plus reading their websites. At this point I've decided on Mark Perkins. :-)
	Report Comment Brooksider, Tulsa (11/5/2009 1:13:41 PM) Do we vote for or against a person for positions that won't be relevant until that person runs for higher office? Maybe. Do we focus on a candidate's ability to handle the office she/he is running for right now? Of course. Does any of this matter, since the person spending the most money will likely win, no matter what? Time will tell.
	Report Comment 18thandBoston, (11/5/2009 9:51:24 AM) "I did not get into the race to start a political career" So he's running for political office NOT to start a political career? Someone might want to inform Mr. Perkins that the office of mayor is, in fact, a political position.
	Report Comment 18thandBoston, (11/5/2009 11:23:33 AM) gun rights and illegal immigration aren't local issues - who cares what the mayor thinks? i'll bet you guys care if the dog catcher is pro-life, too
	Report Comment sr71v3, (11/5/2009 10:19:37 AM) Dusty - "Doesn't stand against gun rights" is like saying you're pro-choice. Wishy washy. "No say in illegal immigration" is just flat wrong. Tulsa should be making a concerted effort to locate and deport all illegals. They are a burden on everyone. "Raising property taxes" is simply raising taxes .. completely unacceptable. Now - I'm just responding to comments made in this thread. I have not verified the accuracy of the claims.
	Report Comment Slatz, Tulsa (11/5/2009 9:50:53 AM) Mark, hang in there. All this means is that your making an impact.
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (11/4/2009 10:06:21 PM) Go Mark!
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (11/5/2009 11:12:10 AM) Reason, you heard wrong, he said that sales taxes to support the citys budget was too volatile & he would lobby legislature to supplement it with a portion of property taxes, not higher property taxes.
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (11/5/2009 11:16:12 AM) Were the property taxes to increase, Id actually have no problem with it. Sure it would be a bit more of a financial burden but property taxes here are quite low. Problem is, look what it gets us; laying off the police force, grounding the helicopters, losing our mounted patrol, city workers being forced tot ake furlough days, crappy streets...the list goes on. Again, you get what you pay for.
	Report Comment Ignatz, A nice place where Democrats hold every office in the County. (11/5/2009 9:29:01 AM) Looks like an easy win for Adleson. Interesting that some sane people and the usual truly crazies are for Perkins.
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 9:39:00 AM) I'm voting for Perkins and praying that the dissatisfied people of Tulsa will FOR ONCE vote outside their own political party. The Democrats and Republicans need to be sent a message that this city is not going to tolerate business as usual.
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 9:58:31 AM) Perkins is a liberal now? LOLOLOL Man oh man. That's frigging FUNNY. Every time the extremist right wingers feel threatened they trot out the "liberal" brand. If Perkins is a liberal then the Pope is a Baptist.
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 10:11:29 AM) doesn't stand against gun rights = moderate. Has no say in illegal immigration as mayor = irrelevant. Property taxes are among the lowest in the nation and so is Oklahoma in Education, poverty, and virtually every other negative statistic measured. Time to raise property taxes in this state. Perkins is no liberal. He's a moderate conservative. Of course I do understand to the bunker nut right wing extremist anyone who disagrees with them on ANYTHING is a "liberal".
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 10:59:27 AM) Perkins may be against English only. So am I. But I'm FOR English as the OFFICAL language. To me there is a difference. Now Perkins and I may disagree in the final analysis of this issue, but I ask you, who is running that YOU agree with on every single issue?
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:33:18 AM) hahaha 18th. EXCELLENT!!!
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:36:21 AM) I don't think you do understand it Reason. I didn't until it was explained here. If the property tax law is changed so that cities share in the property tax disbursement then in fact, the cities would have more money to work with and the state less. That falls right in line with the "local control" issues. Ask the state for less, do more yourself with your own relative money from property tax. I'm all for that. The state bureaucracy is always far more cumbersome and expensive than the city one and we have far less control over it as an individual city. Sounds right to me if I understand it right.
	Report Comment dustyoutlaw, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:44:20 AM) Probably won't happen but wouldn't that be something if Perkins won? This country, this state, this city needs to stop voting Republican or Democrat along party lines. It's why this country, this state, this city are in the dire straits they are. Both parties are hogs bellied up to the taxpayer trough. OUT WITH BOTH THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS!!! START RIGHT NOW SAYING YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF BUSINESS AS USUAL. VOTE MARK PERKINS!!!
	Report Comment The A Team, (11/5/2009 1:22:57 PM) If you want to send a message to political parties vote for Kirkpatrick. Porkin$ is a registered REPUBLICAN.
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:40:27 AM) Hang in there Mark Perkins, you are exactly the kind these money bag politicians like to run off. You don't owe favors, they do.
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:42:10 AM) Bartlett and Adelson will owe Chamber of Commerce favors and they will expect them. Chamber of Commerce usually tells the Mayor what to do. We need someone in there that they don't own.
	Report Comment loo loo, (11/5/2009 7:17:41 AM) perkins and barlett are heavily financed by the development lobby. Don't vote for people who are backed by thugs responsible for overbuilding and sprawling tulsa to the unsuportable mess it is today.
	Report Comment Dr. Strangelove, Tulsa (11/5/2009 9:01:48 AM) Agreed anti-rube, I watched the debates. Perkins' answers are more logical. Bartlett comes off with a bunch of corny canned answers that I could only hope someone else wrote for him (and I say that as a republican). Adelson is well-meaning but he's more of a policy wonk type of guy. It would be great to get him involved in long term planning somehow. I trust Perkins to be more capable to effectively govern on a day-day basis.

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