It’s time for a better Broken Arrow.

Greetings! My name is Lisa Ford, and I am running for City Council. I want to be a difference-maker for our community. For the past twenty years, I have worked for the Broken Arrow citizens as the Crime Prevention Specialist and Community Liaison with the Broken Arrow Police Department. I have had the pleasure of working with the best neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and businesses. I have spent countless hours in your living rooms, at your dining room tables, in your front and back yards discussing your neighborhood issues. I have consulted with numerous businesses to develop plans to keep their business safe and secure from theft.

I am running for City Council to represent you, the citizens of Broken Arrow. I want to be your voice as your city councilor. Over the past 20 years, I have heard the same complaints: issues with water quality, traffic flow, and concentrating business growth in south Broken Arrow. These were just a few of the many issues I learned of over the years, and it was frustrating to tell the citizens that I had no power to help and to contact their city councilors. For that very reason, I have decided now is the time to retire from my position with BAPD, and to dedicate my days to working as your city councilor. I promise to continue to work with the citizens to make our community a final destination for families and businesses.

As your city councilor, I will make sure your best interests are protected. It is time for the citizens' best interests to be heard. It is time for a city councilor to be there for you, the residents. Too many times, our current city councilors have recused themselves from voting due to conflicts of interest, and this is unacceptable.

Quality of life issues are significant for any city. It has always been my honor to work alongside the Broken Arrow Police Department's men and women. Our fire department is exemplary, including our highly trained EMTs and Paramedics. The city is blessed to have employees throughout every department who puts the citizens' needs first. This is what is needed in our city council as well. We must focus on the citizens’ needs and concerns at all times, not only when it’s time to pass a bond issue. I want to create relationships with the community as your city councilor.

When I started working for BAPD, I made sure we were available in many different places. If there was an event, BAPD was represented. I was there to answer questions, and to be a community resource. We had a crime prevention booth at Rooster Days, Senior Health Fair, Tuesdays in the Park, Shamrock the Rose; anywhere I could think of that our citizens gathered. I even started safe, free events for our businesses and churches to bring our community together. Events like Back-to-School Bash and Night Out Against Crime and Camp Bandage's co-sponsorship made for a fun, free, and safe way for our community to gather. I tried to make sure that the City was available at the citizen's convenience, not the city's convenience.

Through my leadership of these Programs, the City of Broken Arrow has received numerous State and National Recognitions for being The Safest City several times, as well as The Happiest City, and the Best Place to Live and Retire. All of this was accomplished with very little taxpayer funding. To overcome this lack of funding, I worked hard to build strong relationships with the neighborhoods and our great businesses. With these partnerships, it is clear that everyone wants to see Broken Arrow's success as the best place to work and raise a family.

It would be my honor to represent you, the Broken Arrow Citizen, as your voice on the City Council. I humbly ask for your VOTE on April 6th for Broken Arrow City Council Ward 2.