Randy Cowling
Managing Editor
CLAREMORE —
After much speechifying and positioning the crossing of the wide Missouri Street closure has been completed. Claremore City Councilors unanimously voted to close the street, which is east of the current Rogers County Courthouse, to make way for construction of a new $23 million facility.
Claremore’s Ward II Councilor Mick Weber outlined from his perspective the timeline the council and county have traveled in reaching the closure, attempting to “set the record straight.” Weber, who was critical of Rogers County Commissioner Kirt Thacker, when the county asked for the closure, believes the city has received unwarranted criticism.
He told the capacity crowd at the Monday evening meeting that the city followed its guidelines and the notification of property owners within 100 ft. of the street was to be done by the county. It was Weber’s last shot at the county, who he wants to suggest is the bad guy in this entire public relations debacle.
It’s over and the Claremore City Council and Rogers County Commission should move on — together. Without continued cooperation between the city and county, Claremore and Rogers County cannot become a premiere city in Northeast Oklahoma. This all depends on the attitudes of current city councilors and commissioners.
As long as there is a continuous battle to show who has the bigger stick, this region will be the loser when it comes to economic development. These school yard skirmishes not only give councilors and commissioners a black eye, but they injure the reputation and credibility of Rogers County as a whole.
Now is the time for leadership — open-minded, creative and responsible leadership on behalf of both governmental entities. Our community faces challenges that need attention and sound judgment in bringing creative ideas to achieve solutions to make Claremore and Rogers County a place where businesses will want to bring their headquarters and employees.
Quality of life, great educational resources, easy access to transportation, reliable infrastructure and utilities are essential to attract new businesses and development. However, that all goes by the wayside if Claremore and Rogers County is not a development-friendly community. All one has to do is look 20 miles west and see an example of a municipality that has put the future of its community first to see great results. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did required teamwork of its governmental and business leaders, something that needs shoring up here in Claremore.
It is time to forget about the missed opportunities which other communities capitalized on and begin to work together to build the proper foundation here in Claremore and Rogers County to be prepared to receive the next wave of economic development. It will not be easy. It will not be without more bumps in the road, but it can be without schoolyard skirmishes and blackeyes.
The decision to close Missouri Street was the correction on from the start and should have been done with minimal grief. Hopefully, the council and commissioners can learn from this situation and find ways to work together in harmony in the future.
Randy Cowling is editor of the Claremore Daily Progress.
