News Staff Writer

The three candidates for Ponca City Commissioner Position 1 faced tough questions from citizens during a forum sponsored by the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce Monday morning at Ponca Townsite Company.

One of the questions was related to fiduciary responsibility.

"Have you ever been charged with any felony counts or ordered to pay restitution?" the question read.

All three candidates, Brent Colle, Lanita Chapman and Verona Mair, answered no to both parts of the question and gave statements about their honesty and integrity in handling large sums of money as part of their employment.

According to earlier statements by District Attorney Mark Gibson and others, Mair was charged, entered a guilty plea and received a deferred sentence for election fraud.

Mair's case has been expunged from the court records, according to an e-mail from Gibson to Ponca City Police Chief Clayton Johnson dated Jan. 4, 2008.

Johnson verified today there was an investigation on the initiative petition fraud and information was submitted to the District Attorney's office on that matter.

Gibson was unavailable for comment and no other information was available from the District Attorney's office by press time today.

Mair's attorney, John Raley, said today Mair does not and has never had a felony conviction.

"She entered a plea of guilty to a felony charge involving the alleged election fraud. The judge saw fit to defer imposition of sentence for a period of six months, ordered the charges to be dismissed and the record expunged," Raley said. "As a consequence, she does not have nor has she ever had a conviction of anything, felony or otherwise."

Colle, Chapman and Mair each made opening statements describing why they seek the office and the issues they consider most pressing for Ponca City.

Colle called for a "principled approach" to government and said taxation was not always the correct response to situations facing the city.

"America was born out of a sense of liberty and justice," he said. "We need roads, prisons and some other things we can't do without a tax."

However, taxation should be a last resort, Colle said. He advocates encouraging private business to fill many needs instead of seeking a governmental solution.

"We need to set a higher standard for our children to see," Colle said.

Chapman said the candidates all were at the forum for the same reason.

"We want to live in a community where we feel safe and have a sense of belonging," she said.

She said current Commissioner Paul Krueger's statement urging individuals to seek the office as a civic responsibility convinced her to run.

"That inner voice said 'You want to do your part,'" Chapman said.

Chapman said her husband's job had been transferred to Fort Worth, but they kept their home in Ponca City. When he was allowed to work from home, the Chapmans knew that meant Ponca City.

"We have to continually look at new ideas and better ways to manage our resources," Chapman said. "We must maintain our public services and our buildings."

She said her goal was to find a proactive resolution to issues with a win-win solution.

Mair said she would be an advocate for the voice of the whole community.

"I am totally and passionately interested in the betterment of Ponca City," Mair said.

Mair said she is a fourth-generation Ponca City resident and has been in business for 27 years after retiring from Conoco, where she worked for 21 years.

"I am active in preservation and restoration," she said.

Mair also would like to see an Amtrak route through Ponca City.

"We need to be decreasing government," she said. "'Tax neutral' is not a good way to do things. We need to save up the money before we take on projects."

She said transparency in government is one of the most important issues and said she would maintain a phone line so citizens could contact her.