Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Elected Official of the Year During BA Day at the Capitol

(L-R) Jennifer Conway, Lisa Ford, Christi Gillespie, Aaron Morris, Debra Wimpee, Johnnie Parks, Scott Eudey, and Michael Spurgeon

The Broken Arrow Chamber wrapped up BA Day at the Capitol with a reception where they presented City Councilor Johnnie Parks with their 2021 Elected Official of the Year award.

City Councilor Johnnie Parks has spent the last forty-three years serving Broken Arrow as a City Councilor, Vice Mayor, and as a member of the Planning Commission.  Councilor Parks served as the Ward One City Councilor from 1979 to 1994, he was a member of the Planning Commission from 1995 to 2011 and was elected to the At Large seat for City Council in 2011 and this is the seat he currently still holds. Mr. Parks has served on many committees and boards, including his time as a Commissioner on the Commission for Education Quality and Accountability, Broken Arrow Civitans, Broken Arrow Seniors Inc., and the Environment and Natural Resources Committee for the National League of Cities. His service above self has benefitted the community as the Co-Sponsor of the Broken Arrow Youth City Council. As a former business owner and an educator, he truly understands the needs of our members and community.

“It is always a challenge to pick just one elected official to recognize, as all of them work diligently to represent and support Broken Arrow. But this year, one individual especially stood out for his years of service to our community. Councilor Parks has worked thousands of hours to ensure a solid foundation has been built for generations to come.” His knowledge and leadership has impacted so many young adults through his time with Youth City Council, and we know they will continue to share his wisdom and legacy.” stated Conway.

The Broken Arrow Chamber hosted more than 60 Chamber members for their all-day advocacy event in Oklahoma City, BA Day at the Capitol. This year’s event started at the Phillips Pavilion at the Governor’s Mansion where we heard from some of our top State leaders, including Governor Stitt. In the afternoon, Chamber members headed to the State Capitol where they were able to view the Senate and House floors as well as talk with Elected Officials regarding issues affecting businesses in our community.

“BA Day at the Capitol is a great event for our businesses to receive face to face time with our Elected Officials so they can discuss positives and negatives of bills that may be in progress.” states Jennifer Conway, President and CEO of the Broken Arrow Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. “The Chamber will always advocate for business issues, but the message is stronger coming from those who it really affects.” continued Conway.