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 11, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
There is no doubt about our commitment–as a nation and a state–to improving educational opportunities and outcomes. Sometimes we forget about the key role nutrition plays in helping kids get to school and be ready to learn. For many Oklahoma… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 8, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The debate over SB 834, the bill that would lift various mandates currently binding on public schools and make it easier to terminate teachers, has been one of the most contentious this legislative session.The bill passed both the House and… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 7, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This week, the New York Times magazine ran an extended interview with President Obama on his economic program, while The New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza profiled Obama’s budget director, Peter Orzsag. Both pieces devoted considerable attention to health care reform, and… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 6, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Spending from the $787 billion stimulus bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, is underway. Since passage of the bill in February, payroll withholding for most employees has been decreased thanks to the Making Work… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 4, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
In spite of all the attention paid in Oklahoma in recent weeks to such urgent matters as the Ten Commandments, stem cells, and the Flaming Lips, the real work of the 2009 legislative session has been unfolding largely behind the… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
May 1, 2009 // Updated: October 17, 2012
Sunday evening, May 3rd, I will be the guest on Gwin Faulconer-Lippert’s Oklahoma City radio show on AM1000 KTOK at 7:30 p.m., discussing OK Policy’s recent release on tax credits for the oil and gas industry. If you’re not in… Read more [More...]
OK Policy has released a new fact sheet looking at Oklahoma’s gross production taxes on oil and gas,which takes a special look at the tax exemptions offered for different forms of production. Over the past five years, producers have claimed… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 29, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As most observers of Oklahoma legislative politics know, in cases when only a handful of Democrats support controversial bills being promoted by the Republican majority, it’s usually the more conservative members of the caucus representing rural districts who buck party… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
April 28, 2009 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Last week I was in Washington, D.C. attending a meeting of the SEED state policy partners. This is an initiative led by CFED, a national non-profit organization that is a pioneer in the field of asset development, that brings together… Read more [More...]
Last week, my colleagues and I were treated to a superb overview on the U.S. and Oklahoma economic outlook by Chad Wilkerson, an economist who heads up the Oklahoma City Branch Office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City,… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
There is no doubt about our commitment–as a nation and a state–to improving educational opportunities and outcomes. Sometimes we forget about the key role nutrition plays in helping kids get to school and be ready to learn. For many Oklahoma… Read more [More...]
Last week, my colleagues and I were treated to a superb overview on the U.S. and Oklahoma economic outlook by Chad Wilkerson, an economist who heads up the Oklahoma City Branch Office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City,… Read more [More...]
