City manager speaks to Lions Club

Durant City Manager Pam Polk has been making the rounds in her new job and last week, she spoke to the Durant Lions Club.

Council Member Lauran Fuller introduced Polk.

“She just started on the fifth of this month so she’s brandspanking new, still getting her feet wet … but we are sure thankful to have her,” Fuller said. “We are excited for the vision that she brings to this community because we all know the potential is there and we’re excited to see that harnessed and put to work.”

Polk said she has hit the ground running with much to do, including budget meetings.

Born and raised in southeastern Oklahoma, her hometown is Rattan.

Polk earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and moved away from Durant about 29 years ago. Polk began her municipal career in 1996, serving as city clerk for the City of Mangum before becoming the Mangum city manager in 2002. She was hired as city manager in the City of Collinsville in July 2005 where she served until moving back to Durant.

She told the Lions that she is the type who just throws herself into things wholeheartedly.

“You will see me at most events,” Polk said. “I have a lot of energy and I’m normally up late at night just doing whatever needs to be done. But I love it, I love local government. I love seeing the changes that can be made on that local level and growing a city with the council, setting the goals and objectives of what we want to accomplish, and really making a difference on that local level.”

She has many ties in Durant, including sons Jason Carper and Chaz Polk and their families.

“I felt like I was coming home but I also felt like that I could really just help Durant,” Polk said. “As Lauran said, there is so much potential here going. I think Durant is the fastest-growing city in Oklahoma right now. We’ve got a lot going on and there’s a good staff and I know the city has been through several city managers in a short period of time. It was the same way when I got to Collinsville.”

She said it took her about four years to change the cul-

Durant City Manager Pam Polk speaks to the Durant Lions Club during their meeting last week at Roma Italian Restaurant .

ture in Collinsville and she expects it to be the same in Durant.

“Maybe we can do it in a short period of time with people like all of you in these groups that help and volunteer your time because it takes those partnerships with different entities to make the big difference when you’re trying to turn that tide, but you guys have already started that,” Polk said.

“I’ve spoken at a couple of groups already and there are so many people that want to see this community do well. They give up their time and that makes a difference because the big thing for me is building those relationships and partnerships that make the difference because you have to be at the table to get things done.”

Polk serves as president of the Oklahoma Municipal League and she is the first female to have that position since the organization was founded 105 years ago. She is also a board member of the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG).

Polk said the Lions Club and other civic organizations in the city are what will make the difference because it’s not her or one person who accomplishes that, it’s everyone working together.

Lion Brian Bond asked what will be her first thing to focus on.

“I will tell you a clean town is a big deal for me,” Polk replied.

Polk said she drove around the city and made a list of streets and intersections that need clean-up work and she presented the list to Phillip Hightower, director of public works. She also sent an email advising that the next project would be First Avenue and that she did not want to see grass on sidewalks or between the curb and street. That day, crews were already working in that area. “To me, that’s like 60 seconds if somebody drives through and they see a really nasty, dirty town or trash everywhere, that they’re going to decide, ‘Well, I don’t want to to live here because it looks so bad,’” Polk said. “To me, it looks like we don’t care when we do care.

“I call that the low-hanging fruit and you can make a big impact with not a lot of funds being spent and using your own personnel. That’s going to be one of the big things.”

Polk said a retreat is being planned with council members so she can learn about their goals and objectives.

“There is a lot going on right now,” Polk said. “There are a lot of things that have been pushed to the side because there was so much turnover and no continuity.”

Lion Mark Swearengin asked if bringing in more retail businesses to generate tax revenue would be front and center in the city’s efforts moving forward.

Polk replied it will and she spoke of the city’s new economic development director Kathy Moore.

“She has been doing a wonderful job,” Polk said. “I met with her several times. But you know in Oklahoma, we are the only state in the nation that the only state-appropriated funding is sales tax. So all all state-appropriated funding is sales tax.

“We need that retail, yes to make the projects more feasible.”

In response to a question from Lion Daylin Hash about the good and the bad in the city, Polk said the good is that the staff has stayed with the city and kept it afloat between so many city managers which is hard.

“The staff I think has been great,” she said. “There are a lot of new people. There are a few like James Cross who has been mowing for the city for like 40 years. So there are some longtime employees, but there are a lot of new ones right now too.”

When Polk said she didn’t know that there was really a bad thing, streets were mentioned.

“Well, roads, yeah the roads maybe, but thank you all that live inside city limits that did (vote to) redistribute that half-cent sales tax,” Polk said. “That’s going to be very helpful. Some of the roads, though aren’t in as bad of shape as I thought they were going to be.”