Markum sworn in as County Commissioner, Cavett elected as board chair

Marcus Trevino, Stillwater NewsPress, Okla.
·2 min read

Jan. 4—The Payne County Board of Commissioners welcomed a new commissioner and a re-elected one.

Commissioners Rhonda Markum and Zach Cavett were officially sworn in during a Tuesday morning ceremony. Markum succeeded Rocky Blasier as the District 3 Commissioner, and Cavett was re-elected to serve District 1.

The board met shortly after the ceremony and unanimously voted to elect Cavett as board chair and Commissioner Chris Reding as vice chair. The positions usually see rotation between commissioners, and the two wanted to try something new for 2023, Markum told the News Press.

Cavett's path to his position began when he worked with county road and bridge crews out of high school. He was elected as commissioner in 2012 and most recently ran unopposed for re-election this past cycle.

Markum is now just one of eight female county commissioners in Oklahoma.

She worked at District 3 for eight years as the assistant for two commissioners, including Blasier. Her responsibilities included preparing bids, budgeting and communicating with constituents.

"(Blasier) took care of the county," Markum said. "I gained knowledge and experience working with him and I'm going to continue his work."

Markum said she planned on assessing the roads in her jurisdiction of western Payne County and "going after grant money" to make any needed improvements. District 3 has approximately 370 miles of gravel roads, 140 miles of paved roads and more than 120 bridges to be maintained.

She encouraged her constituents to reach out to her at 405-372-7758 to address any issues they feel she should be aware of.

While Tuesday was her first day working with Cavett and Reding on Board issues, Markum has frequently interacted with them in the past.

"I have a good relationship with them," Markum said. "I look forward to working with them in this new way."

Note: County Assessor was also sworn in on Tuesday. Cowan has held the office since 2011. Treasurer-elect Lee Denney does not take office until July 1.