Three candidates will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election for Oklahomans to choose as their next corporation commissioner. Brian Bingman, the Republican candidate, Harold Spradling, the Democrat candidate, and Chad Williams, the Libertarian candidate, are the choices for corporation commissioner.
The Corporation Commission regulates various industries in Oklahoma, from the state’s public utilities to its towing and oil industries.
The candidates are vying to fill Commissioner Bob Anthony’s seat on the board. Anthony has held the seat for over three decades and is term limited.
Oklahoma Voice interviewed all three candidates. Below is a summary of their responses. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Brian Bingman
Bingman, 70, secured the Republican nomination in the June 18 primary election.
He has worked in the private sector managing properties for oil and gas companies in Tulsa and has also served in the Oklahoma House and Senate.
Bingman said his day one priority would be to ensure the Commission is efficient.
“We’ve got some good key employees at the Commission,” he said. “I just want to make sure that we’re removing barriers that might be stymieing some business from progressing through.”
He said he’s running because his background gives him an understanding of how important the Corporation Commission is for Oklahomans.
“I’ve been on both sides of the fence, so I know a lot about how important these issues are at the Commission and how important it is to our economic system in Oklahoma,” Bingman said. “Everything you touch in Oklahoma somehow has some connection to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.”
As of Aug. 19, Bingman’s campaign reported raising nearly $450,000. About $442,000 has been spent on campaigning. Many donations have come from within the industries that Bingman would be responsible for regulating, according to campaign finance records.
Despite funds coming from these industries, Bingman said he’d still make decisions in the best interests of Oklahomans. He said people have seen his decision- making in the Oklahoma Legislature and are investing in him.
“I want to make thoughtful decisions,” Bingman said. “They’re investing in me, knowing that I may not agree with them. They know that I make decisions based upon what I think and the information that I’ve got in front of me. I’ll make a decision that’s in the best interest of Oklahoma.”
Harold Spradling
Spradling, 90, was the only candidate for the Democratic Party and did not need to win a primary election. This is his fourth time running for a seat on the Corporation Commission.
He said he’s an ordained minister and has worked as a school counselor and substitute teacher in Oklahoma City. Spradling said he has some experience working in the oil and gas industry.
While he was not intending to run again this year, Spradling said he changed his mind because he wanted to set himself apart from the “Donald Trump Republican Party” and show support for the way Commissioner Bob Anthony has made decisions on the Commission.
He said one of his priorities, if elected, would be to vote on increasing utilities only when necessary.
“I’m in favor of whatever we can do to keep … costs low on operating anything,” he said. “I’m not against the utilities, but they’re getting free passes too easily. If I were on the Commission I would sometimes vote with them, but not always.”
Spradling has no reported campaign expenditures or donations reported on the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website.
Referring to Bingman’s campaign receiving thousands of dollars from industry members, Spradling said if he received donations from within the industries he were to regulate on the Commission, he would recuse himself from decisions related to them.
“I’ve got a check on my desk now for $500 and I feel like I should return it,becausewhat’s$500?”Spradling said. “I need $500,000. I can’t see $500 making a difference.”
Chad Williams
As the only Libertarian candidate, Williams, 43, also did not need to win a primary election to secure his party’s nomination.
Williams was previously elected to the Choctaw City Council in 2019. He said he also has experience working on oil fields and is able to understand the complexities of fracking and counter misinformation on the topic.
“It’s time to bring wholesale change to the Corporation Commission,” he said. “For decades, we’ve been stuck in the past, protecting the oil industry at the cost of everything else, and it’s just leading our state into ruin.”
Williams said he’s running to root out the corruption on the Commission and that he wants to make a difference in Oklahoma, “not just use this as a stepping stone to a higher office.”
If elected, he said he would prioritize looseningoreliminatingregulations on some industries like cotton gins and communications.
Williams’ campaign has reported $1,127.50 in contributions. He said that contributions are mainly from individuals. Filings with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission show a $1,000 contribution from the Oklahoma Libertarian Party and a $127.50 contribution from one individual.
Williams said he understands thatacceptingdonationsfromwithin the industry is “necessary to run a highly visible campaign.”
“I don’t dismiss it, but at the same time, it’s kind of telling that … all the gas-related companies have their own little PACs (political action committees) that have maxed out their donations to Brian Bingman,” Williams said. “I think it’s just kind of telling of, you know, who the industry wants there to write the rules for them.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story and others can be found online at: https://oklahomavoice.com/.
