A KID WHO RAISES CHICKENS GRILLS A CANDIDATE ON CREEKS, WI-FI AND WHY NOBODY VISITS ADAIR COUNTY

By Troy Littledeer | @kituwahpunk

STILWELL, Okla. — My son Toby is 10 years old. He raises chickens with our uncle, sells eggs, and lives with the same worries as most kids in Adair County: slow internet, a school that could use more money, and a long drive if anybody gets hurt.

So when Hannah Cole, the Democratic candidate for Oklahoma House District 86, agreed to sit down with him, Toby didn’t ask about polling numbers. He asked about creeks.

Cole, lives in Rose in neighboring Cherokee County. She’s running against incumbent Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, for the District 86 seat. Toby wanted to know if she understood what it’s like out here, where the hospital closed and the roads are long. This is that interview.

TOBY: Rocky Mountain School and other schools [in Adair County] don’t have as much money as schools in bigger towns. Is that something you can help with if you’re elected?

COLE: I am very glad you asked me that, because I am a firm believer that a child’s access to quality education shouldn’t be dependent upon their zip code. I went to rural schools as a kid, and I want to see our rural schools funded, and that’s something as a legislator I can address. A big job that legislators have is allocating and appropriating money, and making sure that it’s going to public services, such as schools, and making sure that we’re staffing them and funding them, and making sure our kids are set up to succeed. And I want you to succeed.

TOBY: My family raises chickens and sells eggs. If a big poultry company comes and pollutes the creek, does that affect small setups like mine, or just big poultry farms?

COLE: Unfortunately, Toby, when waterways are polluted, it affects everybody. It’ll affect big farms, small farms, people who live in the country and live on well water. It affects everybody. And so we need to be holding the folks that are polluting our waterways accountable. But I also want to say it’s not the poultry farmers that are doing it. They’re not out there putting fertilizer into our creeks and streams. They are selling it or giving it to companies that then take it and spread it. And they’re supposed to be having guidelines and rules that they’re following to make sure that it doesn’t get into our waterways. Unfortunately, no one has been able to hold them accountable. The enforcement mechanism is not there. We have the laws, but no way to enforce it. So that is something when I get into office that I really want to tackle — making sure that the guidelines we have in place for our waterways, to keep them clean and protected, are enforced against those who take advantage of the system.

TOBY: Some kids’ parents have to drive really far for a doctor. Is that something you can help with if you’re elected?

COLE: It is sad that people have to drive so far just to get health care. And it’s a really common thing in rural areas, especially in Adair County. They’re having to drive 45 minutes for an hour to the nearest primary care doctor, or an emergency room. Stilwell’s hospital closed down, and those folks still needed care. They still needed to see their doctor. It’s just they now have a barrier placed in front of them that makes it even harder. So yeah, that is something I can do at a legislative level — make sure that we’re putting the investments into rural Oklahoma.

TOBY: Do people who make laws for Adair County actually know what it’s like to live here, or do a lot of them come from places that are easier?

COLE: I think they have their own version of what it’s like to live in Adair County, their own experiences. And we all have different experiences. Unfortunately, I believe that some of the people who represent us don’t quite understand some of the struggles that everyday working-class folks face, because they’ve come from privilege. They’ve come from money. They’ve never had to wonder about light bills being paid, food on the table, gas in the car so that they can get to work. I don’t believe that they’ve actually experienced these struggles. And the reason I say that is because the laws and policies they’ve brought forth have only put up barriers for folks who are already struggling, because they themselves have never struggled. They don’t understand it. And that’s why we need people in office who represent everyone.

TOBY: If my family can’t get good internet out here, is that something you can fix?

COLE: That’s a great question. Broadband in rural areas is a hard thing to access. I, too, live very rurally, and so I know the struggle. The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma has the role over broadband access, and I, as a legislator, can work with him and help him develop plans to try to get rural access to broadband in areas just like you and me. So yes, I can do that.

TOBY: What’s one thing you can do for a kid like me in the next two years?

COLE: So what can I do over the next two years of the legislature to help you and kids like you? First off, we’ve got to invest in education. We’ve got to invest in our kids and set them up to succeed, and I plan to do that. Another thing to help you is make sure that you can access health care in a timely manner — making sure that you stay well, making sure that you’re healthy, so you can go to school and learn and enjoy everything that a kid should be enjoying. And third, one way I can help you is protecting our natural resources. I live on the creek out here, and it’s beautiful, and I want to preserve it, take care of it, and leave it in better condition than I found it, for the next generation to be able to enjoy the bounty that comes from the wonderful natural resources our state has to offer, especially in District 86.

TOBY: Thank you for answering my questions today. Why did you want to do this interview?

COLE: The reason I wanted to do this interview is because I myself am a kid from Cherokee County, rural area just like you, and it inspires me to see young folks asking questions and holding people in leadership accountable. We need people just like you to be aware and knowledgeable of everything that’s going on, because it does affect you. And it makes me really, really proud to see folks around the state getting involved — the kids included. So keep it up.

You can see a video of this conversation on TikTok by clicking here.