Stan Geiger

A Couple of Things to Keep in Mind

If you watch the local TV news, it would be very easy to come away with the misconception that everyone that lives north of Admiral in this town is black. Stories done during the river tax campaign, and in the aftermath, provide an example of that.

Black folks in north Tulsa did rally against the tax. A couple of black councilors were publicly opposed to the tax. And when a reporter did a story about that, invariably the term "north Tulsa" was used to define that opposition. "North Tulsa," it seems, is today synonymous with "black Tulsa."

There is more to north Tulsa than predominantly black precincts. Much more. I might even stick my neck out and say predominantly black precincts in north Tulsa are in the minority, though I'll admit I'm stating that as a casual observation and not as a documented fact.

My point is, there are a lot of white folks living north of Admiral, too. KOTV put up a precinct map showing which voted for and against the river tax. All north Tulsa precincts voted against the tax, not just the predominantly black ones.

The river tax vote was not about race. And it should not be painted as such. Acknowledge the fact that an area of town that happens to be predominantly black voted against the measure. That's fine. But don't make the mistake of limiting your perception to one of only black folks---along with people in Broken Arrow---being opposed to the measure. Opposition was there across a broad spectrum.

As a side note, be careful not to lock yourself into a mindset that says you have to have dark skin to be mistreated in this country. Working-class white folks aren't doing any better than working-class black folks, Hispanics or anyone else.

Another thing to keep in mind was displayed in Broken Arrow. Broken Arrow officials opposed the county-wide river tax because, they said, they might want to bump Broken Arrow's sales tax for municipal projects. Broken Arrow citizens should be wary of the dangers associated with that possibility.

It was a clear strategic mistake, from a political standpoint, to make the river tax vote county-wide. The majority of people living in the burbs were opposed to paying a tax to fund a project they viewed as having no benefit for them. But I imagine the decision to go county-wide was less a political decision and more an economic decision.

Our metro area is a tightly-packed conglomeration of several municipalities. Tulsa sits in the middle. If sales taxes are hiked in Tulsa without a corresponding increase in tax rates for the surrounding cities, people will go to the surrounding cities to shop or dine out. Ergo, a unilateral tax bump in Tulsa could well backfire, dropping sales tax collections in total.

That logic works both ways, of course. If Broken Arrow bumps its sales tax to a level higher than its bordering communities, shoppers and diners will flee Broken Arrow for the cheaper confines of those adjoining communities.

Along those same lines, property taxes in one area can't get out of line with those in surrounding areas or people---not too mention businesses---will choose to locate in a cheaper zone. I make that point because it very much appears Tulsa leaders are looking to raise property taxes to fund street improvements.

When it comes to a vote on a tax increase, the individual must look beyond just the money he or she will have to cough up. There are macroeconomic considerations as well.

---