Meet The Candidates Running for Watonga City Council

Allen Cowan is a current Watonga city council member and is seeking re-election in Ward 3 of Watonga.

He faces Ryan Bruner in the April 6 election.

Cowan grew up in Greenfield and graduated in 1989 before marrying his wife Delana in 1991.

He began his career as a meat cutter when he moved to Oklahoma City followed by his move to Georgia in 1997 where he became the owner of a small grocery store.

In 2007 he moved back to Oklahoma in Watonga where he currently resides with his wife and two sons.

During his time in Watonga, Cowan has worked at the local grocery store where he was the meat market manager. He currently works at The Fatted Calf, a new meat processing plant located west of Geary. Cowan also runs a small cow and calf operation with his sons.

When he’s not working, Cowan enjoys hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. Whenever possible, he also travels with his wife who has worked together with Cowan in buying older homes in Watonga, to fix and resell.

Why are you running for city council? What are things you hope to accomplish if elected?

I am running for city council again to keep making changes and improvements to Watonga. I want to help the city of Watonga grow and gain new retail businesses, encourage people to shop in Watonga, and thereby increase the amount of sales tax being collected to help the revenue stream of Watonga.

By increasing retail sales, the amount of sales tax increases and that money goes into the general fund to help maintain the city of Watonga. And before anyone complains about Watonga having the highest tax in the state, I would like to let everyone know that the money collected in sales tax does not ALL stay in Watonga. Yes, Watonga’s sales tax rate is 10.375%, which is on the high side. Of that 10.375%, the State of Oklahoma gets 4.5%, Blaine County gets 0.88% and the city of Watonga gets 5.0% of that 2% automatically goes to Mercy Hospital by votes of the citizens of Watonga. So, the City of Watonga operates on 3% of the collected sales tax. Simply, I want the city of Watonga to grow and prosper, like many of the neighboring cities have done.

What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a city council member?

I am currently a member of the city council and have been for a little over two years. I, along with previous and current members of the city council have been able to bring about the change in the city government. Changing the form of government has been a long time in the making. By changing the government, from mayor to city manager, the City of Watonga now has a person who works for the city of Watonga and the citizens full time.

What do you think is the top issue facing the city, and how would you address that?

The top issue facing the city is the infrastructure, meaning the roads and the sewer system. The sewer systems have been around for a very long time and they are not designed to last forever. The city must get the sewage system fixed and up to date.

How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process in the town?

Citizens of Watonga have always been welcomed to attend any city council meetings and are encouraged to do so. If any citizen wishes to have something brought to the attention of the city council and city manager, they need to fill out a request, which is on the city’s website, of what they would like to discuss at the meetings. All citizens are encouraged to reach out to the city manager at any time to discuss problems and hopefully a solution or at least an idea for a possible solution. By [having] the citizens offer a possible solution to a problem they see, [it] opens the opportunity to have an effective dialogue between the city government and themselves.

If elected, what are some steps you would take to get the city on a firmer financial footing?

Grants and increased revenue from sales tax are going to be the primary ways to get on a firmer foundation. Attracting new retail businesses in Watonga is an important step to increase revenue. For example, recently the city of Watonga netted $80,000 in sales tax revenue, which is down 30- 40% at that $80,000. We must have more retail sales to gain revenue and to do that we have to to attract more retail business.

If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

I would have to spend that $1 million grant on the infrastructure. Without good infrastructure, we would not be able to get more businesses into Watonga.

What are some of your favorite things about the town?

The people in the community are my favorite thing I like about Watonga. When I worked at the grocery store, I was able to meet so many of the people in Watonga and loved to visit with them. The Watonga community is like a big family, and while there may be squabbling or disagreements the community always comes together in times of need. I have been able to see exactly what the city employees do for the city of Watonga and its citizens, in all types of weather to keep the city running. Growing up in Greenfield, I was never a true part of Watonga, however, I would hear wonderful stories about the community and how people helped everyone. I like being a part of a community that feels like family.

Why should you be elected to the city council?

If re-elected to the city council, I will continue to strive to push Watonga forward and try to gain more business and attractions to Watonga. We are currently on a path to make the future of Watonga better, and we must keep this momentum up to succeed. There is such great, untapped potential in Watonga, it just must be capitalized on it to grow.