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
May 12, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
On Tuesday, May 18th, the Oklahoma City office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City will be hosting a video cast featuring Dr. Eric Belsky, one of the country’s leading experts in housing and urban issues. Dr. Eric Belsky… Read more [More...]
As legislative leaders and the Governor continue to work on an agreement on the FY ’11 budget facing a budget gap of some $800 – $850 million, here’s a quick visual reminder of why you can’t address a shortfall of… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 11, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
April General Revenue collections were announced this afternoon and provided further confirmation that while the fiscal free fall has now stopped, the return to pre-downturn levels is likely to remain long and slow. Overall, April’s collections of $512.3 million were… Read more [More...]
We’re pleased to call your attention to two events that are coming up next week that should be of interest to many Oklahomans.
The 35th Annual Oklahoma Conference on Aging, “The Art of Aging,” will convene May 18-20, 2010 at… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 10, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
We are at a truly critical time for Oklahoma. The state faces its most severe budget crisis of the past quarter century, perhaps the most severe in its history. As revenues have fallen, successive rounds of budget cuts have created… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 6, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This is the second of what will be an ongoing series of posts looking at the impact of the new federal health care reform law on Oklahoma and Oklahomans. The first looked at how reform will mitigate the public benefits… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 4, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This entry is from John F. Gajda, Executive Director of TARC, an… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 30, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
From time to time, we use the OK Policy blog to post submissions we receive from Oklahomans who have interesting perspectives on important policy issues for the state. This entry is from Adam Kupetsky, a resident of Tulsa .
Even… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 28, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
OK Policy has argued repeatedly that next year’s budget outlook, with shortfalls equal to cuts of 12 percent across all agencies of state government above those already enacted this year, threatens to have catastrophic consequences for the state’s economy, businesses,… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 27, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In recent months, with the state confronting historic budget shortfalls for the coming fiscal year and critical services facing massive cuts, there has been growing attention paid to the vast array of exemptions, credits, deductions, and rebates known collectively as… Read more [More...]