[Editor’s Note: Geoff Covalt has authorized the Times & Free Press to announce his candidacy for the Kingfisher City Commission, subject to the April 6 municipal election.]

I am Geoff Covalt and I am running for City Commissioner.

I was born and raised in Woodward, earned a degree in civil engineering from Texas Tech University and have worked more than 25 years in engineering and construction.

My career began in an engineering firm in Dumas, Texas, working with cities in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on transportation and wastewater treatment design, water resource and solid waste planning, regulatory compliance and other matters.

I then joined the Oklahoma Department of Transportation team, where I found my passion in building roads and bridges which are essential for every facet of life — from moving products and services, to providing crucial access to hospitals, schools, jobs, emergency services, and even the Kingfisher Yellowjackets’ state championship game.

Following my stint at ODOT, I managed highway construction projects in western Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle and Kansas as regional manager of a construction company, before starting my own company specializing in all types of paving for residential and commercial developers, municipalities, counties and the state highway system.

After selling this company in 2007, I went to work overseeing all construction work in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas — including transportation and utility design and environmental compliance — for a publicly-traded engineering firm with 365 offices worldwide.

Since 2015, I have worked with CEC Corporation as the Oklahoma transportation market leader, becoming a partner in 2019.

My wife Shana and I have been married 25 years and have three children: our daughter Reagan, a nurse at the Norman Regional Healthplex; our son Cooper, a 2019 KHS grad and current college student, and our youngest son Cade, a KHS freshman.

We moved to Kingfisher in 2018 because we value this cohesive, interconnected community. People here have been so welcoming to my family that a chance to give back is one of the reasons I decided to enter this race.

Some of the other reasons are:

• My engineering background includes many projects involving municipalities of all sizes in mutually beneficial public-private partnerships. I’m ready to put that invaluable experience to use as a city commissioner.

• I’ve worked on projects in nearly every Oklahoma county, including city streets, county roads and state, U.S. and interstate highways, and have navigated some tough challenges.

At ODOT, I helped manage the Purcell-Lexington Bridge rehabilitation, restoring an essential connection between those cities for emergency services and school and commuter traffic.

I also managed the general obligation bond for the City of Enid, rehabilitating bridges after a fire truck collapsed a structure in 2007.

• In addition to serving on the board of directors of CEC, I serve on several other boards within my industry. I enjoy working with others to establish clear direction or fine-tune the present course to stimulate progress and advancement.

• I have seen municipal government work well for the people and I have seen the inverse. Kingfisher’s dedicated commissioners, mayor, city manager and city employees fall into the former category and I’m excited for the opportunity to work with them and my fellow citizens to build a better future.

The Kingfisher City Commission and Kingfisher Board of Education seats are two important races to be decided on April 6. I urge your participation in both elections so that your voice is heard.

I believe I can add value to your current city commission and humbly ask for your vote.