Editor's note: The Madill Record is going to be running a weekly segment about city and county officials in Marshall County.
Loren “Buddy” Runyan has served on the Kingston City Council since 2017 with his most recent run in April 2023 as Vice Mayor. Runyan, who oversees the streets and alley department moved to Kingston in 2013 from Colorado with his wife Ruth and two children.
It didn’t take Runyan long to get involved in his new community. The Madill Record recently sat down with Runyan for a short Q&A for Marshall County residents to get to know the Vice Mayor of Kingston.
Q: Tell our readers a little about you and your family.
A: “I was born in Buckhorn, Ok. It’s south of Sulphur, raised in Sulphur and the area around there. I got married when I was 23. We adopted two children, AmandaandRobert.Thenwe moved to Colorado in 1998. In Colorado I worked in the accounting office of a trench safety company. My wife worked in the rental office of thecompanythereinDenver. We worked up there for 15 years and decided to retire and came back here and built our house. We have family here. I have three nieces that liveinKingstonandabrother that lives out west of town. I still have lots of kinfolks up around Sulphur. Most of all I am a husband and father. I have been married for 52 years. My daughter is 44 and my son is 38. ”
Q: Tell the reader about your background/experience.
A: “In my work history I wasapoliceofficerinSulphur for five years where I was selected to go to the third session of the Oklahoma State Beau of Investigation Academy where I graduated. I am Jack of All Trades and a master of none. I've been a cowboy, I’ve been a welder, worked at a rock quarry, then a security guard. I worked in an accounting office, I wasn’t an accountant but I did do the work.”
Q: What made you decide to get involved in the community and run for Kingston City Council?
A: “Someone on the Kingston city council asked me to be on the city council and I said no and then I was asked again and said yes. I decided well somebody has got to be a voice for the people in the town so why not me. I have served a full term and this is starting my second term. There are three ways you can go. You can do something, you can do something bad, or you can do nothing at all. I think we need to do, the do something part to help our citizens. That is the main reason why I am here. I try to benefit the city of Kingston. I movedhereofmyownaccord, andthisismytown,thisismy home. If I don’t work toward the good then someone else is going to have to step up. Until then I am going to try to do good.”
Q: What would you like for thecommunitytoknowabout serving on the city council and why do you continue to do so?
A: “To serve my community. Any one that serves on the city council and goes to the meetings needs to understand that they are making decisions for the good of the town of Kingston and not for themselves. And that it’s aboutservingthecommunity not themselves. That is why I serve, is to serve my community otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it.”
Q: Do you feel Kingston City Council is working in the direction needed to make things run smoothly?
A:“Weareworkingtoward the possibility of Kingston blowing wide open, growing crazy. That is what we are working toward. We have a lot of projects in the fire. Of course we have to have money. We are trying to get grants and the Chickasaw to help us and they are. We are working with the police department trying to put on more officers. We are working with the Department of Transportation on the main roadway through town to make it safer for the people. The infrastructure is probably going to be the most expensive part of the process. There are lots of new water lines that need to be run, sewer lines, upgrades to the sewer system we have now. Upgrade the streets we have in town. It’s going to be a long hard job, but we have to do it to proceed with what is the expected growth in town.”
Q: What plan does the city council have to increase revenue in the town of Kingston?
A: “Basically the tax base is what we have now. We have had to increase the cost of the water and sewer recently. Our outside accountant told us the city was about 15 years behind, on a state average, in the amount that was being charged. We are way behind. I don’t like it and I know the people don’t like it but we have to do it to keep up with the growth and progress. We have only got so much water we can use. We are trying to get a well back up online and provide more water. The water system now is terrible. We need to make some new lines and where those new lines lay, most of them are right down the middle of the streets. If we upgrade the water we are going to tear up those streets andthenhavetocomebackin and redo them and put down new asphalt. When we fix it we will fix it right.”
Q: Does the city council have a plan in place to invite new business and growth in the area?
A: “We are always open to it. We have a new restaurant coming in on the east side of town. It’s an existing restaurant that is moving into a new building and then another restaurant will be their old place.”
Q: Are you excited about the new growth of the town and the development that is coming to the area?
A: I hope I’m here to see it. I was diagnosed with cancer. I have taken 40 radiation treatments. I just finished up 10 more after they found another spot. This is very exciting.”