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John B. Kane has announced that he will be running for State Representative in House District 11 in 2022 - a position currently held by Rep. Wendi Stearman.

To listen to KWON's full interview with Mr. Kane, click here.

Kane says representing the district takes a lot of time and commitment. He said he is ready to be committed to the time it will take to be in the district, to listen to your concerns and ideas, and to best represent you in Oklahoma City.

Kane says he believes it is the right time to run for the position. He says he believes he has the right experience to do the job and make people in District 11 proud. Nothing would make Kane happier than representing you.

Governor Kevin Stitt always says that he wants to make Oklahoma a "Top 10 State," and Kane wants to be a part of that process. Kane says he is old enough to remember when Oklahoma had "a self-esteem problem." He said there is no reason why we can't be Top 10 in areas such as jobs, education, transportation, and tourism.

Kane currently serves on Oklahoma's Tourism & Recreation Commission after being appointed to the role this year by Gov. Stitt. Kane said tourism is the third largest economic driver in the State behind oil/gas and agriculture. He said Oklahoma employs over 160,000 people in the tourism sector. This is Kane's first step out into statewide matters, which has intrigued him to be more involved in that line of work.

After college, Kane started his ranching career in 1986 when he returned to Bartlesville. Kane said he partnered with his father in the cattle business all those years ago. He said he attended Texas Christian University's Ranch Management program, which prepared him for a lot of things but not everything.

Kane compared his ranch business to small business because they also have a payroll, they create jobs and they have an inventory. He said ranching has taught him effective ways to handle people because the way you deal with people is so integral to the success of any business or enterprise, including government.

While he does most of his banking in Bartlesville, Kane has invested in Community State Bank in Coffeyville, Kansas over the years. Kane says he continues to serve on the Board for Community State Bank. He said the experience has been great for him because he gets to learn about all the businesses in the area. He's also learned to work diligently through tough times in the banking industry.

Kane, who has 35 years of experience in small business, says small business is the backbone of both Oklahoma and America. He says he wants to be involved with job creation in Oklahoma while showing empathy to small business owners.

Bartlesville has been and always will be a special place in Kane's heart. Kane says he has been fortunate to be a part of plenty of boards and leadership positions in town. He says he feels like he truly understands the values of House District 11.

If elected to the position, Kane said he would work very well with House District 10 State Representative Judd Strom and Senate District 29 Senator Julie Daniels. Kane says he has great respect for Sen. Daniels and Rep. Strom because they are highly visible in the community when they are not in session in Oklahoma City and they are easily accessible. He said they are also very involved at the Capitol where they have established trust with others while showing commitment to the betterment of Oklahoma.

A staunch conservative, Kane believes in limited government. Kane said government should be pushed down as far as you can get it to the local level. He said he does not believe that government should grow and he firmly respects the rights of the individual, stating the Founding Fathers were onto something and that he will defend the constitutional rights of all Oklahomans.

Kane also believes in respectfully listening to other opinions while being honest back, because people might need to hear something they might not necessarily want to hear. He says he hopes this will lead to breakthrough conversations that leads to great things for the State.

Kane's wife, Barbara, is fully supportive of Kane's endeavor to run for State Representative. Together they have five children, three of which are living in Bartlesville. Kane says they have seven grandchildren, all of which live in Bartlesville as well.

If you wish to get ahold of Kane, you can reach him via email at jbkane@kanecattle.com. You can also reach Kane by phone at 918.440.7295.