With the U.S. economy struggling, politicians are looking for ways to create jobs. But one office-seeker in Canadian County, Okla., has an idea that would prove destructive to a historic section of Route 66.
Larry Nance, an Oklahoma Route 66 Association county representative in El Reno, said at the association’s meeting Sunday that such an idea comes from Claude Wilkinson, a candidate for Canadian County District 3. And, sure enough, here’s a report in the Dec. 20 edition of the El Reno Tribune:
Wilkinson said another area crucial to Canadian County is its roads. He said he wanted to work on widening thoroughfares for farmers” vehicles, as well as establish a perimeter industrial road from U.S. Highway 270 to the new gas plant being built about one mile east of the intersection of that highway and state Highway 66.
“The traffic is congested through there, and that is not helping anyone in the area or the business traffic we need to encourage in the county,” he said. “Eventually, I would like to see that go past Fort Reno.
Nance said that Wilkinson wants to tear up at least five miles of original pavement of Route 66, from Fort Reno near El Reno to U.S. 270, and widen the roadway to help create an industrial road there.
Wilkinson is running for a seat left vacant by the car-crash death of the previous District 3 commissioner. The primary for the special election will be March 2, and the general special election will be April 6. At least two other candidates are running for the seat, and the sign-up period doesn’t end until later this month.
I don’t know whether Wilkinson is unaware of the road’s historical significance or whether he simply doesn’t care.
Regardless, it would be a good if roadies wrote letters of the editor to the El Reno Tribune and The Oklahoman, based in nearby Oklahoma City, and explain why removing or altering the original Route 66 in that area would be enormous loss.
The editor of the El Reno Tribune is Ray Dyer. He can be e-mailed at rdyer(at)elrenotribune(dot)com or written by snail mail at 201 N. Rock Island Ave., El Reno, OK 73036.
Here’s a link to The Oklahoman on e-mailing a letter to the editor, plus guidelines for doing so.
If enough letters are printed, we figure it could do one of two things.
First, they could persuade Wilkinson to back away from his plan to tear up the old Route 66 roadway.
Second, if Wilkinson proves intractable, the letters could persuade voters go choose someone else to be their county commissioner.
The key is to inform Canadian County voters about an important historical icon in their midst, and a possible threat to that icon.