Cherokee Elder Care hosts Breakfast with State Lawmakers

Native News Network Staff in Native Briefs. Discussion »

Sen Jim Wilson Addresses Crowd

Native Brief: TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA <– Cherokee Elder Care recently hosted a breakfast that gave concerned citizens a chance to hear their state legislators speak and ask the lawmakers to address any concerns they may have. Cherokee Elder Care hosted the event organized by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Communication at any level can only help a community,"

said David Moore, executive director of the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.

"Communicating with our legislators is one avenue to how we can improve that communication."

Sen. Earl Garrison, who represents Muskogee and part of southern Wagoner counties, Sen. Jim Wilson, who represents Cherokee, Adair and the northern half of Sequoyah counties, and Representative Mike Brown, who represents a portion of Cherokee County including Tahlequah, were all in attendance. The legislators fielded questions from the crowd and covered topics including taxes, education, energy policy and proposed legislation soon coming to a vote.

Wilson encourages constituents to make their voices heard in government. He said a simple telephone call can have an impact.

"It's important for citizens to realize they can make a difference. If I have ten people call my office about any issue, I pay a lot of attention because I normally don't have that many people call. That's not a lot of people,"

said Wilson.

"I represent 80,000 people. So if only ten of them call, and that's significant, then think what would happen if 20 called or 30 called."

Rick Richards, Cherokee Elder Care director, said he is glad to help facilitate citizen participation in government by hosting the event.

'It sure is nice to be close to this community and be part of the ongoing process to keep things moving forward,'

said Richards.

posted March 6, 2012 6:50 am est