Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.
By: David Blatt
January 5, 2015 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Last month, the Board of Equalization certified that revenues will grow enough next year to trigger a cut in the state’s top income tax rate. At the same time, the Board determined that the state will have nearly $300 million… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 23, 2014 // Updated: December 23, 2014
Typically, when we reach out to ask you to contribute to Oklahoma Policy Institute, we list all the good reasons why you should support our work with a tax-deductible donation. But because we are a fair and nonpartisan organization, it’s… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 16, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Electoral participation is a cornerstone of our representative democracy. The vote allows citizens to participate freely and fairly in the political process and ensures that elected officials stay accountable to their constituents.
Yet in Oklahoma we are seeing growing signs… Read more [More...]
With voter turnout at record lows and most legislators running unopposed, it's hard to escape the conclusion that democracy is broken in Oklahoma. Our new report shares ideas for how to increase voter knowledge and participation, while giving Oklahomans more choices on the ballot. [More...]
By: David Blatt
December 15, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Although Oklahoma is now several years removed from the worst of the fiscal crisis that accompanied the Great Recession, the gap between the cost of providing basic public services and the revenues we collect to pay for them seems to… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 25, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For the second time, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has struck down a provision of this year’s state budget, ruling that the legislature acted unconstitutionally when it pulled $5 million out of the State Health Department’s Trauma Care Assistance Fund… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 12, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This is an expanded and edited version of a column that appeared in the Journal Record
As expected, Oklahoma voters have re-elected Governor Mary Fallin to a second term. Backed by a strong Republican majority in the legislature, the Governor… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 11, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
On November 10, Dr. Lawrence R. Jacobs spoke about the future of the Affordable Care Act in the aftermath of Republican gains in the 2014 mid-term elections to a lunchtime audience at the Jim Thorpe Association and Oklahoma Sports Hall… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 10, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week’s election raised the number of female members of Congress to 100 for the first time in history, according to a post-election article in Vox. Women now make up 19 percent of the Representatives and Senators serving in Congress.… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
November 4, 2014 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Sunday’s Tulsa Word featured a series of short articles by nine Tulsans explaining why they vote. These citizens spoke eloquently of their sense of civic obligation and responsibility. They spoke of the hard struggles that prior generations had fought to… Read more [More...]