Six candidates seek state labor post
A state representative, the widow of a former labor commissioner and a 30-year-old engineer are among six candidates running for labor commissioner.
Incumbent Labor Commissioner McLawhorn Houston, who was appointed in 2015, is not a candidate.
The Republican candidates are Cathy Costello, state Rep. Leslie Osborn and Keith Swinton. Costello, 58, is a businesswoman and former educator who lives in Edmond. Her husband, former Labor Commissioner Mark Costello, was killed by their son in 2015.
Osborn, 54, is a state representative and businesswoman and served as chair of the Appropriations and Budget Committee. She lives in Mustang.
Swinton, 54, is an inventor and entrepreneur working at the U.S. Postal Service’s national center in Norman.
The Democratic candidates are Fred Dorrell and Sam Mis-soum.
Dorrell, 63, is a human resources labor specialist and an adjunct professor of business and human resources at Tulsa Community College. He lives in Broken Arrow.
Mis-soum, 30, is an engineer and businessman who lives in Tulsa.
Independent candidate Brandt Dismukes, 63, is also running. He lives in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma’s Department of Labor’s mission is to “foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage-earner,” according to its website. The Labor Commissioner oversees the licensing and regulation of various industries, promotes workplace safety and looks into employee wage disputes. It is a four-year term.
The primary election is Tuesday, and the general election is Nov. 6.