Marc Bolz

Marc Bolz, a 22-year Garfield County employee, is a candidate for the District 1 commissioner seat in the July 27 Republican primary.

He will face off July 27 in the GOP primary with two opponents, Dennis McKinzie and Russell Bowling. They are seeking to replace Steve Hobson, of Covington, who did not run for re-election.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, a runoff between the top two vote-getters is scheduled for Aug. 24. The winner of the Republican primary will assume the post because no Democrat or independent candidates filed for office.

Bolz has been a truck driver, worked on the bridge crew and served as receiving officer, safety coordinator and heavy equipment operator in District 1. For six years Bolz has been highway superintendent, floodplain manager, safety director and right of way acquisitions manager. He also works on drainage studies, an area where he thinks District 1 needs improvement.

“Steve has done a good job,” he said of Hobson. “But there are some areas that need work. We must have good drainage or we won’t have good roads.”

Bolz said among the problems the county is facing is a diminishing budget, which the new commissioner will have to deal with.

“We also need to protect roads and bridges and our infrastructure,” he said.

In addition to improving drainage where needed, Bolz wants to maintain the working relationship between Garfield County and the city of Enid.

“I have a relationship with the engineering, safety, fire departments and 911 center already,” he said. “I have been involved in improving our county fire departments and to get the countywide 911 in place and I will continue to work in those areas.”

Bolz also emphasized good maintenance of school bus and mail routes and the safety of the traveling public on District 1 roads and bridges.

A lifelong Garfield County resident, Bolz lives in Covington. He also has served as a rural firefighter for 23 years, serving four years as assistant chief and 13 years as fire chief. Bolz is a former school board member of Covington-Douglas Public Schools and is a member of Covington First Baptist Church.

Dennis McKinzie

Dennis McKinzie has done a lot of different things and said that experience will make him a good District 1 Garfield county commissioner.

He currently is an appraiser in the Garfield County Assessor’s office, a job he refers to as a “glorified data taker.” He previously operated his own business in Enid before selling it and working for UPS for 28 years.

He will face off July 27 in the GOP primary with two opponents, Marc Bolz and Russell Bowling. They are seeking to replace Steve Hobson, of Covington, who did not run for re-election.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, a runoff between the top two vote-getters is scheduled for Aug. 24. The winner of the Republican primary will assume the post because no Democrat or independent candidates filed for office.

McKinzie said the biggest challenge in county government will be the budget shortfall.

“The budget will be the challenge, to do all we are doing now and stay within the budget,” he said.

He said prioritizing everything that is done will be the key.

The major advantage is having quality people in position. He said county roads and bridges must be maintained and people treated with respect.

County roadwork is funded by oil and gas funds, and the current commissioner, Steve Hobson, has managed to acquire Federal Emergency Management Agency money for some projects.

“You find new money and be proactive,” he said.

 Money from property taxes and Oklahoma Department of Transportation does not go for county roads and bridges, he said.

McKinzie lives in Enid and has lived in Garfield County since 1972. His father was in the military and they called Enid their home, he said.

McKinzie said he is qualified for the job because of the experience he has had in a number of different jobs. He owned a pest control business, which he sold at a profit, and went to work for UPS.

“As a young father that job with medical benefits looked really good to me,” he said.

He followed that up with the job in the assessor’s office.

“I really enjoy serving, I will roll my sleeves up and help people on a daily basis,” he said.

Russell Bowling

Russell Bowling, of Douglas, said maintaining roads would be his priority as District 1 Garfield County commissioner.

He is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the District 1 seat. He will face off July 27 in the GOP primary with two opponents, Dennis McKinzie and Marc Bolz. They are seeking to replace Steve Hobson, of Covington, who did not run for re-election.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, a runoff between the top two vote-getters is scheduled for Aug. 24. The winner of the Republican primary will assume the post because no Democrat or independent candidates filed for office.

Bowling, 46, has been a county employee for more than 28 years and cited his experience and knowledge of county operations as a reason for his candidacy.

“I’ve been here almost 29 years and I’ve learned a lot from the commissioners I’ve worked for. I decided to put my experience to work higher up, and also a lot of employees asked me to run ,” he said.

As commissioner, he said he will focus on roads and bridges, but the county budget will play a major role in keeping up county infrastructure.

“My No. 1 goal as commissioner will be to maintain the county roads and bridges on the shrinking money we have coming in,” he said. “I know how to do the job right. I’ll do it right the first time.”

Bowling also recognizes the experience of District 1 employees and said he considers that a valuable asset.

“I have worked with this group of men for many, many years and have seen firsthand the expertise and dedication they have for the job they do,” he said. “The total number years of combined service of the District 1 employees totals 291 years. You can’t put a price on that kind of experience.”

Bowling has lived in Garfield County 42 years. He graduated from Covington-Douglas High School in 1981 and started his employment for District 1 in October 1981. Bowling and his wife, Karen, have been married 14 years and have two children, Kaitlyn, 11, and Jacob, 9.

Bowling also is a retired volunteer firefighter, spending 22 years with the Douglas Volunteer Fire Department. He served the town of Douglas 20 years as water superintendent and has had training with Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency. He has completed 120 hours of training through Oklahoma State University Center for Local Government Technology.

He is a lifetime Republican and an associate member of Garfield County Republican Women’s Club.