Cathy Smythe

Cathy Smythe's career experience includes working in information technology professional. She earned a high school diploma from West Springfield High School, an associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College in 1976, a bachelor's degree from Excelsior College in 1990, and a graduate degree from the University of Memphis in 2000. Smythe has been affiliated with the Alliance Française de Tulsa and Tulsa Global Alliance. Her career experience includes working as a data analyst.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Bringing common sense to having strong public schools, quality healthcare, lower costs for working families, and a strong democracy. We are more alike than different, we all want personal freedom and responsible government.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Strong public schools are needed to educate Oklahomans, to develop the workforce to bring good and safe jobs and a living wage to our state.Affordable and available healthcare should be a right for all Oklahomans.I plan to use my experience working in technology, by listening to people, studying the details, asking questions, and making decisions based on facts.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am generally concerned about education and quality of life issues. And especially those issues that occur from not understanding and empathizing with others.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a mom, IT consultant with 42 year career, education believer, church business manager, volunteer, inspired to step up when needed, and a candidate for House Seat HD98.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Everyone in Oklahoma is entitled to have access to quality healthcare, affordable childcare, strong public schools, and economic opportunity.Be smart with money. Live within your means, spend no more than you earn, and spend on issues that need support and improvement, and that will benefit Oklahomans. Fund schools equitably. Make healthcare more affordable. Enable the future with investments in technology. And insure that checks and balances are in place to enable transparency.I want you to know that when elected, that I will show up for work, understand the issues, and spend the time to know what my constituents think on the issues. Then I will advocate and compromise to arrive at an agreement with fellow representatives on the legislation at hand.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education policy that gives Oklahomans an education on par with the needs of the global economy. Financial policy that benefits Oklahomans, that has measurable benefits, and that when implemented sticks to budgets.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A representative plays a crucial role in a democracy by fulfilling several key responsibilities.

Must show up for work and actively participate in the decision-making process.

Need to have a deep understanding of the issues at hand and make informed decisions based on this knowledge.

Must work to listen to constituents and roll those points of view into the decision-making process.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My legacy should be random acts of kindness that I've done throughout my life. A smile in someone's life to make their day better. I would be content knowing that there are people who can say "I learned something from Cathy".

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that I remember was the Assassination of President Kennedy in Nov 1963. My family was living at Ft. Lee in Virginia while my father went for training, and this was the only time I lived in the United States before 1967. I was 9 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In high school I worked at a movie theatre, at the consessions stand. I worked there for about 2 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Whenever I feel the need to pick-up some fiction just to get my mind off the doldrums of everyday life, I pick-up a legal novel written by John Grisham. He has a way with words and descriptions, and his plot twists are unexpected.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The relationship between the entities of our government should be one of communication and cooperation.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Well, I am a candidate for state legislature and have never formally worked in government. But I have been involved with non-profit boards, and in lower management of for-profit companies. Each has rules or by-laws that are followed to help guide the decision makers. I believe that iIf you practice decency and give respect to others you can go a long way to being an effective legislator.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Governing is about compromise and being able to understand an issue from another's point of view. If you can share ideas with someone you can begin the process to understand each other, and continue the process of mutual understand of the issue at hand. That's was legislating is all about.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

At this point in time, I have no interest in other offices.

What committees interest you?

Government Modernization and Technology, State Powers, Election and Ethics, Appropriations and Budget