Newcastle resident Mitchell Jacob has announced that he is running for the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 20.
Jacob, a Democrat, was born in Tulsa, one of nine children born to “an incredible mother.”
Jacob said as an Oklahoma native, he is committed to a better Oklahoma, and has five main legislative priorities when elected.
They are: invest in education; invest in infrastructure; lower taxes; develop small business; and create jobs.
“I believe that Oklahoma can only compete in the education sphere by spending our tax dollars wisely,” Jacob said. “Laptops and Chromebooks are cheaper than textbooks. We must couple investments in modernizing schools with investments in high-speed internet to promote better educational outcomes in Oklahoma.
“I believe that Oklahoma needs modern infrastructure. We have a myriad of crisscrossing highways, but we hurt our own competitive advantage by imposing tolls on vehicles moving through the state. We should encourage businesses to drive through, headquarter in, and operate in Oklahoma.”
Jacob said high-speed internet is a must, “not a commodity, in a competitive, modern world.” He said Oklahoma must ensure that every corner of the state has access to reliable, high-speed internet.
“I believe that Oklahomans work hard and deserve to keep more of their money,” Jacob said. “I pledge my support to eliminating sales taxes on grocery items. We must lower personal income taxes and lower the overall tax burden in Oklahoma. Where taxes must be imposed, I am an avid believer that tax dollars and tax expenditures should create a long-term economic benefit for Oklahoma.”
Jacob said he believes that Oklahoma can and should be a preferred state of incorporation.
“Preferred state of incorporation, in my mind, is providing incentives for companies to not only operate in Oklahoma, not only tag their ve
hicles in Oklahoma, but also to locate their headquarters, major operations, and key personnel in Oklahoma,” Jacob said. “We must provide low tax rates, competitive infrastructure, specialized services (such as a court of chancery), and quantifiable benefits for corporations moving to or incorporating in Oklahoma.”
Jacob said on the one hand, Oklahoma has abundant oil and natural gas reserves.
“This means that oil and natural gas companies operate in Oklahoma and have operations of all sizes. On the other hand, we have an extensive highway system and both OKC and Tulsa provide a meeting point of those many highways,” Jacob said. “Oklahoma already offers permanent tags for some commercial vehicles and the companies that operate them.”
Jacob wants to establish a court of chancery. He pledges to maintain a robust corporate code, and incentivize companies of all sizes to re-locate to Oklahoma.
“I believe that corporations and small businesses alike want to incorporate in a state which is responsive to their needs. I believe that Oklahoma can be that state,” Jacob said. “We have a series of major highways running through Oklahoma, we are in the center of the country, we have a low cost of living coupled with highly-skilled and highly-educated labor. If we establish a court of chancery and pledge to update our corporate code at least annually, I believe that we can convince businesses to headquarter in this great state.”
Jacob said he believes Oklahoma can create jobs and improve communities across the state by increasing corporate tax revenues, sales tax revenues, and property tax revenues without enacting a single tax increase.
“If we can get more businesses to move to Oklahoma and create more jobs, and more people move to Oklahoma to fill those jobs, we can increase our tax revenues by increasing our tax base without having to impose a higher tax on those who are already paying taxes,” Jacob said. “To phrase it perhaps a different way, as more people and more corporations pay income tax, sales tax, property tax, etc., Oklahoma earns more tax revenue by virtue of taxing more people.”
Jacob would like to see changes to the state’s corporate code.
“Oklahoma has not adopted the American Legal Institute’s Model Business Corporation Act. Instead, we closely mirror and draw heavily from the corporate common law of Delaware, where over half of all publicly traded companies are headquartered,” Jacob said. “Delaware has the competitive advantage but Oklahoma has a geographic advantage. We are smack dab in the center of the country.
“I believe that we should pledge to amend our corporate code at least annually and be reactive to changes in the business world. This is yet another means of making Oklahoma more competitive and bringing additional companies into the state.”
Jacob is an Army veteran, having earned the rank of Sergeant. He is married to wife, Rocio, and they have five children, all boys. One of them attends Tulsa Technology Center-Owasso for welding, one attends Newcastle High School, one attends Newcastle Elementary School, and one attends the Early Childhood Center. They also have a baby that was born over the summer.
The family attends church at Victory Family Church in Newcastle.
In his spare time, Jacob is an avid swimmer, though he said his spare time is fleeting these days.
“I have competed in two marathons, multiple half marathons, a triathlon, multiple century rides, and in summer 2015, I rode my bicycle from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Los Angeles, California, and then back to Flagstaff.
If more than one candidate files, a primary election will be June 18, 2024, and the general election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
