OKLAHOMA CITY — Insurance Commissioner John Doak has crisscrossed the state in state-owned aircraft on his mission to educate the public and reach out to constituents.
Doak is the top statewide elected official using state-owned aircraft, behind Gov. Mary Fallin. The costs billed to his agency are $3,462.
His predecessor, Kim Holland, did not use state-owned aircraft to travel, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Doak said he is the only insurance commissioner to visit each of the state’s 77 counties each year. He said the voices of people in Grove, Antlers and Woodward are just as important as those in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Fallin, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb and Doak are the only statewide elected officials to use state-owned aircraft.
Lamb used the aircraft on June 5 to travel to western Oklahoma. The cost was $2,264, according to DPS.
“The criteria for usage of state aircraft by the lieutenant governor include the availability of state aircraft, while maximizing his time on behalf of Oklahoma and striking the balance of safety, security and time efficiency,” said Ashley Kehl, a Lamb spokesman.
Doak, who has been in office two years, said his use of state-owned aircraft is infrequent. He said he only uses the plane when it is available and when he travels to multiple counties.
Doak used state-owned aircraft in April to view damage caused by a tornado.
He said he didn’t travel with Fallin because they were not on the same schedule.
Other trips ranged from speaking engagements to meeting with chambers of commerce, local leaders, insurance agents and consumers.
Read more in Sunday's World.
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