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Local News

March 9, 2008

Murphy wants to give back

Has experience, personal mission

By Derrick Miller

DUNCAN — Dana Murphy has experience and a personal mission — to successfully do a job that affects all Oklahomans.

Murphy is running for the position of Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner.

“I believe I’m the most qualified and best person for the job,” she said. “We need someone who knows how to do the job.

“I’m a fifth-generation Oklahoman who wants to give back to the state.”

Murphy, who was born in Woodward, served as an administrative law judge for the Corporation Commission for six years. During that time, she heard more than 500 cases.

Being named co-employee of the year in 1997, and receiving the Commissioners’ Public Servant Award in 2001 are among the honors she was recognized with in the position.

Her time as the administrative law judge, coupled with her oil patch background and her degree in geology, is what she believes makes her the perfect candidate for the Corporation Commission, she said.

“I’m very familiar with this agency,” she said.

Murphy said the Commission is important to her because it affects the people’s daily lives. Every time someone switches on a light switch or passes a truck, they are being affected by the Commission, she said.

Most people usually associate the agency with regulating utilities, she said, but the most active regulations are actually in trucking, followed by oil and gas.

And her interest in the Commission can be seen by her ability to recite the agency’s mission statement without hesitation. By reciting the mission statement, which she has known for six years, she shows her dedication to the group, she said.

“I think it’s important to know the mission statement,” she said. “I understand what the agency is about. I’m ready to hit the ground from Day 1.”

If elected to the position, she said she wants to continue to look at the main issues, which include where to bury powerlines, placement of wind farms and dealing with aging transmission lines.

Murphy said the Commission will also continue to deal with an aging workforce and the evolution of technology.

“There’s going to be a call to be more effective and efficient through technology,” she said.

One of the main targets is to be to offer more affordable and consistent power. She said the state is going to have to make sure powerlines are updated.

And with the change in technology, the demand for energy increases.

“We need people who are ready to make really hard decisions,” she said.

Those hard decisions need someone who knows how to handle the situation, she said. But regardless of how much authority that person may have, he or she needs to keep in mind the real power belongs to the people, she said.

The Commission needs to keep the public in mind when making decisions, she said.

“This is a heart-felt thing for me,” Murphy said. “It’s really about a pledge and a promise to Oklahomans to give back.”

She will also keep her family members in mind, she said, because they have made the greatest impact in molding who she has become. She said she has taken pride in her family and her roots.

“I grew up in the greatest family,” she said. “When I was looking for role models, I didn’t have to look far.”

In fact, her mother has been traveling around with Murphy on the campaign trail as campaign manager. This addition is another bonus if she is elected, Murphy said.

“Energy, experience, excellence — that’s the choice voters have,” she said.

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